This is the new chair of the Campbell County Republican party

NEWPORT, Ky. – For more than a year, whenever the Campbell County Republican committee met, there was shouting, name-calling, and constant interrupting.

Monday night's meeting drew in more than two dozen people and included none of that as members voted in a new chairperson.

Dave Slater, a Republican from Bellevue, won the position 21- 8 against vice chairman Dave Fischer.

Slater, 63, was a Bellevue city councilman for two terms from 2014 to 2018. He's also been a school bus driver, volunteer coach, and is a trustee at the Bellevue Veterans Club.

Slater's win Monday night came after a year of infighting among committee members, dysfunction that hindered efforts to elect a Republican governor and left the county committee with nearly no money.

The schism within the organization came to a head last week when Chairperson Anna Zinkhon resigned.

What happened to the former chairperson?

Zinkhon spent more than a year trying to lead members of the committee amid unruly behavior at meetings; one member called the meeting last July a "clown show." By then precinct captains that were still attending were split among those who supported Zinkhon and those who didn't.

Each side of the schism accused the other of trying to muscle their way into power. Some of the accusations against Zinkhon included favoritism when it came to decision-making and excluding members who disagreed with Zinkhon.

Some precinct captains voted to oust Zinkhon from office last spring, adding to their accusations that she failed to call regular meetings, couldn't maintain order at the meetings (though, some of the accusers were the ones being disorderly), and not following Robert's Rules of Order during meetings.

The state party determined the vote was not valid.

But without support from the most vocal members who regularly attended meetings, Zinkhon said in her resignation statement: "This group never considered the good of the whole body. Their actions resulted in animosity and prevented the committee from achieving positive progress."

She resigned Feb. 19.

Why does this matter?

Campbell County has been a conservative stronghold for Republicans in national elections for decades and supported Donald Trump in the past two elections.

But on a statewide level, things are different.

Democratic Governor Any Beshear won 54% of the vote in the gubernatorial election in November, the second time he snagged support in the county. And one of the county's two state representatives, Rachel Roberts, D-Newport, is one of the rare Democrats in Northern Kentucky who represents the area at the statehouse.

The local committee is supposed to support Republican candidates and rev up voters to head to the polls. Under new leadership, that could mean conservative candidates gain an edge in the election.

What's next for the Campbell County Republican committee?

Slater said he plans to focus on making sure the party is ready for, "one of the most important (presidential) elections of our lifetime" in which Trump needs to win reelection.

"What this country was a few years ago to what it is today – it's in shambles," he said, citing immigration and inflation.

Slater said support for Trump would be stronger in the area if the local party can pull off three things: making sure all of the roughly 90 precincts in Campbell County has a captain to represent it; ensuring the local party's committees have members and are getting work done; and reminding voters that the Republican party is "wholesome" and supports families, kids, and wants, "what's best for everyone. Not just a certain group, but everyone."

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Campbell County Republicans vote Dave Slater for local chairman