ROCKFORD – A Rockford area GOP precinct captain has filed complaint with his local party officials over presumptive presidential GOP nominee Donald Trump, citing numerous conflicts Trump has expressed with the Illinois Republican Party's platform stances.
"I believe that support of Mr. Trump blatantly disregards our Illinois GOP Platform, which states that our 'Party will not stand for the slightest compromise in the ethics of our political leaders, regardless of party affiliation,' and that our Party 'will be a Party of ethics and integrity, regardless of the cost,'" Austin Davies, Rockford's Area 13 precinct captain told Winnebago County GOP Chairman Jim Thompson in a note accompanying the complaint.
Davies' complaint lists numerous Illinois Republican Party planks and then contrasts with Trump's stated positions on those same issues. He points to Trump's support for President Obama's 2009 government stimulus plan and call for pay limits on private executives to Trump's demeaning women publicly on various occasions to Trump's off-the-cuff comments. Davies' describes them as "examples of his deplorable and well documented character."
Davies says Trump has acted in contradiction to the Party's commitment to resolving differences with "civility, trust and mutual respect" and cites Trump's bragging about his corruption and graft, quoting Trump's disparaging comments about political competitors as well as his praise for using government for personal gain through the use of eminent domain.
The 7-page complaint goes on to list Republicans and conservatives who have voiced their opposition to Trump as the GOP presidential candidate for 2016, and concludes with a call according to the Winnebago GOP Party's bylaws to form an ad hoc committee to investigate the complaint.
If the committee concurs with the complaint, the committee would withdraw any endorsement and "make it publicly known that the Party does not support the candidate in question."
Davies, a 34-year-old Northern Illinois University law school graduate (after May 28th), submitted his complaint to Thompson early Monday morning.
While Davies' complaint is sure to stir controversy, it should be no surprise. When Davies told his neighbors he was running to be committeeman in Rockford's 26th Precinct, he was upfront about his commitment to conservative principles.
"At the County Convention I will cast my vote for the most principled Conservative candidates for county Chairman and other party offices," he wrote on a flyer distributed to the neighbors. But he went a step further, writing: "Should a candidate who does not properly represent the party run for office, by my own action or at the behest of a precinct constituent, I will initiate procedures to convene an investigative committee which may result in the party withdrawing its support for such candidate."
Illinois Review asked Davies if he had considered filing a similar complaint against another Republican at the top of the 2016 ticket who has on numerous occasions also voted against the Illinois Republican Party's platform planks – U.S. Senator Mark Kirk.
"I'm new to paying close attention to local politics and new to being active in the party, that's why I haven't acted on Kirk," Davies said.
Further developments pending …
