GRA Loses Cobb

Despite a full-court press by Cobb RA Chairman Nathaniel Darnell and President Chris Deeb, the Cobb RA and GRA-backed slate led by Sophia Farooq, who also serves as 3rd Vice President of the Cobb RA, was defeated on the second ballot by newcomer Mary Clarice Hathaway and her slate 161 – 97.

In the campaign to succeed term-limited Salleigh Grubbs, in an odd turn of events, the GRA, joined by Kylie Kramer, went after Salleigh accusing her of orchestra some sort of “Establishment™” coup on the behest of Governor Brian Kemp.

I don’t know if it was hubris, arrogance, or just plain stupidity to go after someone who is still in charge of the organization, but the GRA has exhibited all three at various times so maybe it was a combination of all three. Either way, delegates who were still support of Salleigh Grubbs along with delegates just sick of the GRA’s circular firing squad taking out Republicans teamed up to defeat Farooq’s slate on the second ballot in order to focus the Cobb GOP to once again on defeating Democrats rather than Republicans.

While Hathaway and most of her slate were relative newcomers to the Cobb GOP, two familiar faces in GOP politics were also on her slate giving it both credibility and experience with former Gwinnett GOP Chair Rich Carithers as Vice-Chair of Grassroots and Membership, and Atlanta YR and Georgia Log Cabin Republican officer Skyler Akins as Assistant Treasurer.

The rest of the slate included:

Jeffrey Hathaway, Jr. – 1st Vice-Chair

Andre Stafford – Vice-Chair of Communications and Information

Tom Spencer – Vice-Chair of Events

Scott Brandenburg – Treasurer

Arielle Kurtz – Secretary

What also helped the slate was the fact it was the slate that came out with the recommendation from the Nominating Committee.

P.S. to clear up the rumors that are circulating, yes…it is true…I did yell, “I love you Salleigh!” from the convention floor.

If previously warring factions can come together like that for the common good, then anything is possible.