Charles Mulholland and Paul Mitchell hold joint news conference.
BARNYARD SPAT: Was Farm Bureau Director Fired for Not Supporting Moolenaar?
August 3, 2014
By: Dave Rogers
Tea Party darling Paul Mitchell, Republican candidate for Congress in Michigan's 4th District, is not playing ball with the GOP establishment.
That may be why the maverick from Saginaw's Thomas Township is leading in the EPIC-MRA polls 50-27 percent over incumbent Rep. John Moolenaar in the Midland, Mt. Pleasant, Cadillac area district.
"In a display of political gamesmanship that turn so many off from politics, this week, Farm Bureau Regional Director, Charles Mulholland was asked to resign his post due to his support of Paul Mitchell in Michigan's 4th Congressional District Republican primary," Mitchell said in a news release.
Mulholland has served his 7-county Farm Bureau district, spanning from Greenville to Cadillac, since 1998.
"Under pressure from John Moolenaar, the Farm Bureau told me I either support Moolenaar for Congress or be terminated," said Mulholland. "I've been supporting Paul Mitchell precisely because he's not part of the politics-as-usual system that strong arms people to buckle under and support the status quo. Paul will always stand up for what's right and against what's wrong."
"What happened to Charles Mulholland is wrong," said Mitchell. "People all across this district are turned off from this process because of career politicians and this kind of back-room politics-as-usual. I am fighting for them and I'm fighting for you, Charles. It's time we all stand together and say 'enough already!'"
Mitchell concluded, "I'm going to win on Tuesday. And I'm going to fight every day against the system in Washington and for the conservative ideals that made this country great."
Moolenaar's campaign manager said the campaign was not involved, commenting to cadillac.com:
"I think it's another attempt by Paul Mitchell to draw attention away from Moolenaar's accomplishments and recent endorsements from Rick Santorum, Right to Life and the National Rifle Association, as well as the Farm Bureau," said Moolenaar's campaign manager Sarah Brooks.
Andy Kok, Farm Bureau Board of Directors secretary, said members, not the Moolenaar campaign, expressed concern over Mulholland's support for Mitchell. Of the 14 Farm Bureaus in Mulholland's district, only two wanted to endorse Mitchell.
"The board feels very strongly that we need to reflect our members' desires and preferences, not the individual politics of the board members themselves," Kok said.
Kok also said that while individual board members may have spoken to Mulholland, the board did not take any official action calling on him to resign.
However Mulholland said he was told that if he did not resign, official action would have been taken to remove him from the board.
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