The Party Versus The People

Embracing clubs to create a GOP that’s for all conservatives

Originally published in The Wilmington Conservative on January 23, 2025.

Through volunteer and campaign work I’ve been involved in many county Republican parties from Harnett and Johnston counties, where everyone is a Republican, to Arlington County, Virginia where I was one of ten Republicans. Now I find myself in the purplest of purple New Hanover County, where party affiliation is equally split between Democrats, Republicans, and Unaffiliated voters. I’ve seen very effective county Republican parties that have an outpouring of volunteers who can readily mobilize, to small parties who are begging for volunteers. 

A County GOP should have two primary goals- to get Republicans elected and to get Republicans to vote. Everything should support these two goals. Party organizations get caught up in plans of organization, procedures, titles, egos, money, and who is in charge of what. This infighting leads to countless wasted meetings, disgruntled volunteers, and candidates left up the creek without a paddle.

This dysfunction results in low party turnout in elections, lost elections, and voters becoming unaffiliated. What’s left are the same people running county GOPs and committing the same sins each election cycle. While these party elites constantly run these organizations the same way and push out dedicated volunteers and voters, it’s created a dichotomy of the party versus the people. However, if county parties can keep focused on the two action-oriented goals, elect Republicans and drive Republican voters to vote, there is still hope. 

The future of the Republican party and achieving more local Republican victories does not lie within the organization itself but in a decentralized model. It’s time for the party to go from adopting a plan of organization to adopting a plan of action. It’s time that more disgruntled conservatives build independent grassroots organizations with the same goals of getting Republicans elected and getting Republicans to vote in elections. While the proverbial country club GOP has typically looked down on what they call “nonaffiliated” or “nonfederated” clubs it’s time to embrace these clubs, if they are truly working to elect conservatives and mobilize voters. 

These action clubs can be based on affinity or issues (e.g., hunters, pro 2A, pro-business, parents, education, geography). Like-minded individuals mobilize volunteers, raise money, and recruit and support candidates. Clubs can operate with much more latitude because they are not bound by the rules of a state and national parent organization like the GOP. These organizations have different identities and objectives, but the goals remain the same. 

Democrats have done this well, particularly in urban areas. The county Democratic party has smaller non-affiliated groups fighting for particular issues that mobilize grassroots volunteers and activities. These clubs/organizations operate outside of the Democratic party and they still have plenty of infighting, but they have the same goals—to elect Democrats and get them to the polls. Locally, it works.

I get it—this is easier said than done for Republicans. In New Hanover, we have several independent conservative groups that I’ve often criticized and disagreed with. However, I still believe they can serve a valuable purpose in mobilizing grassroots volunteers. These groups and the county GOP spend too much time fighting and splitting each other. As a result, volunteers are lost, and good candidates get caught in the crosshairs during the primary.

Independent clubs can get involved in primaries and support candidates where the party cannot. These clubs should clearly distinguish themselves so they are not confused as being part of the GOP. Finally, clubs need to stick to the issues, not personal attacks. I’ll be the first to confess that as a campaign strategist, I’ve broken Reagan’s 11th Commandment enough times to land in political purgatory. While we have tendencies to let personal or philosophical convictions drive our emotions, as representatives of political organizations, we must strive daily to hold ourselves to higher standards, whether we represent the party or another organization. There is a balance between supporting a candidate and outright slandering their opponents. Clubs must find this balance. I digress. 

So what can the party do? It begins with electing party leaders who are committed to building a party that has candidate support and voter mobilization as its core goals. Second, we need party leaders who acknowledge and utilize outside clubs to support these goals. That doesn't mean absorbing or aligning clubs to work under the GOP, but rather to work in parallel with the party's efforts. 

Sandy Joiner and her One Wake slate seeking to run the Wake GOP, understand all too well the importance of independent clubs. Wake County has well over 20 affiliated and unaffiliated Republican organizations. Wake GOP leadership has either shunned or tried to assimilate these clubs under the party. Joiner and her slate seek to include these clubs in county party efforts and let these clubs run independently. Their motto is simple, “working together, we win.” I hope the party slates this year in New Hanover and other counties take note and follow One Wake’s lead. If we do this, then we can create a party for all conservatives and we will win local elections.