Countywide : GOP Splinter Group Targets Local Voters
The newly formed Puritan Party, a statewide Republican splinter group stressing conservative Christian beliefs, will be registering Ventura County voters at an informational meeting Saturday.
Founded in April, the party is seeking disenchanted Republicans who oppose abortion, homosexuality and euthanasia, said Puritan Party Secretary Clara Jean Davis of Camarillo.
“The party is based on our Christian heritage,” said Davis, an anti-pornography crusader.
To qualify the party’s candidates for the June, 1994, ballot, the Puritans will have to register nearly 79,000 voters from across the state. Davis doesn’t know how many have signed up so far, but she expects the Puritans to “make an impact on the Republican Party.”
One Republican who has already made the break is Linda Vahl of Oxnard. She joined the Puritans because she disagreed with the GOP’s philosophy of the “big tent,” which means the party welcomes people with divergent views.
“The big tent is a compromise I cannot buy anymore,” said Vahl, 44.
The Puritan meeting will take place from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at Davis’ home. For the address, call Davis at 482-6664.
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