Former Wa State GOP Committeewoman resigns and joins the Libertarian Party

Two presidential cycles, three county reorganization meetings, two state chairmen, three county conventions, three state conventions and I am done.  I am done with trying to find common ground, done with working within the current system, done with the Republican Party.  While strides seem to have been made within the Republican Party to accept liberty minded people, it isn’t enough.

Last week I sent my PCO resignation letter to my county leadership.  After having served as PCO, a member of the county executive board, State Committeewoman, my county’s credentials chair and a member of the last state credentials committee, I have decided to leave the Republican party to work on the expansion of the local and state Libertarian Party.

When I first came to the Republican Party I did not receive a positive welcome. In fact I was greeted with a great deal of animosity and dare I say it, hatred. Despite the fact that I was told to find my own party, I continued to work to become an active member of the Republican Party. After all, this seemed like the best fit.

I don’t know how many meetings and gatherings I have attended over the past six years where I heard negative comments and plans to keep out the “wrong element” often with a pat on the leg or kindly smile, “Well not you… we like you.” This last state convention confirmed for me that even though I was accepted by the Republican Party, others like me were not welcome.

It is more important to the Republican Party to beat the democrats, to put up a winning candidate than to stand on principle.  It has become a lesser of two evils fight.  We need to step out of this limited perception and present a true choice… liberty.

While I might have been able to be accepted by the party as an “OK libertarian leaning individual” others are still not and the idea of liberty is not the focus.  I hope that individuals like Jason Overstreet, Matt Shea and other members of the Liberty Caucus can help change the situation. I, however, am not going to continue to fight for acceptance.

There is a viable growing Libertarian Party here in Washington State and in my county. While I continue to support the efforts of people in the Republican Liberty Caucus and believe in their fight, it is not the path for me at this time. We must fight for liberty on all fronts.  My front is the Libertarian Party. I am Libertarian.

Barb Del Wraa