LAURINBURG — The Scotland County Republican Party hosted a packed house for its annual convention Monday night with U.S. Congressman Dan Bishop as the keynote speaker. Congressman Bishop wanted to personally visit Scotland County again to thank citizens for their overwhelming support during the 2020 election, and to congratulate the Scotland County GOP for turning the county red for the first time.
Congressman Bishop stated it was an honor of a lifetime to serve the people of Scotland County, and talked about the good results Republicans had across North Carolina. Bishop visited the county several times leading up to the election to meet local citizens and businesses.
We knew that we needed to work hard in every county to get to know people — that there are a lot of folks who are disheartened with liberal values that do not always match our own,” said Bishop. “We worked hard and we won Robeson, we won Richmond, and this time we won Scotland County – and the Republican Party is going to keep winning.”
The party also thanked Chairman Joe Plitt for his service over the past two years. One of Plitt’s goals when he assumed the chairmanship was party growth, but even he did not expect the exponential growth the party experienced during his tenure. Plitt gave most of the credit to the popularity and economic success of President Trump, but stated “you cannot discount the hard work by our members to convey the conservative message to the voters. It was an absolute honor to be part of such a positive group of people, and one of the things we tried to achieve was a constant flow of people involved in the party. Bringing in fresh faces results in fresh ideas and solutions, which is always good for an organization.”
Plitt will still serve as an officer within the party, this time as treasurer. Other members elected to officer positions include: Jim Mosier as chairman, Ulysses Thomas as first vice-chair, Paul Tate as second vice-chair, and Linda Simmons as secretary.
Chairman Mosier thanked the party for his nomination and stated, “We are excited about the future of Scotland County. Although our primary mission is to put conservatives in seats, we also have a strong obligation to work for the betterment of the community that has nothing to do with politics. We now have a scholarship committee, we work with and donate to local church food banks, hand out free constitutions to students, participate in litter cleanups, and partner with various local businesses to raise money for local causes.” One such cause is the PAWS program which was started by longtime Scotland County GOP members Jim and Diana Johnston, which provides stuffed animals for local law enforcement to give to children during traumatic, emergency situations. “We welcome everyone to join us in these efforts, regardless of party affiliation. There is so much we can accomplish when we work together.”
The Scotland County Republican Party invites you to join them every fourth Monday of the month at 7:00 pm at the GOP headquarters on 15/401 Bypass in Laurinburg. The meetings are open to everyone and feature speakers from local, state, and federal levels.