The Georgia Association of College Republicans officially distanced itself from Donald Trump’s candidacy Monday afternoon. In a statement released Monday afternoon, the organization’s General Assembly wrote, “Donald Trump, throughout his presidential campaign and beforehand, has made several comments and statements that have offended women, veterans, Gold Star families, the disabled, political refugees, and religious and ethnic minorities.”
Chairman of the Georgia Association of College Republicans, Brennan Mancil, disavowed Trump last week. His statement came moments after the Chairwoman of the College Republican National Committee, Alex Smith, tweeted her opposition to Trump and Clinton.
The Party of Lincoln is not a locker room, and there is no place for people who think it is. Definitely not with her, but not with him.
— Alex Smith (@AlexandraCSmith) October 8, 2016
You can read the entire statement below or here if you can’t view the PDF.
As a former chairman of the Georgia Association of College Republicans, I have mixed feelings on their statement. On one hand, as a member of #NeverTrump, I am personally satisfied with their position. On the other hand, I wonder how this will affect the integrity of the organization. Their mission statement includes supporting local, state, and federal Republicans. Trump, whether or not he shares the same values as conservative Millennials, is the Republican nominee. This statement opens the door for future College Republican leaders to pick and choose which Republicans it supports. That is simply unacceptable.
My hope, however, is that the Republican Party will never again have a candidate as disrespectful, vile, thin-skinned, and dishonest as Donald Trump. The future offers zero guarantee of that, though. And with Georgia’s political trajectory aiming towards a Democrat led future, the legitimacy and integrity of the College Republicans is all the more important.