Editorial: Saturday the Republican Party of Tulsa County will convene to select new leadership. This writer has posted a series on Substack, an email based publication but Tulsa Today Republican Readers should also know the latest.
Jackson Lahmeyer wrote to Tulsa County supporters Thursday providing endorsements in this Saturday’s Tulsa County Republican Party leadership elections. In a follow-up text to this reporter, Lahmeyer added, “My objective was to end Bob Jack’s corrupt reign at the Tulsa GOP as he is the puppet master currently, therefore, we need outsiders who will not do Bob Jack’s bidding.”
Jackson Lahmeyer campaigned for Oklahoma’s U.S. Senate seat contesting incumbent Sen. James Lankford. His success in that effort shocked Oklahoma’s political establishment but failed to win the majority. Lahmeyer continues to this day supporting 2024 Candidate and former-President Donald J. Trump with his nationwide “Pastors For Trump” organization recently with a National Prayer Call.
Lahmeyer’s email to Tulsa County GOP delegates said in part, “Let me begin by saying that in my 15 months of running for the US Senate here in Oklahoma, I was invited to speak at every county GOP except the Tulsa County GOP. Which was fine, because I held rallies in Tulsa with Mayor Rudy Guiliani, General Michael Flynn, Roger Stone, Sebastian Gorka and others that drew crowds the Tulsa GOP could never come close to.
“I would have thought though that the toughest county in Oklahoma that I would face in my run would have been Oklahoma Country (OKC), but to my shock the Chairman Ken Warner was very warm and even took tremendous heat for being a large donor to my campaign. I appreciated the courage and integrity of Ken Warner and his willingness to take a stand.
“However, there was no county GOP in Oklahoma that I found to be more corrupt and dysfunctional than the Tulsa County GOP but… that can change on Saturday,” Lahmeyer wrote.
As the longest attending Tulsa GOP Convention participant and in the spirit of full disclosure, this writer confesses to having rotated inside and outside of leadership circles often. The most GOP fun enjoyed was when the party helped sponsor a “Gridiron” style show I produced at the Tulsa Civic Center called, “The Oklahoma Boast and Roast – Serving Hot left Wings and Donkey Toast.”
I was the Communications Chairman for the Tulsa GOP appointed by Chairman David McLain who I did not support in his race for State GOP Chair – by then I had learned McLain tells everyone whatever he thinks they want to hear. At the 2018 GOP State Fair Booth, it was my idea to stage a wall display that drove Democrat activists and establishment media crazy. Ronda Vuillemont-Smith and her husband built the display (yes, we worked together) after the fair committee approved it. Smith claimed credit for the display to win election as party leader. She also later pathetically mimicked a brochure I wrote and produced titled, “Back to Basics” and I was the spokesperson for dozens of media interviews during the fair – one of which was discussed on a national Fox News Saturday morning show.
Ronda Vuillemont-Smith further lied to win election as she disrupted her main opponent with the assertion that he supported national public vote rather than the electoral college. He did not, but Smith’s cult of personality (Tulsa 9/12 Project) minions were so brainwashed one went up to Darren Gantz declaring to him the evil of Darren Gantz – she didn’t even recognize him. I wrote on the 2021 Tulsa GOP Convention in detail July 26, 2022, in Chair Smith’s mid-term in the hope of change that never came.
In summary, the Tulsa County GOP has been run by Ronda Vuillemont-Smith and Bob Jack as an exclusionary organization – those that “goose-step” are welcome but those that may disagree with any policy to any degree are excluded. Further, by supporting selected primary contestants they disenfranchise others and divide rank-in-file Republicans. This cannot be allowed to continue.
Lahmeyer wrote, “I want to encourage you on Saturday to vote for these individuals, all of who I have known personally and know are MAGA through and through:
Cheryl Johnson for Tulsa County GOP State Committeewoman
Shelley Gwartney for Tulsa County GOP State Committeewoman
Katina Heath for Tulsa County GOP District Committeewoman
Jonathan Krems for Tulsa County GOP District Committeeman
For the other positions that I have not listed a candidate that is simply because I do not know personally those who are running. My suggestion is to vote for the outsider.”
This writer endorses Ron Causby for Chairman because he has gone on public record with a plan of action all Tulsa County Republicans may judge during his upcoming term.
Causby wrote, If elected I will audit ALL finances day one, new finance management policies, Finance Oversight Committee, Fundraising Committee, all financial data will be at HQ and remain there under my tenure, and will be open to Executive and County Committee members anytime. These committees are here to provide oversight, and every chairman should be held accountable to them.
I will also cap delegate fees. Why are we as delegates paying exorbitant delegate fees to conduct official party business, but we lost over $7k to pay for non-delegates/delegates to celebrate at a watch party last November. If you can make sense of that, I’ll listen.
We must provide the election board with Republican precinct officials for every precinct. We can’t uphold election integrity if we don’t have active and watchful Republicans working at every polling location in Tulsa County. I will discontinue the practice of using Party funds to operate a side business buying and re-selling Chinese goods. Any merchandise bought/sold by the Tulsa GOP will be made here in OK.
Regular Executive and County Committee meetings, along with weekly video updates informing Republicans of upcoming events, meetings, and ways to get more involved in our Party. I might have a surprise guest or two! Monthly countywide dinner/business-style County Committee meetings will be held, and new monthly GOP club meetings in every town in Tulsa County.
Precinct organization plan implemented with resources given to EVERY Precinct Chair, including the precinct officer list. How can the County Committee organize and provide oversight if they don’t know who the other committee members are? I also believe it is imperative to provide the Precinct Chairs with an organized leadership structure. Utilizing House District Chairmen to help provide leadership and support all the way down to the grass roots level, along with maps & zones, Data Center access and tech support to communicate effectively with precinct members.
A robust Grassroots Engagement plan will encompass precinct chairs meeting regularly with their elected officials, attend city council and school board meetings to be county “regulators” to hold them accountable and watch local politicians like hawks. This will give us a bench strength of future candidates for the next five to ten years.
Youth engagement starts with HS Republicans and College Republican groups being formed in every high school & college in Tulsa County. Internships. This is our future, and how we will fill ALL of our precinct chairs. Let’s invest in them!
Campaign Committee with experienced campaigners with winning records and GOTV experience. A Political Director that will return our Party to a winning tradition of a robust GOTV operation in 2024. Uitlizing phone banks, door knocking, mass messages, mail, signs, ads, social media ads, and Rallies. Better and proven strategy to win back all the local SB and CC races we have lost to the democrats in recent years.
I will never allow a BLM supporting consultant to run our campaigns or have access to all our data and tech. I just won’t.
I will keep the Tulsa County GOP out of Republican Primary elections PERIOD. Voter info, debates, candidate forums, and meet & greets. This way our local Republicans can meet, vet, and learn about candidates, can get informed, then THEY decide. Not a small, exclusive committee of insiders. We can’t continue to divide and shrink our Party.
This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to ideas, I have to move this Party to the future and back to the Grand Old Party it was when I was growing up.
I look forward to seeing you Saturday! If I haven’t called you yet, I will be in touch soon and would love to hear all of your ideas as well. Together we can build something special!
Thank you and have a blessed day!!! Ron Causby, Your Grassroots Candidate for Tulsa County GOP Chairman
The Republican Party of Tulsa County is important for the future of our community and nation, but we don’t need communist puppet masters.
See you at convention.