Dear Editor,
I have been the chairman of the Greenbrier County Republican Party since June of 2018, and I am jubilant to report that 2020 has been full of positives for my local party. The primary that took place earlier this month had some fascinating tea leaves for November.
1)Republican turnout was astounding. 4,751 Republican ballots were cast, in comparison to only 4,570 Democrat ballots. This is the first time in modern Greenbrier County history that more Republican ballots were cast in a primary than Democrat. In a primary dominated by Coronavirus fears, clearly the excitement within our Republican Party is growing, and the enthusiasm for President Trump is larger than ever in Greenbrier County. The President is on track to win Greenbrier in the fall with potentially over 70% of the vote.
2) Justice Tim Armstead won Greenbrier County, helping in small part toward his victory statewide. We secured a great conservative on the Supreme Court who will never legislate from the bench.
3)House of Delegates candidates Todd Longanacre and Barry Bruce combined for the most Republican votes ever in a primary in the 42nd district of Greenbrier, Summers, and Monroe. They were extremely close in vote totals, showing a unified Republican Party and front going into November.
4) Richard Parker, a fantastic conservative candidate for Greenbrier Board of Education, won.
5) I am immensely excited for our County Commission candidate, my good friend Lowell Rose, who will be our candidate in the fall. Lowell has proven over and over his leadership abilities and I believe he can and will win re-election.
6) Jack David Woodrum from Summers County won in our State Senate Primary, winning in Greenbrier by a substantial amount. I am thrilled to get to support Commissioner Woodrum in his State Senate bid to succeed Senator Kenny Mann, who endorsed Commissioner Woodrum in the primary.
7) Republican Sheriff candidate Doug Beard showed how the Republican Party has consolidated around him through his sheer vote total. The fall race should be fascinating with former Magistrate Beard’s growing coalition.
It is now time for us as a party to also rally behind our leaders, including Governor Jim Justice, Senator Shelley Moore Capito, Congresswoman Carol Miller, Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, Agriculture Commissioner Kent Leonhardt, State Treasurer candidate Riley Moore, State Auditor JB McCuskey, and Secretary of State Mac Warner. This is truly a powerhouse corp of candidates statewide, and we’re ready to go to work for them all.
I feel confident in our position to win up and down the ballot in the fall, and in the meantime take over in Republican registration in Greenbrier County. In 2016, Democrats led in voter registration by over 5,000 voters. Today, their lead has dwindled to about 500. Our conservative movement is real. Our #FlipGreenbrierRed push has momentum. Vote Red in November!
Cordially,
Benton L. Anderson, Greenbrier County Republican Executive Committee Chairman