by Frank Williams, 7th District Chairman

All too often, I hear from conservatives who are frustrated by the voting records of Republican officeholders.  They often make statements like “the Republican Party doesn’t stand for anything.”  Unfortunately, far too few of those conservatives vote in the Republican primaries that determine which candidates carry our party’s banner in the general election.

On May 4, conservatives have an opportunity to help determine what the Republican Party stands for by voting in our primary election.  Primaries are an opportunity for Republicans to get to know the candidates who wish to carry the Republican banner in November, find out who they are and what they believe, and discern which of them will be the best general election candidates and ultimately the best officeholders.

Conservatives who sit on the sideline rather than voting in Republican primaries forfeit their opportunity to help determine which candidates carry our party’s banner in the general election.

Here in the 7th Congressional District, a number of Republican primaries are taking shape.   At this point, we appear to have contested primaries in the Congressional race, at least two State Senate races, at least two State House races and numerous county-level races.  Here in Brunswick County, we have contested primaries for Sheriff, Clerk of Court, School Board and County Commissioner.

The best way to ensure that the candidates who carry our party’s banner share your principles is to get involved in the process by which they are selected.  I hope that all concerned conservatives will take the time to study the Republicans who are running in primaries in their area, and then get involved with and support the candidate of their choice.

As we enter the primary season, it is important that we not lose sight of the big picture:   our ultimate goal is to elect conservative Republicans to office this November.  While we do have Republicans facing off in primaries, those Republicans are not — or at least should not be — enemies; instead, they are competing for spots on the same team.

If you are a concerned conservative, I hope you will get involved with the primary campaigns of the candidates who best reflect your values.  Then, once the primary is over and our party’s nominees have been selected, we must all unite and work hard to elect those candidates in November.