An organization tagged as catering to Republicans-In-Name-Only (RINOS) has apparently endorsed Republican Rich McCormick, who is running for Georgia’s 6th Congressional District — but reports say that they are keeping that endorsement under the radar.
Members of McCormick’s campaign staff did not return The Georgia Star News’ repeated requests for comment this week.
The Atlanta Journal Constitution (The AJC) reported this week that the group Republican Main Street Partnership, which works to elect centrists in swing districts, endorsed McCormick.
Republican Main Street Partnership members said on their website that they include more than 60 centrist members of Congress and want to work “across the aisle to enact common-sense legislation” on issues such as healthcare, family issues, workforce development, the environment, and infrastructure.
Members of McCormick’s campaign told The AJC that the candidate stands by the endorsement.
“Since then, something appears to have shifted,” The AJC reported.
“Although the organization’s social media post promoting the McCormick endorsement is still online, he is no longer included on its website on the list of endorsed candidates.”
In December, McCormick said four GOP members of Congress had endorsed his candidacy, but he later said they did not actually endorse him.
McCormick said he made a mistake.
“I am not a good politician. I’m just going to admit it. I am a good Marine and a good doctor. I have done that for decades, but political speak is difficult for me sometimes when people say ‘I 100-percent support you.’ Some people use language that is very confusing to a guy,” McCormick told The Star News at the time.
“My understanding is that they endorsed me. That’s my mistake, not having that confirmed. Some of them endorsed me in the Seventh [Congressional District race], but they didn’t endorse me because I switched to the Sixth. It is what it is. I made a mistake. I own that. We are going to move on. We are right now collecting our endorsements in writing so that when we do our next release it’ll be far more accurate.”
The AJC had reported that 28 sitting U.S. House members endorsed McCormick’s candidacy for the Sixth District.
“Of the five Georgia Republicans listed as backing McCormick, only one actually has: U.S. Representative Buddy Carter. Representatives for the other four — Reps. Jody Hice, Andrew Clyde, Rick Allen and Marjorie Taylor Greene — all said McCormick’s statement is inaccurate,” according to The AJC.
“While they all supported him last year when he lost to Carolyn Bourdeaux in the Seventh District, none of them endorsed McCormick in the Sixth District primary. At most, they had phone calls with him and wished him well.”
According to Ballotpedia, McCormick graduated from Morehouse School of Medicine and did an emergency medicine residency through Emory University. He earned an MBA at National University and served in the U.S. Marine Corps.
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Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star and The Georgia Star News. Follow Chris on Facebook, Twitter, Parler, and GETTR. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Rich McCormick” by Rich McCormick.
