What Happened at the Georgia State GOP Convention by Lois Finlay

A Guest Commentary by My Good Friend

I attended the 2025 GRP, Inc. convention last Saturday, and ever since, I have read many excellent, and factual summaries and commentaries on what actually happened that day in Dalton. And none are better than the one I recieved written by my good friend, Lois Finlay this morning. Although I will comment on the event soon, I am allowing some time to pass before I do, as I agree with so many who so far have offered their observations and analysis, and I do not necessarily want to say the same things you have already heard or read.

In the meantime, I received Lois’ comments this morning, and thought it captured the event so well, that I sought permission to post it and Lois graciously approved. It is not bombastic, only factual and reasonable. I think Lois should do more writing. We would all benefit from reading her perspective regularly.

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The Georgia State GOP Convention was nothing short of a rigged event favoring the GOP Establishment. The Executive Board showed clear bias, acted unfairly, and engaged in behavior that many would consider unethical. This convention must be called into question.

At Microphone #1, three individuals—Debbie Dooley, Tim Ryan, and Travis Bowden, all close allies of Chair Josh McKoon—physically blocked access by standing side-by-side in front of it. As a result, delegates were prevented from using the mic to participate in convention business. While there were three other microphones placed across the front of the room, this disruption set the tone. Apparently, Brant Frost was involved with heading up the blocking effort at all microphones.

Immediately after the convention got underway, Tim Ryan made a motion to adopt all of the rules and abruptly called the question to end debate. Donna Gallaher attempted to intervene by approaching the same microphone and shouting “Point of Order,” which under Robert’s Rules of Order is a privileged and interruptible motion. Tim Ryan physically took the microphone back from her. A heated exchange followed in which both Tim and Debbie Dooley accused Donna of cutting the line. Donna calmly explained that her Point of Order was valid and urgent.

Shockingly, the Sergeant at Arms, who was unfamiliar with Robert’s Rules, threatened to have Donna removed by the Sheriff. Tim Ryan falsely claimed Donna had assaulted him, but the deputies did not believe it. They observed that Donna remained calm and even began explaining the parliamentary rules to them, emphasizing that privileged motions must be addressed immediately.

However, while this dispute played out, the Chair moved on to other business. Donna lost her opportunity to challenge the motion to end debate, appeal the Chair’s ruling, or take any other action to defend delegate rights. According to Robert’s Rules 4:32 and 16:7, debate should not be closed until it has been adequate. The motion should have been ruled out of order, and delegates should have been allowed to continue debating and amending the rules.

It’s worth noting that Tim Ryan, who played a central role in these disruptions, is from Coweta County and a close friend of the Frost family. He is currently running for County Commissioner.

Meanwhile, on the stage, Nominating Committee Chair Katie Frost addressed the crowd of 1,713 delegates, discussing private interviews conducted earlier in the day with candidates. Instead of staying impartial, she criticized and slandered those not endorsed by the State GOP while singing the praises of the endorsed candidates. This attempt to sway voters was blatant and unethical.

To his credit, Josh McKoon did not chair the convention himself, appointing instead the 1st Vice Chair, though notably, this is the same role from which BKP was previously removed. Unfortunately, the Acting Chair was clearly biased. He mocked unendorsed candidates, mispronounced their names, and demonstrated a lack of familiarity with both the candidates and Robert’s Rules of Order. Traditionally, convention chairs are selected from outside the Executive Board and are expected to be well-versed in parliamentary procedure. That standard was not met here.

One of the most egregious actions of the day was the Acting Chair’s refusal to allow a motion for paper ballot voting. This motion attempt was never allowed, even though 120 trained counters and 3,000 paper ballots were ready and available. Counting the ballots would have taken only 45 minutes to an hour. Instead, the convention used digital clickers that malfunctioned for many delegates at multiple points throughout the voting process, casting serious doubt on the security and accuracy of the results. It was said that the clicker results were guarded during the vote so others could not see the results. Some believe the results were flipped.

To make matters worse, speaker after speaker was scheduled in what appeared to be an intentional effort to run out the clock and delay actual convention business.

The bigger question now is: What will become of the Georgia GOP—from the state level down to individual precincts—if the grassroots members, who do 90% of the work, are ignored and pushed aside?

For the past nine months, the Georgia GOP has been calling for “unity within the party.” But that message rings hollow. How can there be unity when the Establishment continues to treat grassroots conservatives like they don’t exist? The truth is, the grassroots do the heavy lifting, while the Establishment reaps the rewards and controls the outcomes.

Unless this imbalance is addressed, real unity in the Georgia GOP is nothing more than an illusion.

Lois Finlay