Much has been made of the Hood County Republican Executive Committee’s vote of ‘No Confidence’ against the “Republican” primary candidacy of James Largent for Texas House District 60. However, I suspect 10,000+ attendees of the last Republican State Convention are probably not surprised. ‘Why?’ you might ask. Well because those 10,000+ delegates debated and voted on the current Republican Platform that James Largent and his radical Democrat support base have mocked, repudiated, and chosen to avoid endorsing.
Please allow me to remind all real Republicans of the following Republican Platform Plank — Plank #77.
Republican Party of Texas Platform Plank #77
Enforcing the Platform – Every Republican is responsible for implementing this platform. Party candidates should indicate their positions on platform planks before their acceptance on the ticket, and such information should be available on the Party website.
That is straightforward English language. Based on this plank alone, the Hood County Executive Committee was justified in voting “No Confidence” against Mr. Largent. Additionally, the Executive Committee was merely “implementing this platform” as it was voted on unanimously in 2016 during the Republican Party Texas State Convention.
What is becoming increasingly clear is that, in view of James Largent’s pitiful performance at the Eastland County Republican Party Candidate forum last week, Mr. Largent’s long bureaucratic career as a School Administrator has not been wasted. When asked about the platform and his refusal to endorse the platform, he stated that he was not even aware that he needed to review it or endorse it until the Hood County Republican Party Executive Committee released their vote of ‘No Confidence’. Largent’s excuse, made in an open forum, is the equivalent of one of the students in one of his middle schools in his public school system telling the teacher, “My dog ate my homework.”
Two points need to be clarified on this:
First and foremost, as a relatively new Republican County Chair, I was required to attend County Chair training provided by the Republican Party of Texas. In my packet of information was a list of items to be provided to candidates who file to run as a “Republican” candidate in the Republican Primary. One of the items I was to provide was a 2016 Republican Party of Texas Platform, which was provided to every person who applied in Hood County. James Largent, as a candidate for a state office, had to apply in Austin because House District 60 crosses multiple counties. Do you really believe the same people who provide training for Republican County Chair positions would not provide the same information to a candidate who filed directly with the state party?
Second, Mr. Largent and his radical Democrat support base would have you believe that he has been a solid ‘common sense’ conservative Republican his entire life. If you are going to make such a claim wouldn’t it be a reasonable expectation of Primary voters to expect that he not only be aware of each and every platform plank, but that he not be surprised when the Executive Committee opts to enforce the Platform. Plank #77 was intended to supply the authority to the Executive Committee for that very purpose.
At the end of the day, it become clear with his forum answers that he is still, to this day, unwilling to endorse the platform. Instead, he not only mocked, but he misstated several aspects of the platform. He went a step further and voiced a response eerily similar to Former Democrat Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, when he stated, ‘Well, if you elect me I’ll tell you how I’ll vote.’
To conclude, in accordance with Republican Platform Plank #77, please allow this to serve as notice to all Republican Primary voters that not only did James Largent refuse to support the Republican Party of Texas Platform at the time he filed to run for office as a Republican back in December 2017, but he ‘doubled-down’ by mocking said platform just last week during an open forum.
We encourage any and all Republican Primary voters to withdraw their support for Mr. Largent. We would also like to let Mr. Largent know that the Democrat primary field is usually wide open if he has so many problems with the Republican Platform.
Yours in Liberty,
Jim Logan
Hood County Republican Chairman