BY
JACKSON BAKER |
AUGUST 3, 2007
Mayoral candidate John Willingham finally got the support
he’s been seeking for years – an official endorsement from the local Republican
Party, whose steering committee had spurned the maverick politician in various races over the years.
Willingham got a 19-17 majority vote Thursday night from the
party’s steering committee, which thereby overruled both a candidate recruitment
subcommittee, which had formally recommended no endorsement, and party chairman
Bill Giannini, who had made no secret of his wish that Republicans avoid
endorsing a candidate in the mayor’s race.
“The prevailing sentiment was that Willingham was the only
one on the list who had been a loyal, lifelong Republican, and he was entitled
to respect and support,” said a steering committee member who voted with the
majority.
Though Willingham, who has been polling in the lower single
digits, clearly has huge obstacles to surmount in his effort to achieve
viability, there is no doubt that the former county commissioner will draw significant benefit from the
party endorsement, which carries with it ample support in the form of mail-outs
and other official activity.
By the same token, the campaigns of Carol Chumney and
Herman Morris, both of whom have harbored hopes of support from rank-and-file
Republicans, may be blunted somewhat.
The steering committee also made endorsements in selected
council races. They are as follows:
District 1: Rudolph Daniels
District 2: Bill Boyd
Super-District 8, Position 2: David Vinciarelli
Super-District 9, Position 1: Scott McCormick
Super-District 9, Position 2: Kemp Conrad
Super-District 9, Position 3: Reid Hedgepeth
In two districts, the committee singled out candidates for
“favorable consideration” but did not formally endorse them.
Those were:
District 3: Harold Collins
District 5:
Jim Strickland
