BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — More than 200 Republican activists and elected officials have re-elected Louis Gurvich, the embattled chairman of the G.O.P.
The vote solidifies his grip on the party’s leadership ahead of the 2023 elections.
Republican State Central Committee voted 101-90 to re-elect Gurvich, The Advocate reported.
Hours before Saturday’s vote, allegations emerged that Gurvich had yelled at and mistreated a staff member of the state GOP, the newspaper reported. In his election, he fended off a challenge from party secretary Michael Bayham.
Previewing his priorities as chairman, Gurvich endorsed closed-party primaries, and said the party is going to “fight tooth and nail against critical race theory.” The academic concept, which advances the idea that the United State’s racist history persists in its institutions, has emerged as a popular political target for conservatives, who claim it’s being taught in schools.
Much of the meeting focused on the party’s dismal finances, The Advocate reported. The latest campaign finance report filed by the Republican Party of Louisiana on Jan. 10 shows $6,400 in the bank, though party treasurer Dexter Duhon said the party had raised $20,000 in recent weeks.
Gurvich said the party’s financial problems preceded his election as chairman in 2018 and that the GOP had robust fundraising over the past two months. The party raised $28,000 from members Saturday.
Acknowledging his narrow victory, Gurvich, who will lead the party through the next election for governor, said the stakes are too great to let to party devolve into infighting.
“We are here to save a country, nothing less, make no mistake. Our enemies are powerful, they are a driven by a Marxists ideology,” Gurvich said. “My promise is that I’m here for every one of you.”
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