Clark County Republicans plan to keep conservative political observer Tomi Lahren — who is facing a wave of backlash after she said she was pro-choice on a national talk show last week — as their keynote speaker at their annual Lincoln Day Dinner this summer.
David Gellatly, chairman of the Republican party, said they would not have booked her if her position on abortion had been public before the event.
But, Gellatly said, evoking former President Ronald Reagan, “The person who agrees with you 80 percent of the time is a friend and ally, not a 20 percent traitor.”
“This was the quote I gave when I was elected,” he said, adding, “I believe in most of our platform, I 100 percent agree with our core values. But I do not slam the door on someone with whom I disagree with on one issue. The overwhelming majority of people who bought tickets said they will cancel if we pull her. So, that makes it clear to me; we are tired of the ‘My way or the highway’ infighting and they don’t want us to tell our members if you’re not 100 percent in agreement, we don’t want you.”
