Wes Gullett reached out to some Tea Party members, and his hand was slapped away.
The Phoenix lobbyist wrote an e-mail on May 11 to TP peeps seeking support for his mayoral bid -- and asking them to consider talking to the newest mayoral candidate Jennifer Wright, an attorney and Tea Party member, about reconsidering her decision to enter the race.
Her presence, Gullett said, would cost him votes and give an edge to challenger and former Councilman Greg Stanton.
But the Tea Party folks weren't keen on Gullett's proposal.
One gentleman, whom Gullett thought he had lured into "Camp Gullett," really set the record straight with a follow-up e-mail on Saturday.
Wes Harris, a hardcore TP member, may have been leaning toward Gullett (whom Harris described as a "less than perfect candidate"), but when Wright jumped into the race, Harris switched gears.
"Now we have a Tea Party candidate attempting to run and that is Jennifer Wright," Harris wrote in his e-mail. "I am doing all that I can to rally everyone I know to get behind this candidate because she is the 'real deal' ... I am a Tea Party person...it is what makes me go...Jennifer is a Tea Party person and therefore part of my life's blood! I can do nothing other than support her, and therefore our Tea Party movement, in this race. Win loose or draw...she is my candidate and I hope you feel the same way."
New Times got a copy of a second e-mail sent by another Tea Party member, and this guy had even sharper words about Gullett, asking the group talk to Wright about dropping out of the race her realistic chances of winning.
"Mr. Gullett is obviously running scared, as well he should be. But this is no excuse to succumb to his reasoning which is only for his own self-interest," writes Brad Zinn. "If the Tea Parties cannot coalesce behind a citizen candidate who only entered this race because she could not sit by and watch another election go by without a real conservative choice, then what are we good for? Is the news media correct in their assessment that we are a "toothless tiger?" Have we given up already? ... May God himself forgive us if we fail in the endeavor to reclaim our heritage, our rights, and our freedom. The Founding Fathers are watching us. Our kids are counting on us. We must not go wobbly now."
Zinn certainly has conviction -- it just isn't for Gullett.
