Steven Hepburn: Republican in-fighting shows how in disarray local GOP actually is

To The Daily Sun,

As we enter the final run up to the Nov. 8 election, the Belknap County Republican Party is in more disarray than ever as multiple warring factions are airing their dirty laundry in public. With all of the Republican-on-Republican mudslinging going on, it’s difficult to identify every splinter group, but the three primary divisions seem to be: The Norm Silber and Mike Sylvia QAnon-Libertarian Alliance sponsored by Skip Murphy and his ravings on GraniteGrok, The Gregg Hough Laconia Crew with their new “media” outlets, and The Lang Gang.

Belknap County Republican Committee meetings are ran like an old boys club with a ninja warrior-like application process. Several of the defeated primary candidates seem to have launched or are considering write-in campaigns. Voting information guides from the nonpartisan Citizens for Belknap PAC are being smeared as “George Soros-funded discrimination” against those who were not endorsed. And those candidates who don’t display extremist tendencies have to walk a fine line to not alienate the Republican base — even when that base is continuing to spread election disinformation and inviting conspiracy theory election deniers to speak in Belknap County.

Of course, despite all of these Republican splinter group jockeying for power, they still can’t help themselves and try to pin their internal dissonance on “Communist Democrats.”

It's worth reminding readers that Citizens for Belknap is a nonpartisan PAC focused on providing information and recommendations of reasonable and responsible candidates across the political spectrum. Their board has been confirmed to be an even split between Democrats, Republicans and independents and they have endorsed Democrats, Republicans and independents. While I would prefer to know the identities of everyone involved, I completely understand the reluctance from many who do not want to be subject to the vile attacks from the extremists they are standing against.

Steven Hepburn

Gilford