Politics

GOP eyes then drops boycott of League forum

By Bill Moss, Published: March 28, 2014

The League of Women Voters has set campaign forums for April 2 and April 9, although it is fighting a whisper campaign among Republicans calling for a boycott.

The Hendersonville chapter of the League has scheduled campaign forums for sheriff's candidates and State House District 117 on Wednesday, April 2, and for Board of Commissioners candidates on April 9.
Republican Party Chairman Glen Englram sent out an alert to executive committee members last week questioning the League's neutrality. A list of organizations aligned with a Democratic group included the Charlotte chapter of the League of Women Voters.
A campaign apparatus called the Blueprint "is how the Democrats turned the Colorado Legislature from Red to Blue in just one election cycle in 2004. During a comfortable Republican Presidential win," Englram wrote, according to a copy of the email a source shared with Four Seasons Politics.
"In a recent conversation with Tom Apodaco (sic), it was his opinion that our candidates ought to boycott League of Women Voters events. With their proximity to returning NC to Democrat hands, whether their folks here on the ground know it or not, I support that position."
Englram called on party leaders to huddle before Saturday's convention and decide what position to take on a boycott.
"I got the same copy you got," League President Judy Katz said of the email. "I don't know what that means and I haven't pursued it. Tom Apodaca doesn't like me for a number of reasons."
Sen. Apodaca acknowledged the topic had come up, although he said Englram misquoted him on urging a boycott.
"I told them it was something we needed to talk about in executive committee," Apodaca said. "They joined in with NAACP on the voting rights suit, they joined in with the Democrats on redistricting" and can't be regarded as neutral "because they're not non-partisan."
However, when the GOP's executive committee failed to act, "I told them it's too late, they've already scheduled them, go on with them."
Englram said the boycott was off.
"The fact of the matter is our candidates are going to the League forum. There is no boycott," he said. "That's the story, there is no story."