At least eight Republican candidates in northern Kentucky attended an "election integrity" event that highlighted conspiracy theories about Donald Trump's loss, and revealed the deepening divisions in the state party.
The Boone County GOP recently hosted the "Restore Election Integrity Tour 2.0" event, where speakers claimed Facebook and Google were created by the U.S. Department of Defense and the next election was already determined by foreign governments, and party organizations are recruiting Trump loyalists to challenge Republican incumbents, reported the Cincinnati Enquirer.
“They're no longer working to help any Republicans," said Brian Painter, a Campbell County commissioner who's facing a primary challenge from the county's GOP vice chair Dave Fischer. "That's a dangerous precedent, and I worry about the party being able to recover from such a misuse of an office like this.”
Party leaders are challenging incumbents all over the area, and office holders say that creates a conflict of interest.
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“It’s really a shame the local party is behaving like this," said longtime Campbell County judge-executive Steve Pendery, who's facing a primary challenge from county GOP chair Anna Zinkhon. "It’s doing damage to ideals they are supposed to support.”
Boone County GOP chair Chet Hand is running against longtime county commissioner Charles Kenner, telling the newspaper that career politicians are "intrinsically dangerous for maintaining a Conservative Republic."
"We would like to see all elected positions in Boone county be challenged during all primaries," Hand said.
Kenner said the GOP's new leadership have ignored him at party meetings, which he said was frustrating.
"Having that normal party apparatus would be very helpful, and I think good for the citizens of Boone County to see," Kenner said. "I don't mind having opponents, that's not it at all. But I just don't like the games. I'm not a game player."
State GOP guidelines advise party chairs to remain neutral in Republican primaries, and the party should offer the same resources to all Republican candidates, but state Rep. Ed Massey, who's also facing a primary challenge from Steve Rawlings, said party leaders had created a toxic dynamic.
“I just find it very unsettling that we've lost civility in our politics in this day and time,” Massey said. “It's not just across the aisle, it's also within our own parties. It is amazing to me how even within the Republican Party, people sometimes cannot sit down and have a civil discussion, agree to disagree, and come up with a very positive solution.”