Fake PACs & Deceptive Fundraising: Why It Matters
February 17, 2023 | Montgomery County, TX
When voters show up at the polls during the Primary Election and are handed a voter guide by someone who says, “Here is the Republican Voter Guide,” voters should be able to trust that the guide is truly from the Republican Party.
Yet Montgomery County Republican Party Chairman, Bryan Christ, seems more interested in promoting his wife’s political consulting firm and Political Action Committees (PACs) than protecting the Montgomery County voters who elected him.
For example, one of these PACs, the Republican Voters of Texas PAC (RVT), has sent deceptive mailers to voters and showed up at the polls impersonating the Montgomery County Republican Party to mislead voters into thinking that they are voting for candidates endorsed by the local Republican Party.
Some of the same people involved in the RVT, including Chairman Christ and his wife, also used this tactic in 2014 when they formed a fake Tea Party to deceive voters into electing their candidates.
In 2018, the Montgomery County Republican Party condemned the RVT for deceptive electioneering, but they continued with their unethical election practices. Chairman Christ and his minority faction of the local party recently passed a resolution apologizing to his wife’s PAC, the RVT, for the 2018 resolution condemning their deceptive election practices.
While members of the RVT continue to claim that they only endorse Conservative Republican candidates, this is simply not true. For example, one of the RVT founders openly endorsed Claire Lindsay (Democrat) when she ran against Matt Beasley (Republican) for Justice of the Peace. She even had a fundraiser for Lindsay at her home.
In the 2022 Primary Election, the RVT targeted Rep. Steve Toth (HD 15), who consistently has one of the most conservative voting records in the State House.
Voters need to be aware of this issue to avoid being duped into voting for Democrats or RINOs (Republicans in Name Only) at the polls.
The Montgomery County Republican Party DOES NOT endorse in Primary Elections. If you receive a “Republican Voter Guide” that endorses one Republican over another, you can be sure it is not an official guide from the Republican Party even if it uses the word “Republican” in its name.
Chairman Christ has also formed the Montgomery County Republican Club PAC, the MCTX Republican Victory PAC, and registered his own “Republican Party” Treasurer with the Texas Ethics Commission since he refuses to recognize the Treasurer that was elected by the majority of the County Executive Committee.
These actions do not bode well for Conservative Republicans in the 2024 Primary Election. While many people say the County Executive Committee should stand down because “Chairman Christ was elected by Montgomery County voters,” they forget that the Precinct Chairs also were elected to represent Montgomery County voters and they make up the body of the County Executive Committee.
The Chairman’s role is to facilitate County Executive Committee meetings, not rule over them. Precinct Chairs have a responsibility to ensure that decisions made within their meetings are in the best interests of the Montgomery County Republicans they represent.
Remember:
The Montgomery County Republican Party DOES NOT endorse in Primary Elections. If you receive a “Republican Voter Guide” that endorses one Republican over another, you can be sure it is not an official guide from the Republican Party even if it uses the word “Republican” in its name.
The “Republican Welcome Center,” also called the “Republican Clubhouse,” and any associated fundraisers ARE NOT affiliated with the Montgomery County Republican Party in any way.