By Brandon Shields | Managing editor The Jackson Post
One Saturday morning a month, a group of anywhere from 15 to 40 people gather in a rented space on Old Hickory Boulevard.
Led by former Jackson Mayor candidate Ray Condray and Jackson-Madison County School Board member Harvey Walden, they’re the Madison County Constitutional Republican group.
They’re quick to say they’re not a political party, and they’re not a political action committee.
They take up no money, and they don’t donate to campaigns as an organized group.
“That’s not our mission or our goal,” Condray said to the group during their December meeting when he was recapping the mission of the group. “Because we don’t want to get caught up in all that.
“We’re a part of the actual Republican Party, but we’re a group within the party that wants to make sure those claiming to be Republicans actually are Republicans.”
The group had their monthly meeting this past week with two main goals.
The first one was hearing from a couple of men who were instrumental in starting another group a few years ago in Sumter County similar to what the Madison County group is doing.
Kurt Riley was one of them, and he discussed their experience.
“It was unreal who all the Sumter County Republican Party was letting in,” Riley said. “All they had to do was pledge to give so much money, and the party was letting anyone in to the point that our party didn’t look like a group of Republicans anymore.
“And we have two parties in this country – Democrats and Republicans. Every now and then a third party candidate may rise up and make some noise and they might win a representative election here or there, but really, if you want to win, there are two options. We’re not Democrats, so we decided to drive for change in our Republican party.”
Riley was one of the people who led a grassroots effort that’s intending to hold elected officials accountable and ensuring those running for office on the Republican ticket are actual Republicans.
“It’s more than just what candidates you give to, but tracking how a person votes and what values they show they hold with that voting record,” Condray said. “And then if their voting record doesn’t line up with their alleged values and beliefs, then there should be a discussion to clarify why that is the case.”
The second mission of the meeting was to let the members of the group know who the group leadership – who vetted all candidates – endorsed in the Republican primary elections for JMCSS Board coming up on March 5.
Five seats are up for election this year with the primary in March and the general election in August.
Glen Gaugh (District 2), incumbent Debbie Gaugh (District 3), Shane Barnes (District 5, Position 1), incumbent Marcia Moss (District 5, Position 2) and Brandilynn Taylor (District 6, Position 1) all received endorsements from the group.
There was also an ovation given to Joe Londino, who’d filed a petition to run against Barnes and incumbent Sherry Franks – all in the Republican primary.
“If we had multiple candidates that we liked running for the same position, then we hoped they could have a discussion and come to an understanding,” Condray said. “And fortunately that’s what happened in District 5.
“Shane Barnes is running to put a new person in that seat on the school board, and Joe Londino was set to run for that same position. But the two of them sat down and discussed things and Joe decided to bow out and throw his support to Shane.”
Glen Gaugh is running against Melissa Watson for the Republican nomination, and the winner will challenge independent incumbent Kenneth Newman in August.
Debbie Gaugh is challenged for the Republican nomination by Brian Ford and Kipp Hornburger.
Moss and Taylor are the only Republicans running in their races.
“When we started this group, it was to ensure that true conservatives who support the Constitution as it was written by the founding fathers remain in power in our local leadership,” Condray said. “And I believe we’ve got a group of those with the candidates we’ve endorsed.”
Brandon Shields, brandon@jacksonpost.news
