John Traier, who was elected chairman
of the Passaic County GOP Committee in June, says he did not feel
welcome in the Republican Party.
“Our core values have always been
individual freedom, smaller and lesser government, personal
responsibility and opportunity for all Americans,” Traier wrote in
an op-ed published in the PolitickerNJ.com.
“I had advocated and worked for our
Republican nominee – Mitt Romney as I felt he would be a more
effective President than our current one. At the same time, I felt
that I was not welcome in the Republican Party.”
“As a gay man in a 26 year
relationship, I felt that I did not belong in the Republican Party
any longer.”
Traier ran as an openly gay man in his
bid to run the New Jersey group.
“I have always been out. I have
always been honest about it,” he said at the time. “I am who I
am.”
In
Saturday's op-ed, Traier advocated for a big tent approach.
“We need to make people feel welcome
in our party – even if we do not agree on every single issue,” he
wrote. “This organization needs to be open to new people with new
ideas.”