Liberty Rising: Charleston Elects John Steinberger as New GOP Chairman

GREENVILLE, S.C. | BY JOSHUA COOK | JULY 10, 2013 |

The Charleston County Republican Party is electric after the election of “Fair-Tax” John Steinberger as their new chairman. He didn’t just win – he won BIG, 51 to 34. Steinberger’s win is a win for all grassroots Conservatives throughout the Palmetto State, and they are fired up!

Steinberger supporters formed a coalition of Republican Liberty Caucus members, the Mt. Pleasant 912 group, and Red-Meat conservative Republicans who were tired of being treated poorly by the SCGOP leadership. They wanted to put into power a leader who would help conservative Republicans get elected, and they did just that.

After Joe Bustos resigned as Chairman, the GOP establishment brought out the big guns with an endorsement by Rick Santorum for Steinberger’s opponent, Mark Smith. The usual suspects of paid political consultants also came out to help try and put their guy in place.

The underground Blue Republicans in Charleston personally attacked Steinberger by calling him “Steinbuggar” on social media and did other dirty tactics leading up to the election.

Apparently the establishment was all but certain Smith would win: “Smith is all but certain to win the spot,” they said. They were dead wrong.

One Steinberger supporter said via Facebook:

“This is a huge victory for the Tea Party movement. I believe Charleston was the epicenter in the state in the fight of the control of the GOP between grassroots and the power-hungry establishment (or Country Club Republicans). After our big win at the county convention, the power-hungry establishment fought back by pushing a bogus resolution that resulted in the resignation of the CCGOP chair. Well, last night we won our freedom from the Country Club Republicans.

“I hope after this win there will be a cascade effect of victories in more counties that are currently held by Country Club Republicans. I, for one, will be working to help those counties.”

Another supporter said,

“We defeated a team of professional lobbyists tonight!”

Sen. Tom Davis on his Facebook page wrote, “Congratulations to my friend John Steinberger on being elected chairman of the Charleston County GOP last night, a clear win for the limited-government, small “L” libertarian wing of the party, and a blow to the status quo establishment. One small step at a time…”

Freedom-loving conservatives and liberty-minded Republicans now have the momentum to take back their party from the “moderate” wing of the Republican Party, starting with the two largest counties in the Palmetto State. The SCGOP establishment is losing its powerful grip, and people are waking up. They are hungry for liberty. Many grassroots activists see current leadership as protectors of the status quo and a barrier to conservative reform. Now we are seeing a seismic shift in the political landscape before our very eyes.

Greenville Post – Breaking News & Analysis | Serving Greenville, SC