Georgia GOP Turmoil: Grassroots Revolt Against McKoon Over Fish Fry Fiasco

Efforts to “drain the swamp” in Georgia’s Repub­li­can Par­ty are inten­si­fy­ing, with grass­roots activists demand­ing account­abil­i­ty from law­mak­ers and par­ty lead­er­ship. The state GOP, led by Chair­man Josh McK­oon, faces crit­i­cism for sti­fling dis­sent and pro­tect­ing elect­ed offi­cials. The August 26, 2023, Fish Fry in Per­ry, a pri­vate event due to paid venue costs, became a flash­point when Voter­GA was abrupt­ly removed as a spon­sor and paper bal­lot shirts were banned, spark­ing out­rage over elec­tion integri­ty.

The deci­sion, made by 8th Dis­trict Chair­man Chan Jones, a friend of Gov­er­nor Bri­an Kemp, aimed to shield Kemp from crit­i­cism but alien­at­ed grass­roots sup­port­ers. Despite warn­ings from 1st Vice Chair BKP to McK­oon and Jones that the move would back­fire, McK­oon failed to act, avoid­ing com­mu­ni­ca­tion and leav­ing state offi­cers to han­dle the fall­out. The event, which host­ed a state com­mit­tee meet­ing, exposed McKoon’s lack of lead­er­ship and fueled per­cep­tions of betray­al, with some accus­ing activist Kan­diss Tay­lor of aban­don­ing the grass­roots.

A let­ter draft­ed by BKP, signed by state exec­u­tive board mem­bers, called for a response to the Fish Fry and con­dem­na­tion of Fani Willis, but McK­oon hes­i­tat­ed, ques­tion­ing board approval. McKoon’s refusal to sup­port paper bal­lots and chal­lenge Domin­ion machines con­tra­dicts his pub­lic stance, under­min­ing grass­roots trust. Alle­ga­tions also swirl that activist Deb­bie Doo­ley may have com­pro­mised prin­ci­ples to defend McK­oon. The con­tro­ver­sy high­lights a broad­er strug­gle to restore pow­er to GOP vot­ers and hold Repub­li­can law­mak­ers account­able ahead of the 2026 elec­tions.

• We are attempt­ing to drain the swamp in Geor­gia and the only way to start to get the law­mak­ers to lis­ten to the repub­li­can par­ty and to start turn­ing the ball of the swamp is to start with clean­ing hous­es at the par­ty. The cur­rent chair­man of the GA GOP will not allow push­back on any elect­ed offi­cial. In Jack­son coun­ty Josh McK­oon has told many lies to the peo­ple at the last meet­ings. We have to restore the bal­ance of pow­er to the peo­ple and the respect of the law­mak­ers that have an R in front of their name. 
• At the August 26, 2023 Fish Fry Event, Voter­GA was a spon­sor of the event. Every­one knew what was going to hap­pen that day. Con­sid­er­ing that we don’t have closed pri­ma­ry and if you have your meet­ings in a pub­lic loca­tion you have to let democ­rats in your room, but if you pay $50 to have your meet­ing you can select who will be at the meet­ing. Many peo­ple thought around the state through the Per­ry Fish Fry was a pub­lic event but because they pay for the space it is a pri­vate event. The del­e­gates of the 8th dis­trict vot­ed to have Chan Jones as chair­man of the dis­trict. He is friends with gov­er­nor Bri­an Kemp. He want­ed Kemp to attend the fish fry and he didn’t want the gov­er­nor to be attacked and Chan didn’t want that to hap­pen. He was doing all he could to respect his friend. Some­one at the 8th dis­trict decid­ed that you would not wear paper bal­lot shirts and pulled Voter­GA as a spon­sor of the event. 
• Phone calls are com­ing in pri­or to the event to BKP as the 1st Vice Chair because they couldn’t get Josh McK­oon to respond. BKP calls Chan Jones in the 8th dis­trict, there was a good con­ver­sa­tion, ask­ing not to stop the paper bal­lot shirts and remov­ing Voter­GA warn­ing that it was going to blow up across the state. Josh calls a state com­mit­tee meet­ing. The State GOP uses their pri­vate event to have a state com­mit­tee meet­ing. 
• This is the event that start­ed the process of Kan­diss Tay­lor sell­ing out the grass­roots. It is a tick­et­ed event and it is pri­vate because they paid for the space. The peo­ple don’t know this and Chan Jones made the deci­sion that it was a pri­vate event. Do you know who could have stopped this from hap­pen­ing? He knew that this was going to blow up, Josh McK­oon. He could have shown lead­er­ship and uni­fy­ing as he said and sent out an email the day before alert­ing about the shirts not allowed at the pri­vate event. Then they see that Gar­land Favorito and Voter­GA is not a spon­sor of the event after years of being a spon­sor. 
• Josh rushed out the door after the state com­mit­tee meet­ing as BKP was want­i­ng to talk about the events of the day.  The state offi­cers’ phones were ring­ing off the hook Sat­ur­day night. And Josh is not respond­ing. Before this event every­one is talk­ing with BKP as BKP is writ­ing a let­ter in response to the events of the Fish Fry to have a state­ment in response to the events. All state exec­u­tive board mem­bers put their name on the let­ter then it was sent to the chair to release a state­ment on the Fish Fry and to con­demn Fani Willis. From August 2023 there has been a push for Josh McK­oon to con­demn Fani Willis. 
• The next morn­ing Josh McK­oon start­ed call­ing the State Board to see if they gave the green light to put their name on the let­ter. Every­one on the let­ter said we have to do some­thing. There was noth­ing ugly in the let­ter. The peo­ple across Geor­gia were get­ting out of con­trol. We all know the fight to have paper bal­lots and remove domin­ion machines for our elec­tions, we have been fight­ing for years but Josh McK­oon does not stand with the grass­roots. He was not with us on August 26, 2023 and when Josh McK­oon stood on the stage in June 2023 and said paper bal­lots, he was not with us then and he is not with us now. 
• Josh McK­oon is not uni­fy­ing. 
• Did Deb­bie Doo­ley take the thir­ty pieces of sil­ver to defend the cow­ard­ly lion, Josh McK­oon?