Newspaper: Ron Paul backers tangle with state GOP over caucus reports

Saturday, March 22nd, 2008 

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This is from my backyard, right across the river in St. Louis.  I never met Debbie myself but others I worked with on the campaign worked with her and had good things to say about her.  By all accounts she is both professional and passionate.

From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

Debbie Hopper, national field director for U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas (and who is continuing his campaign for president), called Thursday to recount a contentious encounter that she had just had with Missouri Republican Party executive director Jared Craighead.

Hopper said that she had gone to the state party’s headquarters in Jefferson City on Thursday to look at the reports turned in by the various sites’ chairmen from last Saturday’s caucuses.

Craighead refused to allow Hopper to look at the reports. Hopper noted that next Tuesday is the deadline for challenging the reports’ content, or the proposed delegates approved at the caucuses and then OKed by the state party.

Hopper said she’s concerned that the state Republican Party is out to disenfranchise the Paul delegates selected at those caucuses, or that some of the caucus chairmen.

To briefly recap:

The Republican caucuses were held last Saturday around the state to select state delegates for the state GOP congressional caucuses in April and the state convention in May. (The state delegates help select the presidential delegates, and help shape the state party’s issues platform,)

As readers may be aware, Paul’s supporters came out in force. In sites where they were in the majority, the Paul contingents controlled the caucuses and elected their slates of delegates.

Hopper reaffirmed her side’s belief that the Paul supporters snagged about a third of the state delegates.

Click here to read the Post-Dispatch’s account, published Tuesday.

Friday morning, Craighead made the following reply. “Accusations of anything underhanded going on are ludicrous,” he said. “We have not received all of the information from the local caucuses. We’re in the process of cataloguing and compiling the information. We’re not in a position to share it with anyone.”

Will the state party have the information available before Tuesday?

“It is unclear,” Craighead said.  He cited various roadblocks (including the Easter weekend). But among them: “It depends how fast the caucuses turn in their stuff.”