The party of Abraham Lincoln on February 22nd returned to Oregon in electing its new officers. At least 250,000 non-affiliated Oregon voters who voted for Dennis Richardson in 2016 may decide to return to the Republican Party which is now the Trump GOP

 The new officers come with excellent skills that President Donald J. Trump will admire. The new chair, Jerry Cummings, will also please voters in Washington State having lived in both states with positions of leadership, particularly around parliamentary expertise giving the body on February 22nd, a gentle and humorous taste in demonstrating how a well run meeting is done. At the end of two long days, Chair ended those two days with the body being energized and laughing. As a Baptist minister some in the body reflected he seems a pastor who manifests his work in the true nature of the Gospel, that of being "joyous".

Vice-Chair Connie Whelchel, MBA manifests the same type of joy energy coupled with an accomplished background in business operations and grass roots organizing

Connie was chair of Deshcutes County Republican Party. The new solid team is rounded out by Glenn Miller (no, not the band leader), ORP treasurer who manifests the same goodwill towards all and has a solid background in all things financial to keep ORP solidly legal in all its transactions. Being a director in the Hillsborough School District he protected student and parental rights. 

The old guard, that perhaps 250,000 Republicans fled from for maybe over a decade, is now getting a lesson that the party of Abraham Lincoln and Donald J. Trump means it is a true return to the principles and values of the first party created in 1854. A party that believed in the First Amendment Rights.

An old guard member rose to ask the new chair to give a directive that party business may NOT be broadcast on social media. Cummings succinct and immediate response was, "It's the First Amendment."

The newly elected officers have not only brought in their principled uplift, the chair candidates who did not win stay with the ORP in new roles including the ORP will now have a DOGE committee headed up by candidate, Angelita Sanchez whose history includes defeating Cap and Trade and Ranked Choice Voting.
 

Washington County Chair, Gabriel Buehler enthusiastically endorsed the new chair during the voting process by withdrawing his name in the final round. Gabe has headed up Washington County in the good work they've been doing with election integrity. 

Proud Boy endorsed Ben Edtl will likely continue on with individual efforts as opposed to coming into the new team in some fashion, but ran his campaign with goodwill and doesn't have an issue with any of the newly elected officers.

Trump supporters were quite pleased with the day and the outcome of the organizational meeting. The party contains one former Brooklyn guy, precinct committee person, Ralph (3rd on the left) who has that engaging New York City, Brooklyn Trump style of ease in his direct communication pattern, in a good will fashion. 

Up and until the election of the new chair, the old ORP was still at working trying to ban duly elected PCPs from attending the meeting, including one of them, Dan Tooze, harassed demanding to know if she was duly qualified to be at the meeting. 

The old guard seated the illegitimate Multnomah County Republican Party (MCRP) officials, including chair Joseph Whitcomb and treasurer, Judy Masterson, both who were involved in the illegal Recall Coup on MCRP chair, Stephen Lloyd, on May 6, 2021. The old guard refused to accept written testimony from a duly elected PCPs, returning it to the duly elected PCP before the meeting started. ORP secretary Jo Rae Perkins running for chair had in the two weeks before refused to address the Recall Coup on Lloyd, writing she was too busy to go look for records.

In her speech to become chair, Jo Rae asked who in the audience had voted for her. Quite a few raised their hands Jo Rae said, "Good, now vote for me today."

Only eight voted for Jo Rae Perkins. She left before the end of the day. 

National Committee Woman, Traci Honyl was a bit too enthusiastic about returning the card to the duly elected PCP. 

Jo Rae Perkins in her interview with Town Hall 2025 Daniel Crowe, stated no holds barred that, no, she was against party transparency. She voiced that the ORP was a "family:, that it was "family business" that the ORP was "private", that it was not open to the public, which meant not open to even regular Oregon Republican citizens.

The recall coup on Stephen Lloyd in May 2021 with the help of the Proud Boy, Dan Tooze, was because Stephen was open to having even regular registered Republican voters to be able to attend all MCRP meetings. 

Jo Rae Perkins had the lowest number of votes at the organizational meeting on February 22, 2025.

Chair Justin Hwang must have sense the new blooming of the party as he withdrew his name for consideration before the voting process started.

Now ORP has new uplifted Party officers and a dramatic change may now occur in Oregon.

February 23, 2025