Gregory Hodge, of Jefferson, is urging people on the political left and right to look critically at their party affiliation.
Hodge was the state committeeman for the Lincoln County Republicans until he and 11 other Republicans unenrolled from the Maine Republican Party and resigned related positions this week,
Hodge joined five other state committee members, Republican National Committee member Mark Willis, and five other registered Maine Republicans in writing a letter outlining their disaffiliation and the reasons behind it to Maine GOP Secretary Chuck Malaheris.
The Aug. 18 letter criticizes a number of people, actions, and groups, including rule changes by the Republican National Committee, “the cowardly leadership of John Boehner” in the House of Representatives, “House Republican leadership’s utter disdain for the United States Constitution,” failure of Maine Republicans to support Governor Paul LePage’s veto of the biennial budget, and LePage vetoing LD 1282, a bill related to the sale and labeling of raw milk, among others.
“[W]e can no longer associate ourselves with a political party that goes out of its way to continually restrict our freedoms and liberties as well as reaching deeper and deeper into our wallets,” the letter reads.
The authors wrote they were pursuing a path of individual integrity over the Republican parties ideas of “more freedom and less taxes” that are “worth no more than the paper that they are written on.”
Hodge, in an interview on Aug. 20, said his actions are not designed to elicit anything from the GOP.
“I’ve found [the Republican party] to be not representing of me or my opinions or beliefs,” Hodge said. “Moreso I find them to be unwilling to accept views other than those that are established at the top of the party.”
By stepping away, Hodge said he will be less hampered in whatever he chooses to do regarding political issues.
“I’m not doing this to do anything to them, I’m just disassociating myself from them,” he said. “I wish them the best. There are a lot of hardworking people doing what they believe in … I just find it to be very dissatisfying for me to be a part of this organization at this time.”
Still, Hodge said he believes people associated with either the Republicans or Democrats need to think about whether their party really represents them and their beliefs.
“I would recommend that others take a closer look at who they associate with, not individually perhaps, but an organization,” he said.
“Gamesmanship” was what Hodge said he found on the third floor of the capital, with people in both parties focused more on what they were going to do to the opposing side or what the opposing side was going to do to them, instead of focusing on the issues.
The important question is what is best for the people of Maine, not what is best for someone’s particular career or their ambitions outside the state, Hodge said.
Hodge said he is pursuing no political ambitions, though some of the other authors of the letter may be considering it or have been asked to do so. Either way, “we are not forming another party here, we are just disassociating ourselves from the two parties that exist,” he said.
Stuart Smith, the chairman of Lincoln County Republicans, said the county level impacts of Hodge’s resignation as state committeeman may be minimal.
“We’re sorry to see him go. We already have a couple people interested in that position so we’ll fill it fairly quickly, so we’ll plug along,” he said.
“I’m sorry to see him go, but everyone has their issues and their guiding principles and they do what they feel is right and I’m sure Greg had to do what he felt was right. I respect that,” Smith said. “Everyone should be able to follow their heart and their gut.”
