Over the past 15 years since the Tea Party movement arose in reaction to the ascendancy of Barack Obama to the presidency — and especially in the past decade with the political prominence of President Donald Trump — the far right has increasingly dominated the Republican Party.
This insurgency of far-right politics has manifested itself locally within the Hamilton County Republican Party. In March, Activate Hamilton — a political group backed by the fringe on the right, including the local right-wing Christian church Calvary Chapel — swept the local elections for leadership of the Hamilton County GOP, asserting itself as the new Republican establishment.
Much has been written and said about the far right’s recent domination of the Republican Party nationally, statewide and locally. Why is it that many GOP voters have swung so far to the fringe, especially when it comes to issues like gun control, immigration and abortion?
As the newly elected GOP county chair Gail Greene said to a group of Republicans at the Hamilton County Pachyderm Club meeting on Monday, “We will defend life and the Second Amendment,” she said. “We will partner with leading pro-life and gun-rights organizations to amplify advocacy and influence key legislation.”