News

A Defense of the Former Party Chairman

Background: Throughout early 2016, members of the NCGOP received disturbing reports from party officials about Republican Party Chairman Hasan Harnett. Some of the allegations were that he had hacked into the party’s financial accounts and web site, which could have been criminal acts. These reports were accompanied by messages from the Chairman, himself, who complained about being locked out of the NCGOP headquarters and his email account- which would prevent him from doing his job. Eventually, the Central Committee of the NCGOP met and voted to petition the party’s Executive Committee to convene a trial of Mr. Harnett, at which time they would take a vote to dismiss him as Chairman. A generalized list of allegations was provided to the Executive Committee. The trial was convened on April 30, 2016, a date Mr. Harnett was scheduled to be out of the country on business travel. He was tried in absentia.

The Allegation: Jim Womack was alleged to be a vigorous supporter of Mr. Harnett and that he acted as Chairman Harnett’s advocate in the April 30, 2016 trial. Womack is alleged to have defended Harnett’s actions as Chairman, seeking to prevent his dismissal. It is alleged more than 2/3 of the Executive Committee voted to discharge Mr. Harnett from his duties as Chairman.

The Truth: Indeed, Jim Womack supported Chairman Hasan Harnett because he was the duly elected leader of the NCGOP, elected by acclamation during the NCGOP convention in 2015. Throughout March and April 2016, Womack queried central committee members about their claims of Harnett’s malfeasance. Womack was provided nothing of substance that would rise to the level of disloyalty or gross inefficiency.

When Womack discovered Harnett was not going to be offered legal assistance and that he was to be tried in absentia, Womack offered to step in as an advocate to afford Mr. Harnett due process as typically assured in our legal system (and by Roberts Rules of Order).

Womack discovered the Central Committee had violated our state Plan of Organization in convening the trial and he challenged the legitimacy of the trial on the grounds that Roberts Rules were being circumvented in denying Harnett the ability to be present and to speak on his own behalf.

During the trial, the presiding officer liberally allowed hearsay information from the prosecution; but Womack was frequently interrupted and scolded during his defense of Harnett for being argumentative. He was not allowed to fully present Harnett’s case. Robert’s Rules were waived in the trial to disallow matters of extenuation and mitigation that would have helped Mr. Harnett’s case.

Mr. Harnett was not given a fair trial and he was denied due process. In the end, fewer than 200 members present in the room voted to oust the Chairman, not nearly the majority of the Executive Committee that is required by our state Plan of Organization for taking such action.

Conclusion: Jim Womack’s defense of Chairman Hasan Harnett was a noble attempt to protect the will of the voters from the 2015 NCGOP convention and to ensure due process for our elected leader. Womack mounted the best defense that was possible, under the circumstances, and stood to gain nothing from defending the Chairman.

#ReviveTheParty

Learn more about Jim Womack here.

Lee County’s Conservative & Veterans Ballot

Background: The Lee County Conservative Ballot Political Action Committee decided to make a slight change in its approach to electing conservatives in 2016. In the interest of encouraging cross-over votes from unaffiliated and democrat veterans, the ballot title was changed to read “Conservative and Veterans Ballot.” All veterans – most of whom who were Republicans -were identified in red, and all Republican judges were identified by party, including Justice Edmunds. Approximately 8,000 of these ballots were printed and distributed by conservative volunteers at both early voting sites and at all ten precincts on election day. Hundreds of these ballots were distributed to democrat and unaffiliated veterans and the vast majority of Republican voters entering the precincts. These ballots were so disturbing to the local democrat party that one member suggested bringing baseball bats to the polling places to stop this ballot from being distributed, if necessary.

The Allegation: A complaint was filed with the NCGOP that this ballot was misleading and possibly a violation of the Plan of Organization in that it identified veterans of other parties and might cause some votes to vote for those candidates. As the creator of this sample ballot, the complaint was against Mr. Womack.

The Truth: Jim Womack and the conservative ballot committee carefully weighed the consequences of identifying veterans on our conservative ballot for the first time- this was an unprecedented sample ballot in the state. In sample polling, the team discovered most voters, regardless of party, wanted to see who the veterans were. At least 2000 of these ballots were given to unaffiliated and democrat voters, many of whom who were veterans themselves. Notably, all candidates who were recommended with a darkened circle were Republicans, without exception. While all veterans were identified, only Republicans were recommended for a vote. This was the only conservative sample ballot being distributed in Lee County that contained all races and that correctly identified all Republican judges.

Conclusion: Despite Lee County being democrat-dominated, this ballot was a huge success in swinging cross-over voters. All Republican judges won their races, including NC Supreme Court justice Edmunds by more than 3 points. Trump won by a 13-point landslide. McCrory won by 6.5 points. The Senate and House races were landslides for Burr and Walker- both winning by 13 points. Council of State races for AG, Agriculture, Labor, Superintendent, Treasurer, and Insurance were all won by Republicans with comfortable margins. In every case for statewide races, the conservative and veterans ballot helped swing voters to Republican veterans.

#ReviveTheParty

Learn More about Jim Womack here.

Wearing a Paper Bag at Convention

Background: Lee County delegate Jim Womack attended the 2016 NCGOP Convention. As with the past two state conventions, the agenda and program were tediously protracted, with little actual business being accomplished. Credentialing was painfully slow and many delegates departed the convention hall out of disgust with the procedural problems and perceived manipulations of the central governing body. Peaceful protests were sprouting up all across the convention hall.

The Allegation: Jim Womack was one of about a dozen people alleged to have worn paper bags on their heads during certain periods of the 2016 convention.

The Truth: Delegate Jim Womack and about a dozen other grass roots activists did indeed wear paper sacks on their heads in peaceful protest each time the convention chairman or central committee staff were perceived to be manipulating the proceedings to disadvantage grass roots candidates running for office, or when resolutions and platform changes were being suppressed. Rather than leave the convention hall in disgust, Womack and others chose instead to demonstrate their dissatisfaction with convention dysfunction, disorganization, and manipulation by wearing a paper sack on their heads. This was a much more constructive and less disruptive means of showing disagreement than by leaving the hall and losing the ability to vote on important convention matters.

Conclusion: Sports enthusiasts understand the humor and subtle mockery of a franchise’s authority when its fans wear paper sacks on their heads. Such gestures are intended to draw attention to the deficiencies of an organization and its leadership, without being disruptive. So too are political protests of this type. NCGOP members who shell out hundreds of dollars to participate in state conventions have every right to demonstrate their dissatisfaction with party leaders in an organized, orderly and peaceful manner.

#ReviveTheParty

Learn more about Jim Womack here.

Matt Overby Endorses Jim Womack

Raleigh Republican Club Chairman Matt Overby has endorsed Jim Womack for NCGOP State Chairman.  Below is Matt’s endorsement from his Facebook page.

I’m proud to endorse Jim Womack for Chairman of the North Carolina Republican Party. Jim is the kind of committed Christian conservative that we need as NCGOP Chairman. He is a veteran, a former county commissioner in Lee County, and is the current Lee County GOP Chairman.

 

 

It’s time to have a Chairman that will bring the grassroots energy needed to keep newly acquired Trump supporters active in the party.

It’s time to have a Chairman who will be attentive to the needs of the county parties.

It’s time to #revivetheparty

In addition to chairing the Raleigh Republican Club, Matt Overby serves as an elected member of the  Wake County Soil & Water Conservation District Board of Supervisors.

Learn more about Jim Womack here.

Thomas Hill Endorses Jim Womack

Thomas Hill, the recently elected District Chairman of the North Carolina Republican Party in Congressional District 1, has endorsed Jim Womack for NCGOP State Chairman.  The following is Mr. Hill’s statement on his Facebook page.

I want to take this opportunity to come out and endorse a gentleman that I have learned to respect and seen in action, Jim Womack. He has been a fighter for a better NC. as well as some one of great knowledge. I find him to be caring as well as compassionate, strong with his issues but attentive in listening to yours. I have seen him in state wide issues and have worked with him in fighting for the same causes. When going to the State Convention, Gates County will be voting for him for NCGOP – Chair! To be clear, Gates County will be voting for Jim Womack for State Chair and Michele Nix for Vice chair!

Learn more about Jim Womack here.

No One Gets Left Behind

During my 4 years at West Point, and throughout my 20-year Army career, one of the enduring principles ingrained in me is that “no one gets left behind.” The concept of valuing every person’s worth to the combat team and assuring each person that they were coming home at the end of the campaign persists with me today.

The North Carolina Republican Party is analogous to the combat organizations I have had the honor to lead. Our “army” is made up of many different factions- from Tea Party Patriots to Libertarians; from Cruz Constitutionalists to President Trump’s America First followers.  Truly, our base is becoming more diversified and our message must resonate across a much broader spectrum of voters than ever in our history. Unfortunately, our NCGOP leadership is not doing enough to emphasize the common virtues and values we share to unify the team so it can wage war on our opposition- the democrat party and its base of liberals and progressives -who seek to destroy our nation, one bathroom bill at a time. Our leadership team allowed identity politics to divide us in 2016, which helped give the democrats the edge they needed to win important races for governor, attorney general and the state supreme court. We left those three candidates behind, and we failed again in 2018- allowing the democrats to eliminate our super-majority in the general assembly and losing another State Supreme Court seat.  We will pay the price for those losses for the next 4-6 years.

For our party to grow and prosper in coming years, we must change the way our leadership behaves. We simply cannot continue insulating our highest level governing organization from the base of our party. We have to be more accessible to, better communicate with, and push information down to rank and file Republicans who labor endlessly at the base of our party in the precincts and counties. Every Republican in the state needs to know he or she is valued and will not be left behind. Every delegate to state and national conventions needs to know their opinions and ideas are welcomed and venerated, and that they will be given fair treatment- not rewarded by being left behind, stranded to fend for themselves.

Under my leadership the North Carolina Republican Party will never leave its workers, its delegates, or its candidates behind. We will strive for cross-faction collaboration, always aiming at the main objective, so we win every major election and reward all of our stalwart troops for their faithful service.

Please join Team Womack and help me make sure no one gets left behind!

#ReviveTheParty

Learn more about Jim Womack here.

Growing NCGOP

The North Carolina Republican Party has 2,046,747 members registered to vote, a deficit of 592,490 to the democrats. We need to eliminate this gap over the next four years. Given our citizens’ reverence for liberty, Judeo-Christian tenets, and traditional American values, North Carolina should be a “red state” for all intents and purposes. We not only “lean” right, we are right.

For much too long, our party’s leadership has ignored the problem with the voter gap between us and the democrats. North Carolina is branded by national media outlets as a “light blue state’ or as a “swing state.” These labels affect voting behaviors among what Rush refers to as “low information voters.” Our voter registration deficit reflects the influence of identity politics as well.

Our opponents claim minority groups as their natural affiliates; despite the fact the Republican Party Platform best reflects their ideals- a Christian belief system, marriage between a man and a woman, a traditional family constellation, support for Israel, textual interpretation of our Constitution, and limitations to the size and scope of our federal government. Frankly, most American citizens (and many North Carolinians) are woefully misinformed about the parties and what each stands for.

As NCGOP Chairman, I will champion the cause to eliminate our registration deficit. For the next four years, we will out-work our democrat counterparts in educating prospective voters about our principles and values. We will empower our counties and precincts with the automation, tools, and training they need to market our party to the uninformed.  Below is one such tool, insprired by Franklin Graham, that I developed for broad distribution around the state.

Party Positions on Biblical Values – click image for larger version and/or PDF download.

We will win over a quarter million conservative democrats and unaffiliated voters for the Republican Party and we will register hundreds of thousands of new Republican voters newly arriving into the state or registering for the first time. By the 2020 election, Republicans will outnumber democrats in the Old North State!

#ReviveTheParty

NCGOP and the Working Class

The Republican Party is the party of the working man and woman. Too often, though, our party leadership ignores that hallmark, a major source of strength in the NCGOP.

Clearly, the majority of working North Carolinians voted to give Republicans control of the council of state, the election of 10 congressmen among our 13 districts, super majorities in the NC House and Senate, and a dominance of appellate court justices across the state; all of this despite the Republican Party having a voter affiliation deficit of 594,000 prospective voters to the democrat party.

Party leaders frequently fail to demonstrate concern for grass roots Republicans who represent the heart and soul of our party. They suppress participation in party governance by profiteering off of rank and file Republicans at conventions. They meddle politically in the regulation and oversight of important, long-standing state industries like commercial fishing and textiles. And they suppress participation of working class Republicans in district- and state-level Executive Committee meetings and conventions. It’s no wonder we continue to lag behind democrats in overall party affiliation around the state.

As Chairman of the NCGOP, I will insist we restore the state Republican Party to the working man and woman. We will set meetings and agendas that are well publicized and forecast well in advance for dates and times conducive to a working person’s schedule. We will permit remote participation for those who have work-related travel limitations. We will promote and defend the interests of lifeblood industries to achieve a thriving commercial fishing industry and a working coastline. We will advocate for measures that lead to full employment in furniture, agri-business, and textiles across the state. The GOP will liaison frequently and effectively with key legislators on matters of importance to the working class.

After I am elected, the NCGOP will abandon the ‘country club members only’ attitude that has crept into our policies, Plan of Organization, and operating procedures. We will conduct education and training for aggressive outreach within the minority groups around the state. By appealing to the working class, we will encourage more unaffiliated and conservative democrats to join our party, reduce the voter affiliation gap, and win important, contested races in the future.

#RevivetheParty

Read more about Jim Womack here.

Jim Womack on NCGOP Governance.
Jim Womack on NCGOP and Technology.
Jim Womack on NCGOP Fundraising.