UPDATE: Campaign finance reports published January 18, 2017 indicate that Mr. Morgan is a salaried employee of the Corey Stewart campaign, and was at the time this Op-Ed was offered by Mr. Morgan and published by TBE.
This fact was not disclosed to us, and if it had been, we would have insisted on its disclosure as a condition of publication. We do not question our friend Jack Morgan’s conviction or integrity—we are sure his beliefs came before his paycheck—but our readers are entitled to know if such a conflict exists for one of our authors. This information was beyond our control when it was most relevant, but we nevertheless apologize for the shortcoming.
TBE Editorial Team – January 31, 2017
My name is Jack Morgan. Many of you in Republican circles may know me as former Chairman of the Bland County Republican Committee, former member of the RPV State Central Committee, and two-term Chairman of the 9th District Republican Committee. Still others recognize me as Donald Trump’s 9th District Chairman. I spoke at a couple Trump rallies and served as Emcee for his Radford event. Late in the race I took an official staff position with the campaign. I have spent years volunteering in Virginia politics, always for the candidate I believed to be the most conservative in any given race.
You may question my choice of candidates or even my judgment; heck you might even think I’m wrong on every issue. However, if you know me or saw my work for President Elect Trump beginning in mid 2015 you cannot question my support from the beginning for Mr. Trump.
I say all of this to give credence to my support for and defense of Corey Stewart. Recently three men I know and worked with have accused Corey of not sincerely support Donald Trump and only focusing on his 2017 Gubernatorial race while serving as State Chair for the Trump campaign. That, my friends, is laughable. Corey like I, signed on in a volunteer role for Mr. Trump early in his run when most were running the other way. He immediately began to travel the state, rallying support and speaking at every event possible to explain why Donald Trump was exactly who America needed. In an early conversation he and I had, we discussed how a failed run by Mr. Trump could ultimately hurt him but he was clear that it was worth the risk because we had to save America and we both believed Donald Trump was the one to do it.
Late in the race when most other 2017 candidates and elected Republicans across Virginia would do little more than give half hearted support for our candidate, Corey was traveling all over Virginia, with several trips all the way into Southwest Virginia speaking at events, sponsoring door knocks and even knocking on doors in Wythe County with his wife Maria. During all of this, he was reluctant to ever mention his own race, instead focusing all of his attention on electing Donald Trump. At one point, while listening to a small farmer tell him how his family had struggled, Corey was reminded by another volunteer to mention his run for Governor, did so briefly, and moved back to discussing the importance of the 2016 election. Like always, he was intently focused on working for Donald Trump.
Campaigns can bring out the best and sometimes the worst in people. I make no claims as to the reasons others have decided to go negative and make claims that myself and other Trump employees and volunteers know to be false. However, I will end on a positive note. I know that Corey Stewart wholeheartedly (and more sincerely than any other 2017 Gubernatorial candidate) supported President Elect Donald J. Trump since day one. I’m positive the truth will come out in the end as it always does. Finally, after the attacks of recent days I am more confident than ever that I chose the right candidate for Governor. I hope you will do the same.
Jack Morgan is formerly the Chairman of the Bland County Republican Committee, member of the RPV State Central Committee, and two-term Chairman of the 9th District Republican Committee. Most recently, he served as the 9th District Chairman for Trump.
