College Republicans in Mississippi are moving forward with efforts to impeach their state executive director after he publicly endorsed the conservative challenger to incumbent Sen. Thad Cochran ahead of Tuesday’s GOP primary.
According to the Clarion-Ledger newspaper, the Mississippi Federation of College Republicans wants to oust Kolby Busby from serving as executive director after he recorded a robocall in support of state Sen. Chris McDaniel in the state’s Senate race.
McDaniel faces Cochran in Tuesday’s contest, which polls indicate is neck-and-neck.
The Mississippi Federation of College Republicans’ bylaws prohibit its officials from making endorsements in primaries. But Busby, in the robocall, identified himself as the organization’s executive director, according to organization chairman Evan Alvarez.
“As an official auxiliary member of the Mississippi Republican Party and a member of the College Republican National Committee, it is part of our policy not to endorse candidates in a primary election,” Alvarez said in a statement provided to the media.
Busby, a student at Jones County Junior College, did not immediately return a Facebook message from The Daily Caller on Monday seeking comment.
Alvarez said the executive board of the organization met on Saturday and decided “to move forward with the impeachment process to remove Busby from office.”
“The MFCR Executive Board has voted unanimously to charge Busby with negligence in the performance of his constitutional duties,” Alvarez said. “Busby will have the opportunity to present a defense at the next MFCR Executive Board meeting on June 28, 2014 when the impeachment hearing will take place at the MSGOP headquarters.”
UPDATE: In a Facebook message to The Daily Caller, Busby defended his activism on behalf of McDaniel:
“The proper guidelines for impeachment laid out in the Mississippi Federation of College Republicans Constitution were not followed,” Busby said. “Chairman Alvarez called a conference call where only certain members of the Executive Board were made aware of or invited to participate. I stand by the statements that I made on the robo-call. I did state that I was the Executive Director of the Mississippi Federation of College Republicans. However, I did not give an endorsement on behalf of the entire organization. I made it clear that I believe that Thad Cochran is a good man but Chris McDaniel is the candidate that wold best represent our Mississippi Conservative values. Noting that I have done is any different than the actions that have been taken by other MFCR officers that support Thad Cochran. This includes Chairman Alvarez.”
Busby also provided TheDC with a photo posted on Facebook of Alvarez, the chairman of the organization, with supporters of Thad Cochran’s campaign. He is wearing a red shirt, in the center of the photo.
