The midterm elections have a way of exposing so-called conservatives for the liberals they really are.
In the 2018 March primary, a historic shift took place when Montgomery County grassroots conservatives swept their local elections and defeated the county’s corrupt political establishment. However, rather than embrace their fellow Republicans in the general election, many in the establishment have decided to campaign for Democrats instead.
Take Jackie Waters, a longtime Republican precinct chair, a close ally of Montgomery GOP Chairman Wally Wilkerson, and former state representative candidate who ran unsuccessfully against Steve Toth. Waters received tens of thousands of dollars from the Straus-aligned Associated Republicans of Texas PAC, and campaigned as a “conservative.”
Instead of backing Toth after she lost the primary, Waters, who is part of the liberal “block vote” movement, came out openly in support of Democrats. She even held a fundraiser at her house for Claire Lindsay, the Democratic nominee for Pct. 3 Justice of the Peace.
Waters is not the only Republican holding fundraisers for Democrats. Coulson Tough, a longtime pillar of the GOP establishment and father of former township chairman Bruce Tough, also held a meet and greet for local Democratic candidates in his home.
Perhaps the most problematic defection is that of the Young Republicans of Magnolia High Schools club, which refused to endorse the Republican nominee for county judge, State Rep. Mark Keough (R-The Woodlands). In a YouTube video, the club’s president and vice president, Hunter Gamble and Blake Clifton, publicly stated they would be voting for the Democrat Jay Stittleburg.
The high school Republicans exist to promote the party and its candidates, but if their leadership is supporting Democrats, they should step down.
The high schoolers seem to be taking cues from their parents. Several core supporters of Pct. 2. Commissioner Charlie Riley are openly supporting Keough’s opponent, as is Riley’s wife, who has been “liking” pro-Stittleburg comments on Facebook. Incoming Pct. 4 Commissioner James Metts allowed Stittleburg to use his small bakery, Sweetie Pies, for a candidate meet and greet.
The 2018 midterms are a clear line in the sand regarding the future of the country. Voters in the next Republican primary who see these defectors on the ballot will remember which side of the line they chose, and hold them accountable.
