Running Scared

Guest Opinion by Angelo “Doc” Mancuso

By any measure, Alabama Republicans should be operating from a position of strength. They hold supermajorities in Montgomery, dominate statewide offices, and routinely win congressional seats by margins that would be unthinkable in most of the country. Yet instead of projecting confidence, the party’s recent actions reveal something very different: a shrinking circle of insiders tightening their grip on who gets to run, who gets to vote, and who gets to participate in the political process at all.

House Bill 541—the Alabama Closed Primary Election Bill-- has exposed a deep divide inside the Alabama Republican Party — and Rep. Ernie Yarbrough is at the center of it. While some Republicans support his push to close the primaries, senior elected GOP leaders like House Pro Tem Chris Pringle warn the bill would weaken the party, silence independent minded conservatives, and even jeopardize safe Republican seats.

During the House floor debate, Pringle issued a warning so blunt it cut through the usual legislative theater: “You will drive this party into the dirt with this bill.” He wasn’t speaking as a Democrat or an outside critic. He was speaking as a Republican leader alarmed by the consequences of forcing Alabama voters to register by party before participating in primaries. Pringle even accused Yarbrough of trying to reshape the party’s rules out of arrogance — underscoring how divisive and personal this legislation has become inside the GOP.

What is especially interesting is that the closed primary bill wasn’t discussed much until everything that happened to me came to light. Rep. Yarbrough saw my candidacy as a threat, and when it became clear I wasn’t going down without a fight, he pushed this legislation into high gear near the end of the legislative session. In their attempt to silence me, they are dragging every Alabamian into the mess by trying to force allegiance to the party.

Well, the cat’s out of the bag. Ernie Yarbrough and the Alabama Republican Party Steering Committee have been exposed. By enforcing a purity test for candidates, and now imposing that same litmus test on voters, the party is imploding under the weight of decisions made by only a few of its members.

I had no intention of running for office again. But many of my patients —who also live in House District 7 — had been asking me for more than a year to consider running. Their reasoning was simple: they don’t feel represented in Montgomery, and they see surrounding districts thriving while ours remains stuck in neutral. After months of serious thought, I did exactly what a responsible conservative candidate should do: I reached out to the Alabama Republican Party.

A friend advised me at that time to call Alabama Republican Party Chairman John Wahl directly to make sure there were no concerns, and no hidden landmines about my potential candidacy. I called, left a message with his secretary — who assured me she would give it to him that day — and I waited. I never heard back. With no objections raised, and knowing I fully met every requirement in the Republican Party bylaws, I believed I was qualified to run as a Republican. I followed the rules. I sought clarity. I acted in good faith. I paid my filing fee — which the party gladly accepted. And then the party kept me off the ballot anyway.

This internal split is especially striking given what happened to me. That decision — combined with Yarbrough’s push to close the primaries — paints a picture of a party narrowing its ranks, limiting voter choice, and sidelining qualified conservative candidates who don’t fit the preferences of a small group of insiders.

What’s happening inside the Alabama Republican Party isn’t a show of strength — it’s a glimpse behind the curtain at how the sausage is really made. When the party blocks qualified conservatives like me from even appearing on the ballot, and then turns around and pushes legislation that forces every Alabama voter to choose a party, it doesn’t project confidence. The ultimate achievement of this approach will be a damaged reputation, a fractured base, and voters who decide they’re done participating in a system that no longer wants them.

I have been disgusted by what has happened to me. All I wanted to do was run for Alabama House District 7 and let the voters decide. But now, seeing what my attempt to run on the Republican Party ticket has uncovered — the corruption, the hubris, and the elite mindset of certain party leaders, specifically Rep. Ernie Yarbrough and his loyal supporters who seek to silence anyone in their way — I am happy to be the piñata.

Angelo “Doc” Mancuso is a dermatological cancer surgeon and an independent candidate for Alabama House District 7.

For more information on Mancuso and his campaign, visit DocMancuso.com or follow his campaign on Facebook.

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