Alabama Republicans couldn't have found a better voice to represent the state party than Terry Lathan.
Lathan, the GOP State Chairwoman, visited Russellville Thursday and addressed an overflowing crowd at 43 Grill. Lathan is far from a career politician. She's a former 5th-6th grade teacher who lives on a dirt road in Theodore. Her political office history? None.
Lathan worked her way up the ranks of the Alabama GOP the old fashioned way—she earned it.
“When I was 18 years old I didn't like what was going on in my country. I'm a Republican, conservative, pro-life, pro-military capitalist and I just raised my hand and asked how can I help?,” Lathan said. “I never had a job with the party. I don't care about titles. The principles of the Republican Party are my goal. That foundation of the party is why we're here and we must help our candidates get elected as well.”
Lathan was welcomed by Franklin County Republican Executive Committee Chairman Jerry Mays, who is confident about his party's success in the November 8th general election.
“We have a great crowd here today. This is not the Franklin County Republican Party of old. We are the party that soon will be the majority party in Franklin County,” Mays said.
Among the Republican elected officials and candidates in attendance Thursday were Franklin County Revenue Commissioner Veronica Stancil, Probate Judge Barry Moore, Franklin County Commissioner Rayburn Massey and Franklin County Superintendent of Education candidate Bart Moss.
Lathan said she expects to see continued growth for a party that already completely controls politics at the state level.
“We had great news in the State of Alabama in March.We had more than 860,000 Republican voters in our primary. The Democrats had around 395,000,” Lathan said. “Those numbers are totally reversed from what we've seen in past years. That's not an accident—it's a message,” she added.
With its ever-increasing coffers, the Alabama Republican Party is now the third-largest political action committee, or PAC, in Alabama, Lathan said.
“That shows people are investing in our message and we believe if we stay on that path, we win this November.”
Lathan addressed recent disruptions at rallies for Republican Presidential nominee Donald Trump. She believes those incidents highlight the difference between the two parties.
“People throwing rocks at a political rally is not a protest---It's a criminal act,” Lathan said. “This election is not about me. It's not about you. It's not about individuals. It's about our country and seeing the big picture for America.
“I hope we see the big picture coming up. If we do not, we're teetering on the brink of a major breakdown for our country,” Lathan added.
Lathan also shared some sharp opinions about the recent controversy involving which bathrooms should be used by transgender individuals.
“We've lost our minds if we think we can just use any restroom we want,” Lathan said. “Let's pull this nonsense back and say we've seen enough. There's something about the Republican message that resonates with our nation. We're seeing record-breaking numbers of voters in our primaries and that is very telling,” she added.
Mays said the local party would have two booths at the Franklin County Watermelon Festival in August available to all Republican candidates.
“We'll have information and handouts and there will be active Republicans working the booths. All candidates are welcome to use our booths,” Mays said. “We're not a phone booth gathering in Franklin County anymore. Those days are gone and we'll soon be the majority party in this county.”
