On the heels of House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy withdrawing his name last Thursday from the race to replace Speaker John Boehner, one of the candidates in the special-election race to replace Boehner is speaking out about what he says are efforts in Ohio’s 8^th Congressional District to control the special election. Miami County resident, JD Winteregg, the self-described “only Conservative” in the race, released this statement to the press Monday afternoon:

Winteregg disappointed by Butler County GOP Committee Email

Calls email “blatantly divisive… that’s meant to discourage the members from voting their conscience.”

(Troy, OH)– On October 5th, Butler County GOP Chairmen Todd Hall and Chris Wunnenberg sent out an email to the Central Committee members, urging them only to support a Congressional candidate from Butler County. In the email, they state, “If we do not have a Butler County resident as our Congressman, we will not have the same clout, the same pull, or the same political muscle that we know today.” They go on to tell members that “It is imperative that we keep our advantage by having our next representative come from our county…It is our hope to have a united front behind one Butler County candidate for Congress. We ask for your support in an effort to unite behind one Butler County Republican on the night of endorsement.”

In response to the email from the Butler County chairmen, Candidate JD Winteregg had this to say:

“I was greatly disappointed to learn that the establishment leadership within the Butler County GOP has decided to try to stack the cards in their favor. Where they should be encouraging their members to listen to the diverse voices within the party that are present throughout the district, they’ve instead chosen to try to unfairly sway the endorsement process. In effect, they’re encouraging their members–and current and future candidates from within Butler County–to ignore the other counties within the district.

“One of the reasons I challenged Speaker Boehner in the 2014 and 2016 primaries is because I believe he and the Republican leadership placed their priorities in preservation of power over representation of the people. The idea that the leadership in the Butler County GOP has sent out a blatantly divisive email that’s meant to discourage the members from voting their conscience is unacceptable. This is a tactic one would expect from Obama’s people, not our own. I’ve met many people within Butler County–and within the party apparatus–who would never condone this rhetoric. People are sick and tired of the leadership within the party playing political games. It’s time to end this now. “