Tea Party events include anti-Womack element (Updated)

Editor’s note: Link here for an update to this story.

The Tea Party events held Thursday (April 15)  in Fayetteville and Fort Smith took an unexpected and overt political tone when political author and consultant Dick Morris encouraged the hundreds gathered at both events to vote against Rogers Mayor Steve Womack.

Womack is one of eight candidates in the GOP primary for the 3rd Congressional District. And he is, according to Morris, the only GOP candidate in the race who refuses to sign a no tax pledge.

The pledge is officially known as the “Taxpayer Protection Pledge” and is managed and promoted by the Americans for Tax Reform.

Speaking in Fort Smith, Morris was surrounded by several Republican candidates in the GOP primary for the 3rd Congressional District and the U.S. Senate. All the candidates around Morris had signed the pledge. Morris encouraged the crowd to vote for any of the candidates except Womack, and noted Womack’s absence at the Tea Party events.

“Where is Womack?” Morris asked, to which the crowd responded by booing. Morris continued, telling the crowd they need to know the difference “between a true Republican and an imposter” — implying that those who won’t sign the pledge are not true Republicans.

“No, absolutely not,” Morris quickly responded when asked by The City Wire if he had any second thoughts about making such direct political attacks at the Tea Party events.

Not only does Morris not have second thoughts, but Morris himself best summarized the cut-taxes-cut-spending message of his more than 30-minute speech in Fort Smith: “We have two objectives (in November), to defeat Democrats and to cleanse the Republican Party.”

Morris said he will “publicly congratulate” Womack if he signs the pledge.

The City Wire has asked Womack for a response to Morris’ comments. We will update this post with the response.

Womack, State Sen. Cecile Bledsoe and Fort Smith attorney Gunner DeLay are considered the frontrunners in the 3rd District GOP primary. A Talk Business Poll released April 8 shows Womack at 21%, Bledsoe at 17% and DeLay at 16%, with 27% undecided. Womack had previously released internal polling that showed him with 31% support, Bledsoe with 12% and DeLay at 11%, with 34% undecided.

Teresa Owelke, president of the Arkansas chapter of the Americans for Prosperity Foundation, said the Tea Party movement in Arkansas is doubling. She said the first Tea Party round had eight locations in Arkansas, with the recent round including 15 locations in the state. The APF sponsored the Morris tour through Arkansas. Owelke said Morris’ speaking fee for all the events combined was $10,000.

The Fort Smith event was held 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., at Pendergraft Park in downtown Fort Smith and was co-sponsored by the Arkansas Progressive Group.