Houston City Council candidate John Branch Jr. campaigns as a Republican, yet he doesn’t fit the qualifications for even a RINO. Branch is a blatant infiltrator from the Left, positioned as a conservative to siphon off Republican votes.
HOUSTON, TX– Perhaps you’ve heard of Houston City Council candidate John Branch Jr., vying for the At Large-4 seat. Branch is running as a Republican candidate, boldly promising to embody the ‘branch’ of government you can trust.”
Yet according to a new investigative report from Katy Christian Magazine, Branch hosts a long, murky history of actions which wildly contradict his “Republican” status.
Firstly, although campaign financial reports were due in January this year, Branch joined the list of names who refused to file their reports. These reports detail how candidates raised and spent campaign funds.
“Nearly 1 in 4 Houston Council candidates haven’t filed their campaign finance reports from last year; due in January,” The Houston Chronicle reported. This is a direct violation of state law which mandates each candidate to sign this report, and it is classified as a misdemeanor offense.
“I’ve never experienced that many that were untimely,” former City Attorney David Feldman said to The Houston Chronicle. Feldman enforced reporting laws under former Mayor Annise Parker.
“That’s disregarding the process. The whole idea is to have full disclosure.”
According to Feldman, the city used to send letters to candidates who failed to file reports, which usually led to compliance. If not, city attorneys would forward the matter to Houston’s ethics commission, which could pursue enforcement.
Furthermore, Branch is a national representative of the IOTA Phi Theta Fraternity, which supports social justice. The fraternity originated from the Black Panthers, and now aligns themselves with Black Lives Matter (BLM).
The fraternity has donated hundreds of thousands of dollars and official vintage merchandise to various BLM causes. The following photo displays some of Iota’s “official merchandise.”
In May 2020, Iota formally called for the filing of criminal charges against the police officers involved in George Floyd’s death. Later that May, Iota’s leadership accepted an invitation to begin a series of meetings with then-presidential candidate Joe Biden, regarding the “highest priorities facing Black America.”
The heavily politicized Iota, of which Branch is a representative, in June formally condemned the Supreme Court Ruling on Affirmative Action, stating that “The Court perpetuates the ‘Color Blind’ myth.”
The candidate’s website states the following in regard to Iota.
“John Branch Jr. is a member of Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc., having been initiated in 1997 at Bethune-Cookman. Within the Fraternity, he has held multiple positions, including National Director of Community Service, Director of Health Initiatives, Regional Polaris, member of the board of the National IOTA Foundation, Inc., and various local chapter offices.”
Furthermore, according to a Harris County Republican Party Application, Branch voted for Barack Obama in both of his presidential races in 2008 and 2012. In the same application, he penciled in “the environment” (codework for environmental extremist) as one of the three most important issues facing our state and nation.
Branch, who received his M.S. degree in Environmental Sciences at Florida A&M University in 2003, supports “alternative energy sources” over oil and gas, even though Houston’s economy is largely dependent on the oil and gas sector within our city. This interesting take starkly contrasts the Republican Party values and directly jeopardizes the livelihoods of the faces within our community.
Additionally, Branch has neither been a delegate for the Senatorial District 13 Convention nor for the Republican Party of Texas Convention. This beckons the question, “Why is this?”
While disinterested in the Republican Party of Texas Convention, Branch has sought out the endorsement of the LGBTQ+ Political Caucus, which supports the mutilation of children, in violation of the Republican Party of Texas Legislative Priority 3 to ban the gender modification of children.
This caucus also supports exposure of children to “alternative gender identity,” including “Drag Queen Storytime” at public libraries. This violates the Republican Party of Texas Legislative Priority 4 to stop sexualizing Texas children, and violates Plank 106, to filter inappropriate behaviors in public spaces.
The LGBTQ+ Political Caucus also supports “men in women’s sports,” violating Republican Party of Texas Plank 125, which discusses “gender identity in schools.”
The following is a photo of Branch speaking with this caucus in an attempt to gain their endorsement, which he lost to incumbent Letitia Plummer in that race.
All matters considered; Katy Christian Magazine has concluded that Branch doesn’t even fit the requirements for a Republican in Name Only (RINO) candidate. Branch is most certainly a liberal, very poorly disguised as a conservative and colluding to split Republican votes.
Have some common sense and do not allow this man to plop down onto our seat on the Houston City Council.
