Republican county chairs across Southwest Missouri remain largely uncommitted in the muddled and fluid G.O.P. race for president and in some cases they are uninspired about their choices.
Less than four months until the Missouri presidential primary, an informal survey of G.O.P. county chairs finds many of the top Republican leaders in the Ozarks unsure about who they'll ultimately support.
"I think it's bad," said Howell County Republican chair Joan Bailey-Russell. "I think it's an indication we're in for a long hard campaign. People at this time, are usually pretty well decided."
The KY3 Political Notebook survey also found that Mitt Romney and Fred Thompson have acquired the most support among Republican brass -- but interviews revealed that their support is tepid at best and far from solid. The survey also found that many are torn between Rudy Giuliani's electability and his more liberal social views. Six Republican chairs explicitly said they could not support or would have "great difficulty" supporting Rudy Giuliani.
Bailey-Russell said she's "hung up" between candidates Fred Thompson, Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney. But she acknowledged, "I can't decide. I haven't seen any of them step up to the plate."
Christian County Chair Marvin Merritt said he's been let down by Fred Thompson's candidacy. "I'm not sure everyone thinks Fred Thompson is everything we thought he'd be," he said, noting he's still weighing the candidacies of Romney and Thompson.
Lawrence County Chair Sherri George is also losing faith in Thompson's candidacy. "I was really hoping Thompson to jump in and just take it and I really haven't felt that. He was supposed to be so seasoned, and I just don't feel the momentum," George said. Dade County chair Fred Lemons also said he is "still waiting on Thompson."
Merritt said many of his Republican friends are also divided and discouraged. "Enthusiasm is down because the Republican party had everything they wanted and they squandered it. They became no different than the Democrats," Merritt said.
Merritt also said he knows several Republican donors who have refrained from making campaign contributions this campaign cycle because of their discontent.
Pulaski County G.O.P. chair Loretta Rouse said her county's Republicans are split between the top three candidates. "It's so split up. Several are supporting Giuliani, some are with Romney, some are with Thompson. I think the more people know Romney, the more they get to like him," she said.
Personally, Rouse said she favors Thompson because "he is much more conservative than the rest of the field on abortion, taxes and the right to bear arms." "I'm still really listening though, it's not 100%," Rouse said.
Texas County Chair Kevin McGowen is actually backing a candidate -- Mike Huckabee. "He's a minister and we need more Christian people in politics," McGowen said. Asked if he thought Huckabee had a chance, McGowen replied flatly, "no."
He said he would eventually get behind the nominee, which he predicted would be Romney, but added that he wouldn't actively campaign for the former Governor from Massachusetts. In Texas County, he said he found the strongest support for Thompson. "Most people won't work for any of the candidates except for Thompson. They think he's more of a Reagan-type," McGowen said.
Hickory County chair Galen Lindsey is also leaning towards Thompson by process of elimination. Lindsey said he can't support Giuliani because he is pro-choice. He said Romney has "flip-flopped" too often. John McCain, he said, is too liberal. "I kind of like Huckabee, but can he get traction,?" Lindsey asked. "That leaves me with Thompson."
But before hanging up the phone, Lindsey reminded me, "Remember, my opinion could change next week."
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