Ed. No
te: The caucus in St.
Charles County (just North and East of St. Louis), held at Francis
Howell North High School on March 17, developed into a bit of a melee over the
rules, most notably the use of recording devices. Police were
called in and arrested two Paul supporters, and a vote was not
held. On a "St. Charles Mo Hijacked Caucus" Facebook page Scott
Koeneman wrote, "Our
caucus was essentially derailed by the Santorum campaign, which
infiltrated the committee(s) running the caucus. After actively
derailing the caucus, they started pushing committee leaders to NOT
RESCHEDULE the event, in favor of awarding the delegates to the
Santorum campaign." On March 23 the state GOP announced that it
would reschedule the St. Charles County caucus for April 10.Facebook page
PRESS RELEASE from Missouri Republican Party
March 23, 2012
MOGOP Chair: Caucus will be held in “fair, honest, and transparent manner”
The Missouri Republican Party announced today that it is calling a St. Charles County Caucus after an earlier attempt ended amidst controversy last Saturday.
“Since Saturday, we have reviewed our options to determine the best way to move forward while ensuring that the voice of St Charles has been heard. We have concluded that the only proper remedy for this situation is to schedule a new St Charles County Caucus,” said David Cole, Chairman of the Missouri Republican Party. “I want to make it clear to the people of St Charles County that we will conduct this caucus in a fair, honest, and transparent manner.”
By all accounts, the St Charles County volunteers were outstanding and registration was very organized, but unfortunately, last Saturday’s meeting didn’t get to point where delegates were chosen. In light of this, the State Party has the authority to call a new caucus, and we have chosen to do just that.
The St. Charles County Caucus will be held at 7:00 PM on Tuesday, April 10, 2012, at the St Charles Convention Center. David Cole, Chairman of the Missouri Republican Party, will serve as the temporary chairman for this caucus, and the MOGOP general counsel will serve as the parliamentarian. Recording devices will be permitted.
As with any other caucus, it will be open to any registered voter in St Charles County who is willing to declare that he or she is a Republican.
“As we have made clear over the past week, we are committed to ensuring that the voice of St Charles County is fully represented throughout the process—all the way to the national convention,” said Cole.