UPDATE: In the comments below, Mark Uncapher denies that he is seeking to displace Alex Mooney. Our source may be full of it, or perhaps the mission may be aborted. We may never know.
BACKGROUND - Below Maryland Juice highlights several tidbits and opinions regarding the fate of the Maryland GOP and their current Chair Alex Mooney. Immediately after Maryland's November 6th elections results were announced, many GOP activists condemned Chairman Mooney and his leadership of the state party. The topic is particularly timely, because after getting their butts kicked at the polls this month, the Free State Republicans are heading into a statewide convention this weekend. Mooney provided details in an announcement message about the event (excerpt below):
MOONEY FACING "NO CONFIDENCE" VOTE - In spite of Mooney's optimistic demeanor, it appears that numerous factions of the Maryland GOP will be hoping to influence the direction of the party at this gathering. More to the point, some disgruntled party members appear to be seeking a vote of "no confidence" in Alex Mooney. We previously noted, for example, that the libertarian-minded Republicans in the Maryland Liberty Caucus announced they would be mobilizing supporters at the convention (excerpt below):
MOCO GOP CHAIR MARK UNCAPHER MOUNTING A CHALLENGE TO MOONEY? - Even with all the visible anger, many GOP pundits have been wondering whether anyone would even want Mooney's job. One Maryland Juice source on the right commented (anonymously):
BACKGROUND - Below Maryland Juice highlights several tidbits and opinions regarding the fate of the Maryland GOP and their current Chair Alex Mooney. Immediately after Maryland's November 6th elections results were announced, many GOP activists condemned Chairman Mooney and his leadership of the state party. The topic is particularly timely, because after getting their butts kicked at the polls this month, the Free State Republicans are heading into a statewide convention this weekend. Mooney provided details in an announcement message about the event (excerpt below):
ALEX MOONEY: I hereby call the Republican State Central Committee's 2012 Fall Convention to be held at the Turf Valley Hotel and Conference Center on November 30th and December 1st.... We are making great strides because of your efforts.
MOONEY FACING "NO CONFIDENCE" VOTE - In spite of Mooney's optimistic demeanor, it appears that numerous factions of the Maryland GOP will be hoping to influence the direction of the party at this gathering. More to the point, some disgruntled party members appear to be seeking a vote of "no confidence" in Alex Mooney. We previously noted, for example, that the libertarian-minded Republicans in the Maryland Liberty Caucus announced they would be mobilizing supporters at the convention (excerpt below):
MARYLAND LIBERTY CAUCUS: You and I both know that the Maryland Republican Party is run from the top-down. The Republican Establishment doesn’t stand for conservative principles. They don’t appreciate the diverse, energetic, and conservative arm of the Party....
Here in Maryland, the Maryland Liberty Movement will re-brand the Republican Party from the bottom up. We are going to go full-tilt into the Maryland Republican Party Convention on November 30-December 1, 2012 in Howard County....
MOCO GOP CHAIR MARK UNCAPHER MOUNTING A CHALLENGE TO MOONEY? - Even with all the visible anger, many GOP pundits have been wondering whether anyone would even want Mooney's job. One Maryland Juice source on the right commented (anonymously):
ANONYMOUS SOURCE: ...although people want to kick him out, there’s no one to replace him. It’s an unpaid position. So someone has to be retired or independently wealthy. It will be interesting to see what happens now with Mooney – he had been at State Party part time and part time on Bartlett’s congressional staff. Now he lost that job, how will he earn a living while volunteering at the State Party?
