New Caucus Announcement for St. Charles County Expected Soon

A new caucus for St. Charles County likely will be announced by the Missouri Republican Party soon, said one St. Charles County Republican Committee member.

Brent Stafford, a county committee member and a Ron Paul supporter, said the state committee has been considering scheduling a new caucus for April 10.

After a closed-door meeting, a Mitt Romney representative told a St. Louis Post Dispatch reporter that state Republican leaders decided to have a second caucus.

"The decision has been made by the Missouri Republican Party and the Romney campaign supports efforts to make sure that everyone participates that wants to participate in the caucus process," said Jay Kanzler, a Romney representative, according to the Post Dispatch article.

St. Charles Republican Central Committee Chairman Eugene Dokes earlier said that he fully supports a new caucus for St. Charles County.

A letter that states the contrary has been making the rounds online. However, Dokes said the letter a Santorum supporter gave him the letter the day after the first caucus in the hopes that he and county committee Vice Chair Penny Henke would agree. Dokes and Henke’s names are at the bottom of the letter.

“I have since gone on the record as stating that I support a new caucus,” Dokes said. He said he backed having a new caucus before he was on the Jamie Allman show on Tuesday.

Dokes decided to close down the on Saturday before any business was completed.  Many members in the crowd strongly disagreed with the way the meeting was handled, and Dokes said the meeting got out of control.

The letter has been circulated among Ron Paul supporters “to keep the conspiracy floating around,” Dokes said.

Brent Stafford, a St. Charles County Republic Central Committee member and a Ron Paul supporter, said the letter “probably was in the Santorum camp, circulating among themselves.”

Dokes said he has met with Missouri GOP leaders and recommended they have a second caucus. Whether to have another caucus is up to the Missouri State Republican Committee, he said.

Assuming the state committee decides on a second caucus, they also would decide who will chair the event at the outset, Dokes said.

“The state (committee) is mad about this whole situation,” said Stafford, who was the choice of Paul and Mitt Romney supporters to become chairman at the original caucus.

Stafford said that it’s likely someone from the state committee would run the meeting at the outset, but he also is a strong candidate to do so.

“My thought is that I would be elected chairman,” Stafford said. “I might be a calming force on the situation.”

Stafford said he expects an announcement on a second caucus soon, and said the state committee has been considering scheduling it for April 10.