by Margaret Gorski, Stevensville
Turnaround is fair play. Just as Trump supporters believe he didn’t lose the 2020 election, I don’t believe that Wayne Rusk lost his primary bid for SD 44. Everyone can play that game. Theresa Manzella, if I were you, I wouldn’t be proud of your victory over Wayne. Although your campaign tactics may be technically legal, they are decidedly unethical and downright sleazy. In 2020, you basically bribed people to put up your signs on their property with the promise of winning a gun. In this primary, you allowed your supporters to sling mud about Wayne’s past without revealing the shameful acts of your own past. You spout untruths and fact-free stories about your fellow legislators’ records. You set up electioneering stations at many of the polling places, just shy of the 100 ft marker but clearly in the face of voters, violating the intent of the law not to unduly influence and intimidate voters.
But worst of all, you or your supporters perpetrated a fraud on Democratic voters. As the Ravalli County Democratic Central Committee learned, an innocent young man was taken advantage of and either coerced or hoodwinked into filing to run for an office in which he apparently has no intention of serving. While it is true that voters have a responsibility to research the candidates before they vote, you nevertheless are complicit in deceiving voters. You or your supporters helped create a false choice for the sole purpose of playing to Democratic party line voters to ensure they did not cross over and vote Republican in this primary. (To the 1300 Democrats who voted for Cade Scatollini; shame on you for falling for this ploy. Mr. Scatolini was not known by Ravalli County Democrats. He had no conversations with any Democrats in the valley and provided no information about who he is or why he filed to run for the State Senate.)
Ms. Manzella, you continually spout that you are a Christian, Conservative, Constitutionalist, Republican, in that order. I don’t know what Chrisitan teachings you grew up with, but I grew up being told not to lie; that the ends don’t justify the means; that if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all; but most importantly, may he who is without sin cast the first stone.
These are the reasons I believe, as do the many other Democrats and Republicans I have spoken with, that there is no honor in your victory. Don’t fool yourself into thinking you “won.” You may have gotten the most votes, but you didn’t “win” this primary election. And neither did the rest of us. Your campaign deceived and defrauded many of the voters in this District. Shame on you.
Jeff Darrah says
Politics are tough and strategy is always in play. The Dems threw their support towards Rusk hoping he would beat the leader of the Freedom Caucus. Well it didn’t work. Your allegations are almost comical in that you were mad at Dems for voting for a Democrat. Your goal was to beat Senator Manzella using strategy that backfired. Open primaries are not a good thing because this is exactly how they are used to try to oust the opposing party, when you can’t do it with your own voters.
Emma Lou Elliott says
The uni-party progressive RINOs and the LIARs=Liberals Identifying As Republicans do NOT hold to the Judeo-Christian values our forefathers set down for us in the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the Declaration of Independence beginnings of our United States of America.
That is why Wayne Rusk lost his bid for a senate seat. His voting records prove that fact.
Lindsay Foerstler says
Strange, I have only met one person that admitted to voting for Rusk. Trust me when I say I asked most everyone I met for months, at grocery store lines, restaurants, the bank, you name it. This person who voted for Rusk, is a self described super liberal. He said he will vote for Biden, no question, because he is doing a great job! I have met and know 100s that are vigilant Manzella supporters. Of course I do not know everyone in the valley, but I also read Wayne Rusks page and the only comments I found in his support were from Helen Sabin…commenting over, and over and over again.
Jim Burrill says
Margaret, apparently you enticed Wayne to join the “Uniparty”. Of course, it could be that he reaped a huge bounty of out of state funding from your leftist friends. Either way, Wayne should be ashamed of himself. If you support him, he’s no conservative as he claimed.
Carrie says
Huge Bounty??? Yes, but from supportive community members! You have no idea what you are talking about. Do you not know how to look up a campaign finance report? He did not reap a huge bounty of of out of state leftist funding. You should be ashamed of yourself for buying into lies.
Kate G. says
Did you reach out to Cade Scatollini ? If you did not like him, why was not another Democrat vetted to run against Ms. Manzella?
That is what the precinct central committees are to do and why they are important !
This article is very weak in allowing mature adults to reason for themselves. This smells like a skunk!
HSABIN says
Well said Margaret!!