The Montgomery County Republican Committee (MCRC) in Pennsylvania removed a committeeman on Monday after he endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris and appeared on CNN to confirm his interest in Republican activism was inspired by his opposition, former President Donald Trump.
After initially endorsing “the Democrat” against Trump in a July 3 opinion column written for The Philadelphia Inquirer during the period when Democrats were urging President Joe Biden to step down in favor of another candidate, MCRC Committee Member Matthew McCaffery confirmed his endorsement of the Harris-Walz ticket during a Friday appearance on CNN.
When CNN host Phil Mattingly asked McCaffery why other Republicans in Montgomery County do not share his negative view of the former president, McCaffery demurred, claiming their support for Trump has resulted in electoral losses and revealing he joined MCRC to push back against Trump.
“I got involved in the Republican committee in 2022 to try to turn the tide,” said McCaffery. He told Mattingly, “obviously I didn’t do very well, but I keep on fighting the good fight. I want to get good Republicans elected to office… as long as Trump is on the top of the ticket, we’re just going to keep losing.”
In his CNN appearance, McCaffery acknowledged his endorsement of Harris violated the party’s bylaws when asked about the disciplinary hearing.
“I do anticipate that I am going to lose that hearing and I will be ousted because I broke the bylaws by endorsing Vice President Harris for office,” said McCaffery. “I’ve been pretty open and honest about that.”
He noted that he campaigned on a promise to “move away from Trump” and said he would “continue to do that until they kick me out.”
McCaffery confirmed he was removed in a Tuesday post to the social media platform X, where he published the letter sent by MCRC Chair Christian Nascimento.
The letter revealed the vote to remove McCaffery was unanimous, and the MCRC “felt this to be a very straightforward case” due to his “very public and continuous disparaging remarks against President Donald J. Trump and endorsement of Kamala Harris” despite the bylaws disallowing such behavior from party officials.
McCaffery claimed to be apathetic about the development in a social media post, but the letter from Nascimento noted that he raised his admission to other previous violations as a reason he should not be ousted.
“When asked why you would not resign from your positions, you stated that in all your time working, you most likely violated and bylaws and never resigned – both in the U.S. Marines and in the private sector,” Nascimento wrote. “The Committee felt this line of commentary illustrates your apathy towards your actions.”
Colloquially called Montco, the Philadelphia-area county is the third-most populous county in Pennsylvania.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Pennsylvania Daily Star and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Tim Walz and Kamala Harris” by Tim Walz.
