I have previously reported on the meeting held in Raleigh, North Carolina, on April 30, where a bunch of sore losers illegally deposed Hasan Harnett, the duly elected head of the North Carolina Republican Party. If you missed the report, you can read it here. Chairman Harnett attended the North Carolina State Republican Convention in Raleigh this weekend. He has shown the character and courage to stand up to the illegal actions of the group that decided to unelect him last weekend.
Yesterday The Raleigh News & Observer reported that Hasan Harnett has stated that he is still the Chairman of the North Carolina Republican Party. I agree with him, but I wonder what will happen next. I suspect a nasty lawsuit will follow Mr. Harnett’s declaration.
The article reports:
After months of infighting among party leaders, the Republican Party Executive Committee voted April 30 to remove Harnett and replace him with former U.S. Rep. Robin Hayes of Concord.
Hayes led Saturday’s convention from the stage, while Harnett sat with the delegation from Cabarrus County, where he lives. But in one of the first interviews he’s given since being ousted, Harnett said the removal vote wasn’t legitimate because it didn’t follow party rules.
“I’m still the chairman, duly elected,” he told reporters outside the convention hall. “Regardless of all the brouhaha and the shenanigans that are taking place, my job is to make sure that there is openness, fairness and transparency within the party.”
…Harnett said some of his supporters attended the convention, while others were discouraged by his removal and stayed home.
Hayes’ speech Saturday didn’t mention Harnett, but he said the party is improving. “We are regaining our mojo, our credibility, but more importantly, as a company, people are becoming more willing to invest with us,” he said, holding up a donation check. Harnett had been criticized for failing to raise money – something he disputes. “We need to bring all our forces to bear so we can get rid of Hillary.”
The Republican establishment in North Carolina has not behaved well. As I have previously reported (here), this is about delegates to the Republican Convention in Cleveland in June. Donald Trump won the North Carolina primary election and is entitled to a certain percentage of the votes. The establishment is still looking for ways to take votes away from Donald Trump. As I have frequently stated, I am not a Trump supporter although I will vote for him rather than vote for Hillary. However, the choice of the voters who voted in the primary election needs to be respected, and somehow the establishment Republicans have forgotten that.
I believe that Hasan Harnett is the legitimate Chairman of the North Carolina Republican Party. I suspect the courts will agree with that statement because of the party rules broken in ousting Hasan Harnett. I hope this gets resolved soon.