Andrew and Trish Graybeal attended the Halls Republican Club meeting. Gerald Turner a former Knox County Republican Party Chairman challenged Andrew with the fact that he ran as a Democrat in the last county election against a Knox County Republican. Turner said this is a Republican club and unless you were going to take a loyalty oath than he had some explaining to do. Graybeal stood and stated that on 1/26 he resigned from the Democrat party and that his wife has always been a Republican and he only voted the other way one time and that he intended to be here and work for the Republican Party if they would have him and that he will take any oath necessary. With that Graybeal received one of the largest and loudest rounds of applause ever hear in Halls. It was overheard as some were leaving that Halls Really Does Have It Now. One more loyal Republican. Here’s hoping he eyes a run for office and in the event that there are still two Commissioners in each district that Andrew will take on R.Larry Smith.
I (the Immediate Past Chairman of the Knox County Republican Party) reminded Mr. Turner in a conversation after the meeting with several witnesses standing around that that the party has a Republican Commissioner for District Seven that passed up three Republicans for appointment to the Fourth District County Commission seat to appoint a Democrat. R. Larry Smith voted against Mike Alford, Logan Brummitt and Walter Wojnar. I hoped that he would discuss this with Smith. He agreed with the several witnesses standing by that Smith was wrong for doing so.
So let me get this right. Andrew Graybeal runs for office as a Democrat because he knows that’s the only way he can win a primary, then after he loses HANDILY, he blames the local Dem party for lack of help and now asks to be a member of his local republican party? This is a joke Brian. Clearly he wants into his local Rep party because he thinks it’s the only way he can win. He didn’t get any help from the local dem party because they knew his voting record was ALL republican. So why would you want to support someone who is clearly in this for his own interests? I love his comment of “he only voted the other way one time”. This is hilarious. So, he admits to voting republican the majority of his voting life yet runs for office as a democrat. But now, after not beging wanted because he was perceived as the phony he is, he wants in??? Laughable. I think the only thing that will be even more funny than this is when he runs for office again and loses…