On April 4, long time political activist and holder of several positions of leadership in the Republican party, announced that she is dropping out of that race and endorsing Kris Morrissey. She made the official announcement in Scott McMahon’s The Bigger Truth podcast.
Kris Morrissey is the wife of Tom Morrissey, who has served as chairman of the Arizona State Republican party, and more recently served two terms as mayor of Globe, AZ. While Ms. Owens is regarded as representing the more centrist branch of the Republican Party, Ms. Morrissey is considered a staunch conservative.
To the uninformed, it may seem odd that Ms. Owens would withdraw from this race, because she is not known for giving up when she undertakes a project. She explained her reason in the aforementioned podcast. That reason is echoed by conservative observer Lynne Weaver in her comment:
“I applaud Kim Owens for her strategic decision to withdraw from the Republican National Committeewoman race and throw her support to Kris Morrissey. Kim and Kris would have split the conservative/moderate vote in the election leaving a path to victory for the disruptor candidate, an undesirable outcome.”
That disruptor candidate is Liz Harris, who as a newly-seated Republican member of the AZ House of Representatives, her first act was to announce that she would not vote YES on any bill unless her litany of demands was met. Many fellow House members considered this disturbing for two reasons. First, it takes 31 votes to pass bills in the House, and Republicans have exactly 31 members. Second, Democrats vote NO in unison on all bills of any political importance. Harris’ threat, if carried out, would have paralyzed the AZ House of Representatives. She eventually went on to carry out other mischief that in the end resulted in being expelled. There is reason to believe that she would exercise the same behavior if elected as the AZ GOP National Committeewoman.
The election of the AZ National Committeewoman, and National Committeeman, have repercussions beyond intramural party politics. They may affect the candidates who are fielded to face Democrats.
Way back in 1967, William F. Buckley Jr., who is considered by many observers the father of modern conservatism, when asked how to pick candidates in a Republican primary, stated:
“I’d be for the most right, viable candidate who could win.”
In other words, we must choose the most conservative candidate, but we must make sure that he/she can get the support of voters outside the conservative bubble. Failing to do so invariably leads to Democrat wins. That sentiment is constantly ignored, perhaps intentionally, by those who constantly call for sanctions and reprisals against fellow Republicans, but is shared by those who are familiar with the political process, as expressed by Ms. Weaver as she continues:
“Republican candidates running for political office should look at the good example set by Ms. Owens. We need to unite behind a strong candidate in the Primary and focus our efforts on winning the General Election.”
While Ms. Owens’ announcement of withdrawal was the most significant feature of this interview, it was by no means the only one. A good portion was dedicated to explaining why she is engaged and what is wrong with this new crop of political disruptors.
The whole interview may be watched here: