Just exactly what tactics did they do that were wrong? As you said, the guy knew the rules. You sound like a party hack trying to disenfranchise people who want to participate in the political process and don’t tow the party line. I can guarantee you the state GOP hacks were standing in front of the polling places handing out their fliers of who to vote for in many districts. They’re there most of the time I go to vote doing that. Why in the world shouldn’t supporters of another candidate be allowed to do the same? And if he is allowed to advocate for his candidate only 10 feet away, how far away were you standing when you were “campaigning” against his preferred delegates?
Jedi - Sorry not to get back to you. I've been away.
Clearly if the county election officials told the fellow to move further away from the polls, he was not in compliance. Personally, I have no objection to anyone making their case for any candidate or candidates. However, I believe that citizens who are voting have the right to know the source of that advocacy, especially when it concerns delegates who are not committed to proportionately representing the will of the voters at the convention. I made no effort to dissuade voters; I only let them know the source of the recommendation. When a campaign omits that information, I have to ask why they are unwilling to disclose it. All the other campaigns were clear in their funding and advocacy so that voters could make informed decisions.
As to myself, I was there as a GOP committee representative. As such, I am in an elected position, and I represent the local GOP. I don't personally agree with every recommendation or every action. I do my best to provide sources of information to our citizens so that they can make their own informed decisions. I have put together newsletters to constituents and created extensive website links to campaigns on the GOP side. Included were campaigns of candidates that I didn't personally support, in addition to the list of endorsements. I make a point of this out of respect for the voters.
In addition to the above, I stand at the polls on election day, greeting voters and providing guidance for those who seek it. Yes, I hand out the flyer with our local committee's recommendations. You consider me a hack for that; OK. You have your opinion. It's not my favorite activity, but it's part of the role. The flyers are clearly marked with the source of funding, and I let people know what it represents. I also point out the full ballot, which is clearly on display - often in more than one location. I have spent time with many citizens explaining to them what is on the ballot, and what to expect in the voting booth. Many of them come to the polls not knowing what will be on the ballot apart from the most visible race. I don't pressure people, and I can say that most of my Dem counterparts are very polite and also do not pressure voters. At the end of the day, we're all still neighbors, and most of us remember that.
You may not like what you term political hacks. I understand the distaste for those you think do whatever the higher-ups tell them regardless of what's best. To some extent this is the nature of large organizations of any kind. We take up our differences internally, and we have many debates. Our committee has gained more conservative members in recent years, and we're having an impact. These changes don't come as fast as some of us would like, but the internal change is a necessary part of the picture. With unity we can raise awareness of candidates and engage the citizens.
In our precinct, the winner of the senate race was not the state and locally endorsed candidate, by the way. The voters managed to ignore the printed endorsement and support a more consistently conservative candidate. They also turned out in solid numbers for a primary race that, once again, they were probably too late to affect.