Randy Stamps, who is the treasurer for the Conservatives with Character super PAC which sent mailers juxtaposing images of Metro Councilwoman Courtney Johnston and former President Donald Trump, told The Tennessee Star on Tuesday he is among the Republicans who do not want the former president to “dominate” the Republican Party.
Stamps (pictured above, left) also confirmed Conservatives with Character sent the mailers as part of the $140,000 advertising campaign reported last month, and said it is part of the same advertising campaign that followed a $140,000 cash injection from The Best of Tennessee, whose co-founder is Kim Kaegi, a seasoned political fundraiser who also serves as Johnston’s campaign treasurer.
When asked if the The Best of Tennessee, which was founded by Kaegi and pro-abortion Democratic attorney Chloe Akers, shares an ideology with Conservatives with Character, Stamps told The Star, “I think they’re of the same mindset.”
Stamps told The Star it is Conservatives with Character’s position that “Andy Ogles doesn’t have good character values,” and confirmed defeating Ogles in a primary campaign is “the focus of our efforts this time.”
After Stamps noted his years spent with the Tennessee Republican Party, including the period when he was a caucus chairman for the Tennessee State House, he told The Star that “not many people would have called me a RINO,” or Republican In Name Only, over the course of his career.
“The fact is, there’s still a lot of Republicans that want to think through things and not just follow some personality and let that personality totally dominate the Republican Party,” Stamps told The Star, apparently referencing Trump.
Trump currently has the support of at least 81 percent of the party and secured 2,243 delegates ahead of the Republican National Convention earlier this month. His nearest opponent, Nikki Haley, released her 94 delegates to vote their conscience after the July 13 attempt on Trump’s life.
Stamps then told The Star Ogles is an “embarrassment,” and compared him to former Representative George Santos, who was expelled from Congress over alleged financial crimes despite not being convicted. Ogles is not accused of any crimes.
Ogles told The Star on Monday the mailers were “disgraceful and despicable” and noted they were sent in the wake of the July 13 assassination attempt.
“I was one of the very first public officials to receive President Trump’s endorsement because he knows I will never stop fighting for Tennessee’s Fifth District,” said Ogles, referencing Trump’s May 2023 endorsement of his bid for reelection. “Come hell or high-water, I will always put my constituents first.”
A source familiar with the matter also told The Star that Trump and his campaign were made aware of the mailers and were “not pleased.”
Stamps, speaking to The Star, nonetheless argued Johnston (pictured above, right) is a principled, effective alternative to Ogles.
“Courtney has proven that she can go into an environment that’s not particularly favorable and still get things done, still make a difference,” Stamps told The Star. He claimed that Ogles, by contrast, “has gone up there, apparently, and just done whatever Jim Jordan has told him to do or not do.”
When asked whether Trump or Representative Jim Jordan (R-OH-04) is the “personality” who Ogles and other Republicans purportedly allow to “totally dominate” the party, Stamps told The Star, “I think both fit that profile to be honest with you.”
Stamps then argued the modern Republican Party is unable to “have a civil disagreement without people talking about barring you from the Republican Party or eradicating you from the Republican Party” and suggested Trump and his supporters within the party have “talked about eradicating” or “barring” Republicans who disagree on specific issues.
Trump and his surrogates have worked against fellow Republicans, most recently when the Trump campaign actively sought to defeat outgoing Representative Bob Good (R-VA-05), who previously endorsed Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in the Republican presidential primary and made unflattering remarks about the former president in a secretly recorded video. Good was narrowly defeated by State Senator John McGuire (R-Goochland) at the ballot box but is contesting the contest.
The former president and his campaign are also reportedly urging down-ballot candidates not to use Axiom Strategies, the conservative political consulting company owned by Jeff Roe, who was once the primary adviser to the DeSantis presidential campaign.
However, despite Stamps’ suggestion that such a purge is novel, analysts argue the Republican Party engaged in a concerted effort to purge individuals over disagreement throughout the 1960s and beginning in 1962, when Senator Barry Goldwater, William F. Buckley and Russell Kirk gathered to discuss how to remove the influence of the John Birch Society. The process was mostly complete by the end of the 1960s.
Stamps ultimately told The Star he was appreciative for its reporting about Conservatives with Character.
“I hope it’s going to get people to vote, because folks just usually don’t vote in Republican primaries,” he said.
Stamps added, “That’s part of the reason for the state the party is in today.”
Tennessee’s primary elections are scheduled for August 1, and Johnston is the only Republican challenging Ogles for the Republican nomination.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Pennsylvania Daily Star and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Randy Stamps” by Randy Stamps. Photo “Courtney Johnston” by Courtney Johnston.
