Dear Tennessee Star,
Robby Starbuck is quoted as saying, “Party chairs in Davidson and Williamson have had my voter history from CA and TN for a long time. They’ve had zero issue with it. It’s been sent to the Wilson County GOP chair recently too. I called Williamson County GOP Chair Cheryl Brown last night to confirm that there’s no issue again. Cheryl confirmed again to me that there’s no issue with my eligibility.”
It would seem that the party chairs did not have an issue with his eligibility … but he misunderstood that to mean that there was no problem with his eligibility and that he had received their approval and, even more erroneous, that their acceptance/approval meant that he was deemed qualified/bona fide by the Tennessee Republican Party/TN GOP.
This was a mistake/misunderstanding on his part as the chairs of the county parties do not decide bona fide status/eligibility and Mr. Starbuck seems to have thought that they did decide. He mistook their comments that they personally and as chairs had no issues with his status and/or would not challenge his status to mean that there were no issues and that no one would challenge.
The chairs not having an issue, not doing research or pulling up his voting record, or whatever did not mean there were no issues or that he would not be challenged or even that he meet the state Republican Party qualifications and that no one else would do the same. It is regrettable that he seemed to have this understanding/impression.
The Chairs were wise to not be involved and remain neutral, letting other Republicans, other candidates and/or the journalists at this news outlet to investigate and address the issue. The Republican Party strives to remain neutral during the primaries and allow The People, The Voters, to choose the candidate that the Republican Party will then support against the Democrats in the November election.
Vetting of the candidates and choosing which Republican will be our candidates is up to the Voters, not up to the Republican Party. Some of the same people who want to the party to vet who can run under the label of “Republican” are the same people complaining about the “technicality” of the TN GOP bylaws in place to safeguard against Dems running under the label of “Republican”.
The chairs of county parties seem to have been wise in remaining neutral, saying that they weren’t going to bring issues up or challenge a specific candidate’s bona fide status. However, Mr. Starbuck seems to have misunderstood the chair’s dedication to remaining neutral as a statement of official approval which it may not have been, and the official bona fide status is not theirs to give. So, it comes back to misinterpreting the comments based on a misunderstanding of the TN GOP bylaws.
State Chairman Scott Golden not having questions regarding Mr. Starbuck’s Bona Fide status seems to have also mistakenly been interpreted as actual approval. The TN Republican Party does not vet candidates for bona fide status (or for stances on the issues). Anyone can register as a Republican candidate on the TN GOP site. The party usually only becomes involved in determining the bona fide states *if* the candidate is challenged. The state party not expressing an issue or concern is not a tacit approval or agreement that there are no issues. The party only becomes involved if the candidate is challenged.
Others, especially others considering a run for Congress in the 5th District, will do opposition research on their fellow candidates. As Mr. Starbuck declared he was running for Congress in the 5th before redistricting and before Cooper announced his retirement + has been working since 11/2020 in the 5th District, he is the #1 target for all incoming candidates.
Obviously, the reporters at this news outlet are going through each candidate’s qualifications and reporting as I am sure they are not investigating just one candidate on this issue while ignoring all other candidates on this same issue. I am sure that they will do the exact same thing for each candidate and are not attacking but merely practicing investigative journalism. I, and other readers, look forward to this news outlet reporting their investigation into all candidates’ bona fide status, if they qualify as bona fide Republicans based on primary voting records or if they will need to go through the vouching process to become bona fide.
Reporting on this aspect of the campaign is good as readers and listeners learn more about the process and one more reason voting in the TN GOP Primaries (as is realizing the TN GOP does not vet candidates on issues and policy stances – that is up to the voters) is so important but we do expect the reporting and investigative to be fair and even among the GOP candidates by a conservative news outlet.
(Note: Bona Fide status and the primary voting rule applies to ALL candidates, not just to candidates who have moved to TN in recent years. Many native Tennesseans have not voted in the GOP primaries and would face the same vetting process if challenged.)
A misunderstanding of the bylaws and/or of explanations/comments made about the requirement to be a Bona Fide Republican according to the TN GOP bylaws, is not scandalous or even disqualifying. Its just a misunderstanding, a miscommunication, not an intentional misrepresentation of he said/she said.
Creating drama over a misunderstanding hurts the reputation of the Republican Party and Republican causes as a whole as it turns off voters. We have some great candidates already declared and several more rumored to declare soon – Any of whom would be better than the Dem Candidate on issues of importance to conservative TN voters. While the candidate we Republican voters choose in the primary is very important, even more, important is unity to elect the primary winner in November.
In this reader’s opinion, we need less drama in the coverage of the candidates and more focus on the issue and policy stances that differentiate the candidates. And candidates need campaign staff who pay attention to details as this was a very basic base to have covered, to have understood, and to have been prepared to address.
Sincerely,
Concerned Tennessee Republican
Photo “Robby Starbuck” by Robby Starbuck.
