Former GOP County Co-Chair Launches House Bid as Independent

We have been saying for some time that the people advocating for Republicans to compromise on our principles would only serve to drive the most loyal base from the party. A perfect example of this would the case of former Pocahontas County Republican Party co-Chair Tom Shaw. Mr. Shaw is appalled by the direction that some individuals seem to want to take the party in. As a result Mr. Shaw has withdrawn from the party and is now running for Iowa House District 8 as an independent. I was honored to have a conversation with Mr. Shaw yesterday morning during which he repeatedly cited efforts to move the party toward the “mushy middle” as his reason for leaving the party.

We had a lengthy discussion on the reasons he left the Republican Party. As I stated above he was extremely distressed about the direction that the Republican Party was taking. With high profile Republicans expressing their views that the party must abandon some of its core principles in order to win elections. He acknowledges that conservatives must focus on economic issues but doesn’t believe that it has to be at the expense of social issues. He asserts, and I wholeheartedly agree with him, that if we abandon the social issues that we will fail future generations.

One of the issues that stands out in our hour long conversation is his position on education. At one time Iowa was known for one of the best education systems in the nation, if not the world. In his view the decline of Iowa schools began when state government began to wrest control of school curriculum away from the local community. I think it goes without saying that Mr. Shaw is opposed to many of the recent education reforms enacted at the state level. He believes that if we want our schools to once again offer world class education we have to return control to the local school district and community. He goes on to express his dismay about proposals to enact more regulation on parents that home school their children. He sees the act of home schooling children as a matter of personal liberty.

Another hot button issue that we discussed was the recent ruling by the Iowa Supreme Court. He sees the ruling as a usurpation of legislative authority. He discussed some steps that can be taken to wrest legislative authority away from the Supreme Court and restore to the General Assembly. The first step would be for the Governor to place a stay on homosexual marriage. He even went as far as to say that Governor Culver acted in cowardice when he refused to do so. The next step would be for the Iowa General Assembly to pass a marriage amendment so that the people of Iowa would have the opportunity to vote on the issue. He stated that in order for this to happen the people of Iowa must speak up loudly to make sure that their voices are heard. He also stated that if a legislator refused to allow a vote then it is up to the people to replace that legislator at the ballot box. Throughout the discussion of this topic he repeatedly made the comment that by allowing the Supreme Court to get away with this would amount to judicial tyranny because there is little that the people can do to counteract their actions.

During our conversation we also discussed taxes and economic development. We both agreed that you cannot discuss one without the other because they are essentially the same. Lower taxes will inevitably lead to higher economic development. One of the chief complaints that Mr. Shaw has of the current legislative leadership was their efforts to repeal Iowa’s federal deductibility, calling Pat Murphy’s actions the night of the public hearing unconscionable. As far as property taxes go, he says that it is a local issue that should be dealt with at the local level. .

I could go on and on about the issues that Tom and I talked about, but one thing that is very clear to me. Tom Shaw is a man that stands on his principles. He is a true conservative. His withdrawal from the Republican Party indicates one thing. Mr. Shaw is a man that will not compromise his principles. He is the embodiment of principles over party. For more information on Mr. Shaw’s candidacy please check out his campaign website here.