BREAKING: We found 1000s of Trump supporters taking over local GOP positions — an unprecedented grassroots groundswell devoted to Trump’s insistence that the 2020 election was stolen & Republicans need to stop that from happening again
propublica.org/article/heedin…
propublica.org/article/heedin…
This movement was organized in far-right media, led by figures like Steve Bannon, Michael Flynn & Lin Wood. It spread on fringe social platforms and forums aligned with QAnon.
Bannon et al said Trump lost because “RINOs” sold him out. Their solution was for “deplorables” to take over the GOP from the bottom up, by taking over the lowest rung in the party organization: the precincts. 
Most voters aren’t familiar with these precinct positions. But they have power over how elections are run: poll workers, board appointments, pressure on GOP officials.
But it wasn’t just people mouthing off online. People actually went out and got elected or appointed to precinct positions — thousands of them. As one county chair said, “Those podcasts actually paid off.”
There are hundreds of thousands of these precinct positions, and they aren’t centrally tracked. It took a ton of work to track them down. Here’s how we did it...
We focused on politically competitive states. We looked for signs of activity in far-right media. Then we contacted 100s of party officials & activists to find out how many new people were showing up. All-star team @DougBockClark @AlexandraBerzon @AnjeanetteDamon @mrsimon22
We found an increase of 8,500+ new local GOP officials in 41 key counties. Key states such as AZ, NV, NC, SC, GA, FL, TX, PA, WI, MI.
Interactive map in the article propublica.org/article/heedin…
Interactive map in the article propublica.org/article/heedin…
Check out Maricopa County, home to Phoenix and more than half Arizona’s population, where the number of Republican precinct committee members surged in recent months:
“The most recent time we saw this type of thing was the Tea Party, and this is way beyond it," said the GOP chairman in Polk County, FL.
But there's one key difference between the 2010 Tea Party and the new movement...
But there's one key difference between the 2010 Tea Party and the new movement...
The new movement is built entirely around Trump’s insistence that the electoral system failed in 2020 & Republicans can’t let that happen again.
The central goal is not merely to win elections but to reshape their machinery.
The central goal is not merely to win elections but to reshape their machinery.
Some of the new precinct officers marched to the Capitol on Jan. 6.
Many self-identified with QAnon.
Organizers have encouraged supporters to bring weapons to demonstrations.
Some newcomers were so disruptive that they shut down leadership elections.
Many self-identified with QAnon.
Organizers have encouraged supporters to bring weapons to demonstrations.
Some newcomers were so disruptive that they shut down leadership elections.
It’s only been a few months, and we can’t see the future. But these up-and-coming party officers are already putting their powers to use on voting restrictions, audits and more.
In Michigan, one of the main organizers recruiting new precinct officers pushed for the ouster of the state party’s executive director, who contradicted Trump’s claim that the election was stolen and who later resigned.
In Las Vegas, a handful of Proud Boys, part of the extremist group whose members have been charged in attacking the Capitol, supported a bid to topple moderates controlling the county party — a dispute that’s now in court.
In Phoenix, new precinct officers petitioned to unseat county officials who refused to cooperate with the state Senate Republicans’ “forensic audit” of 2020 ballots. Similar audits are now being pursued by new precinct officers in Michigan and the Carolinas.
Outside Atlanta, new local party leaders helped elect a state lawmaker who championed Georgia’s sweeping new voting restrictions.
And precinct organizers also hope to advance candidates like Matthew DePerno, a Michigan AG hopeful who Republican state senators said spread “misleading and irresponsible” misinformation about the election...
...and Mark Finchem, a member of the Oath Keepers militia who is running to be Arizona’s top elections official.
DePerno did not respond to calls seeking comment. Finchem asked for questions to be sent by email, then did not respond.
DePerno did not respond to calls seeking comment. Finchem asked for questions to be sent by email, then did not respond.
Lots of longtime Republicans are very concerned by what they’re seeing…
“Being motivated by conspiracy theories is no way to go through life, and no way for us to build a high-functioning party,” said Kathy Petsas, an Arizona party official who screens precinct-level applicants. “That attitude can’t prevail.”
“They want to create mayhem,” said David Sajdak, the outgoing GOP county chair in Las Vegas.
Full story here: propublica.org/article/heedin…
Is more stuff like this happening in your community? We want to hear from you! Contact info in bio
Is more stuff like this happening in your community? We want to hear from you! Contact info in bio
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