"Arkansas Patriots" Abandon 2024 GOP Convention Chair
Ban and remove Jennifer Lancaster (?)
As grassroots conservative voters continue their fight for equality and recognition within the Republican Party of Arkansas (RPA), a personal vendetta against one individual sharply split what was once a singular-minded unit into distinct, opposing factions.
On September 10, scores of Republican party members -- mostly from the First Congressional District -- filed what they describe as an Article VII Rules Review group complaint against the 2024 State Convention Chair, Jennifer Lancaster of Saline County.
That's right -- Jennifer Lancaster, the person the once-cohesive grassroots Republicans had banded together to block vote into place as the Convention Chair just four months ago. If you are a Republican Party member you probably received a barrage of unsolicited text messages about adding your name to this effort.
"Arkansas Patriot Movement"
While working within the Republican Party, these complaining Party members grouped together to self-title themselves the "Arkansas Patriot Movement." They then flooded social media (Facebook, etc.) and your text messages with unfounded, selectively edited videos and emotionally driven tirades attacking Mrs. Lancaster and even invited people across the state to sign a "statement" against her they put on their one-page arfreedom.org website. (We’ve learned many of you were surprised to see your names were included on that “statement.” Please take the time to check, and then ask to be removed if you didn’t give your express permission!)
Their multi-page Rules Review complaint submitted to the RPA (which is completely unsanctioned and has no precedence in the RPA Rules) seeks to ban and remove Mrs. Lancaster not only as Convention Chair but also as Second Congressional District Chair and even as a County Committee member.
And, strangely, the individual the RPA in charge of the "Rules review committee" is First District Chair Sarah Dunklin, who not only submitted the complaint but has obviously severed her relationship with Mrs. Lancaster, after they had worked closely together for much of the past two years to bring grassroots accountability to the RPA.
Response
Jennifer Lancaster first responded on September 25 to RPA Chair Joseph Wood, RPA Executive Director Seth Mays, Bilenda Harris-Ritter (Rules Committee Chair, author of the RPA’s Convention “advisory opinion”), and Dunklin. She pointed out a blatant, obvious disregard for the RPA Rules (sound familiar?) as well as the ongoing retaliation surrounding the long-standing tensions within the Saline County Republican Committee.
She asked that the complaint be dismissed. A very short time later she received a one-line reply from Dunklin saying “The Rules Review will proceed.”
Mr. Chairman,
I am aware of a Rules Review Complaint that has been filed against me. At the outset, I unequivocally deny the salacious allegations in this false and baseless review request.
I ask that you rescind the formation of the rules review committee because the complaint is defective for three reasons.
First, Article III, § 8 and Article VII, § 1(A) requires that a rules review request be signed by one fifth of the district committee. The document provided to me has no signatures. As such, it is defective on its face because of the lack of signatures. Additionally, our rules do not permit anonymous review requests.
Second, I have seen the signatures of those who have signed as the list was provided to me by third parties. The vast majority of the signatures are from members of the First District. There are not near enough signatures from Second District members to file a valid complaint. The rules state that any complaint against a District Member must be signed and submitted by members within the district in which they are a member.
There is no mechanism by which the members of the First District can seek review of the actions of the Second District as cross district complaints are neither contemplated nor permissible by our rules.
Finally, it has come to my attention that the justification of fear of retaliation is being used, likely due to the fact that there are insufficient signatures to file a valid complaint. It's curious that those who signed did not fear retaliation while the complaint was being circulated with their signatures. It appears the fear only arose when it was time to file the complaint.
This is again further evidence that the complaint lacks the requisite number of valid signatures, and this excuse is nothing more than a tactic to hide the fact that there are insufficient signatures. Furthermore, it is widely known within the Second District that Ms. Dunklin and her supporters were unable to gather the required signatures to proceed with this complaint from the Second District.
The claim that those who signed the complaint fear retaliation from me is baseless, particularly considering that the same individuals have actively engaged in a campaign to damage my reputation. This includes the creation of a website dedicated to defaming me, the production of edited videos attacking me, and the expenditure of significant funds to distribute defamatory text messages. While there have been allegations of retaliation on my part, no evidence supports these claims, nor will any ever emerge, as no such actions have occurred.
That being said, from my review of what has been purported to be the signatures to this complaint, there is significantly less than 1/5 of the active members of the Second District and the complaint is lodged against me in my role as the chair of the Second District. It lacks sufficient signatures and should not have been filed.
It is for these reasons that I ask you to recall the rules review committee and dismiss the complaint.
Mounting a full defense, Lancaster then submitted her final response on September 27, along with various exhibits and numerous letters of support from members of the Saline County Republican Committee:
It's difficult to separate the actual facts from the emotional outbursts and social media slurs that created this vendetta that split up the grassroots effort to bring accountability to the Republican Party of Arkansas -- an ongoing, several-year effort that came to an abrupt halt when the Arkansas Patriots submitted this bogus complaint against Mrs. Lancaster to the RPA in September.
Rules for Thee, Not for Me
The Republican Party of Arkansas has repeatedly proven — especially in this last year — how they pick and choose which parts of the RPA Rules they are willing to follow while simultaneously using the Rules as weapons against their enemies, fellow grassroots Republicans -- and Convention Chair Lancaster has certainly been singled out as an enemy who must be crushed, ground down, and eliminated.
It’s also obvious this very personal vendetta against her was spawned from ongoing disputes within her home Republican Committee that were then deliberately spread among Convention delegates and grassroots Republican voters throughout the state. Many individuals have piled on from outside Saline County — most notably, Dunklin and others from the First District, including many of the so-called “leaders” of what once was the state-wide grassroots group that had united to ensure the voice of the People would be heard within the Republican party.
What’s not so obvious is how the author(s) and signers of the Lancaster Rules Review complaint have seemingly aligned themselves with the RPA in misappropriating and ignoring the RPA Rules to initiate and conduct such a contrived, deceitful “Rules Review” under such kangaroo court conditions. What’s the real reason these complainers have abandoned Mrs. Lancaster’s leadership they so willingly cheered on throughout the Convention ordeal?
The outcome of this bogus Rules Review is unmistakable. It won’t take long for Jennifer Lancaster to be eliminated from the Republican Party of Arkansas, which would appease the RPA, Dunklin, and the other fellow Republicans/complainers who say they hate Jennifer Lancaster.
A final decision is expected rather quickly. We’ll keep you informed.
Seems like a look here not there situation.
I support Jennifer Lancaster, we need her fighting fir the Republican Party