McKoon calls Westmoreland ‘establishment,’ sparks Facebook reaction

Two days ago, state Sen. Josh McKoon, a Columbus Republican, took to social media to call out an endorsement of West Point Mayor Drew Ferguson for Congress.

The endorsement came from Rep. Lynn Westmoreland, who is stepping down from the seat he has held since 2004. McKoon is all in, backing Ferguson’s opponent, state Sen. Mike Crane, in the July 26 runoff that will decide the Republican 3rd District candidate in the November election. McKoon flirted with the idea of running for the seat back in the spring, but he decided to run for a fourth term in the state Senate representing District 29 and faces Democratic opposition in November in a solid conservative district that stretches from LaGrange to north Columbus.

In so many words, McKoon labeled Westmoreland as “establishment” and said Crane would “not play the old Potomac game.”

It was an interesting Facebook thread that became fascinating when Chip Lake decided to enter the conversation. Lake was Westmoreland’s chief of staff from 2005-2011 when he left to form his own consulting company, Glendale Strategies. Lake remains loyal to Westmoreland, as you would expect. So he challenged McKoon — hard. And the challenge turned into an analysis, one good Republican pointing out the perceived strengths and faults of another.

Lake challenged McKoon more on style than substance and policy. And Lake called McKoon out for his use of social media. Lake also challenged McKoon to seek leadership positions in the General Assembly, noting that would cause him to have to alter his public profile.

McKoon answer was lengthy.

“To understand why running for leadership would be futile I need to give a little background,” McKoon posted. “Most people know that when I introduced my ethics reform legislation that (House) Speaker (David) Ralston let it be known that (a) the House wouldn’t be moving my legislation and (b) that he would be recruiting a primary opponent for me in 2012. It is important to understand that most legislators are afraid of the Speaker of the House because he can stop their legislation, ax items in the budget that are of concern to their local community, ... etc.”

McKoon then went into details about a constitutional amendment this year to abolish the Judicial Qualifications Commission, the state watchdog agency that oversees judges. McKoon said the bill was a personal vendetta by a couple of House members and the speaker put out word he would “shut the building down” if it was not passed. That amendment got through the General Assembly and will be on the ballot in November for the state’s voters to decide.

“So with that as background, imagine my candidacy for a Senate leadership position,” McKoon posted. “Members would be intimidated and told if I am elected to leadership that those who supported me will find it difficult to pass bills, get budget items that they are requesting, etc. If by some miracle I overcame the mafia like tactics that are routinely employed, I would simply be excluded by the Speaker from leadership meetings. He would refuse to meet with me (as he has done for the past 6 years) and the rest of Senate leadership would wind up meeting with House leaders without me. So no, running for a leadership position would not change anything for me. ...”

It prompted this response from Lake:

“Here is what frustrates me: I don’t doubt that you are a strong conservative. I don’t doubt that you are trying your best to make Georgia a better place and I don’t doubt that you are one of the brightest, most articulate members of the legislature. ... You yourself said in reference to my question about why you won’t offer yourself up for a leadership election. ... ‘Members would be intimidated and told if I am elected to leadership that those who supported me will find it difficult to pass bills, get budget items that they are requesting, etc. ...’”

Lake found that a startling admission.

“We can argue right/wrong until the cows come home but you have positioned yourself, as a legislator, to not be in a position to influence policy,” Lake wrote. “You don’t have the relationships to do so... and I’m not talking about ‘go along to get along.’ People know, and you seem to know with your response, that if your name is on a bill as a Lead Sponsor then it is DOA. That’s probably not fair but how can you possibly influence policy when such a dynamic exists? ... As smart as I know that you are, that’s why I have come to the conclusion that you love the space that you are in and you thrive in it because you are too smart to not see what the rest of us see.”

This story was originally published June 29, 2016 at 11:20 AM with the headline "McKoon calls Westmoreland ‘establishment,’ sparks Facebook reaction."