Jared Woodfill, right, addresses media in Houston after announcing he is representing the indicted accusers of Planned Parenthood.
HOUSTON – A day after once again stepping onto the national political stage by inserting himself into the Planned Parenthood video fight, former Harris County GOP Chairman Jared Woodfill last week formally announced he is running to lead the Republican Party of Texas. He is running alongside Texas Eagle Forum President Cathie Adams, who has announced for Vice Chair. The current chairman, Tom Mechler, has announced for reelection.
Woodfill’s announcement came as part of archconservative activist Steve Hotze’s first annual Conservative Republicans of Texas Dinner – an evening focused on opposition to the “homosexual movement” and railing against Texas House leadership under Speaker Joe Straus.
The long-expected announcement by Woodfill came after Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick took to the stage in a JW Marriott ballroom and heaped praise on the former county chairman for his role in last year’s defeat of the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance.
Patrick was the recipient of what Hotze called the “Warrior of Biblical Values Award.”
In accepting the award, Patrick noted that Woodfill, Hotze, pastors and others shocked the nation by soundly defeating HERO, called “The Bathroom Ordinance” by its detractors. “When the church will stand up and the pastors will speak out and bring their numbers together we as Christian conservatives cannot lose,” Patrick said, at times nearly shouting before the crowd of about 300.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick accepts his Warrior of Biblical Values Award from Steve Hotze
Turning his comments to the race for the White House, Patrick said he has tried to offer encouragement to Sen. Ted Cruz as the GOP nominating contest has devolved into a war of insults with Donald Trump. As part of that encouragement, Patrick said he recently sent a text message to Cruz that read: “Remember your opponents cannot defeat you if the Lord is with you.”
The actual announcement of Woodfill’s candidacy for RPT chairman was contained in a video shown to the crowd. The announcer in the video boasted of the various political activities of CRT, including their part in the defeats of “RINO” Texas Senators John Carona of Dallas and Bob Deuell of Greenville.
Also in the video, Rep. Byron Cook, R-Corsicana, and Speaker Straus were sharply criticized for the failure of The Legislature to pass anti-gay marriage legislation. “This was all pre-orchestrated by the Straus leadership team,” said the announcer.
Naturally, the video omitted that the Texas Senate- under Patrick’s leadership – also failed to pass that exact same ban on use of government funding for the issuing of marriage licenses to homosexual couples.
Part of the video was essentially a greatest hits reel of Woodfill’s media interviews in which he spoke out against HERO. The announcer in the video said the “LGBT homosexual political movement” was “hell bent on creating sexual anarchy in our society.” The CEO of the Greater Houston Partnership, Bob Harvey, was called “pro-homosexual” and the Harris County Republican Party was slammed because its executive committee did not pass a resolution against HERO.
The party’s chairman Paul Simpson was criticized for failing to join in Hotze and Woodfill’s efforts against “the lesbian activist mayor of Houston” Annise Parker.
Hotze called his political opposition “foul” and said he received many death threats during his campaign against HERO. “If they have it their way…they will put you in jail and they will fine you,” Hotze said.
“Pedophilia is the next point. They’re going to come down and change that law,” Hotze said, adding that gay rights activists “want to pervert this society.” Even in a very conservative room, that comment drew what could charitably be described as tepid applause.
By the way, Lt. Gov. Patrick was not present when the announcement of Woodfill’s candidacy was made. Patrick left early, telling the crowd he needed to rush to a TV studio because he’d been invited to offer commentary on Fox News Channel about the GOP presidential debate.
Copyright January 28, 2016, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved. Reprinted with permission.
