The friction among Hamilton County GOP’s factions has spilled into the open for all to witness. It’s a skirmish from four corners of the ring.
Our family also has its occasional skirmish but works through differences of opinions, and we strive to love and respect each other at the end of the day. But we are also quick to circle the wagons when the family is threatened.
Our county was threatened in 2015, when a well-funded group of trained community organizers came to town and succeeded in orchestrating the 2016 progressive takeover of the school board. That organization also convinced local leaders and organizations to support a $35 million tax increase to fund projects highlighted in their APEX Report. Like Troy accepting the Trojan horse, the barbarians were not at the gate — they were inside the gate. Alarm bells where sounded — but there was no answer.
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For years, the Hamilton County GOP had been successful in winning most of the winnable county elected positions. But there appeared to be a lack of a unifying political awareness beyond winning elections. The lack of a response to the existential threat from a left-wing organization was troubling. Thankfully, teamwork from an eclectic group of conservatives, who put minor differences behind them, helped convince the County Commission to kill the $35 million tax increase. The threat was ultimately met but revealed a vulnerability to future left-wing attacks.
A couple of years ago, a well-organized grassroots group stormed the gates and took control of the HCGOP. Many long-term leaders felt blindsided, and there were, understandably, hurt feelings. The unexpected insurgency has resulted in the recent internecine struggle.
I was not personally familiar with the new HCGOP leadership when they asked me to serve as the finance chairman for the Lincoln Day Dinner. The task of grossing $250,000 — $100,000 more than the prior year — was daunting but was made possible by their relentless desire to make sure the goal was not only met but surpassed.
(IN THE NEWS: Incumbent Republican committee members unseated in races that are often tepid)
Since they took control of the HCGOP, much work has gone into infrastructure improvements. A custom-written data platform that, among other benefits, tracks election results beginning with daily early-voting results district by district, neighborhood by neighborhood, has been written and implemented. The new system, written free of charge by volunteers, should provide a platform to improve on last week’s 30% voter participation, which was a big improvement over August 2024’s 17%. With more than 217,000 voters having already been loaded into the system, this foundational infrastructure will help to secure continued HCGOP control.
I greatly appreciate the dedication and organization skills the current group of leaders and volunteers has brought to the HCGOP. Do I agree with all their tactics – no. Do I think they have learned from some initial foot faults – yes. Do I think they will focus the next cycle on assuring we have candidates who understand the smart and hard work required to win – absolutely.
Whatever differences our HCGOP may currently have, I am confident the issues will be resolved in an amicable way. I am also confident that when the next well-funded, left-wing group threatens our conservative and principled way of life, the HCGOP will take the lead in quickly responding in a unified and decisive fashion.
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Tom Decosimo is the chief executive officer and managing principal of investment bank Decosimo Corporate Finance.