The political temperature in Clallam County just hit a boiling point.
The Clallam County Republican Party offices sit on Lincoln Street, roughly a 7-to-10-minute walk from the Democrats’ headquarters. Close enough that the political temperature on both sides of town can still feel the heat.
Inside those offices, a high-ranking party member—Dave—sat down for an exclusive conversation with Salsa Picante. What followed was not the usual careful county-party language.
The Sign Fight
According to Dave, Jake Seegers had been working the room hard, leaning on fellow Republican members until they agreed to put his campaign signs in the windows. The pitch was smooth. The pressure was real. For a moment, it almost worked.
Then everything shifted.
Dave also addressed the appearance of an endorsement in the Clallam County GOP voters guide.
“In the voters guide, Seegers shows up as endorsed,” he said. “That was a mistake. A lot of people are starting to realize it. If it were up to me, I would take it off that publication immediately. Part of what we’re doing now is the right thing — we’re taking the endorsement back.”
The Library Confrontation
The real breaking point came after the Port Angeles library showdown.
What was supposed to be a public Indivisible meeting turned into a flashpoint that still has people talking. A group of radical MAGA activists showed up ready for confrontation. Tempers flared. Police were called. Attendees were threatened. By the end of the night, a quiet public library had become the latest stage for the kind of aggressive, grievance-driven politics that has been spreading across the country.
Word of the confrontation ripped through local circles fast. Names started circulating immediately — Stacey Richards, Tabatha Morton, Chris White, Mitch Zenobi, Dave Murphy, Noah Brady, and others — alongside the Sequim Calico Cat Club and Clallamity Jen’s blog.
Inside Republican ranks, the reaction was ice-cold.
“We have always maintained a cordial relationship with the Indivisible group, even though we don’t share their political views,” Dave said. “Those who planned and attacked the library Indivisible group meeting are just far-right supremacists, and the Republican Party will never support actions like that. It is sad that we are living through moments like this in Clallam County.”
This wasn’t legitimate political disagreement. It was the kind of militant, anti-democratic behavior that mainstream conservatives have been trying to distance themselves from for years.
“This Is Chaos”
Dave went further on the upcoming primary.
“We are not voting for either Seegers or French in good conscience,” he said. “And I encourage other fellow Republican members to abstain from voting in this primary. This is chaos right now.”
The Watchdog
He also pointed directly at the Clallam County Watchdog platform, accusing it of planning and amplifying much of the recent turmoil.
“I’ve known that guy since he was a little kid,” Dave said. “He has always been a drama queen. Nothing good will ever come out of his mouth. He will always lie and gaslight everyone just to make you believe he’s always right.”
No Distance
On Seegers himself, Dave raised a sharper concern.
“I’m concerned about how Jake Seegers has never created any distance between himself and these agitators,” he said. “That means he supports their actions.”
The Calico Cat Club
Dave saved some of his strongest language for the Calico Cat Club, describing it as part of a broader radical MAGA subculture.
“I was invited one time and I left,” he said. “That’s like the Sequim Ku Klux Klan. They are always making up weird conspiracy theories, pushing hardline Charlie Kirk-style culture-war politics, and targeting minorities. At one of the meetings I was invited to through the Clallamity Jen Substack, they were filling out ICE tip forms against community members. Yes, they are that kind of people — the kind of radical right-wing activists who thrive on fear, grievance, and punching down.”
A Republican Who Loves His Community
Dave made his own identity and values unmistakably clear — and drew a hard line between mainstream Republicans and the radical right orbit around Seegers.
“I’m a Republican,” he said, “but I love this community more than any political label. What Jake Seegers is doing is not Republican. It’s not conservative. It’s not even serious politics. His campaign against minorities, tribes and unhoused people is completely out of proportion. A lot of working people in this county live paycheck to paycheck. What happens if you have one stretch of bad luck and get fired? Suddenly you’re the enemy? That’s not the Republican Party I know. That’s the politics of radical MAGA grievance culture. That’s just punching down.”
He continued, turning to the tribes.
“His campaign against the tribes is out of control. The tribes were under the impression that Seegers was a Clallam County Republican. He’s not our guy anymore. What his campaign is doing is making everyone in our community look bad. And let’s be honest — this campaign is still being run by Jeff Tozzer. No one really believes some five-year-old is out here masterminding a platform built on hate and discrimination. That’s Tozzer’s fingerprints all over it. Local tribes like the Lower Elwha Klallam and Jamestown S’Klallam have done real, concrete good here — from environmental restoration work on the Elwha River, to supporting education, healthcare, housing, and local jobs. They’re part of the fabric of this county. Instead of acknowledging that, certain platforms like the Clallam County Watchdog keep running articles that frame every tribal action as some kind of power grab. That kind of constant negative drumbeat doesn’t help anyone. It just poisons the well.”
The $500 Sign
He also described what he sees as transactional campaigning.
“Jake Seegers gave $500 to a local Hawaiian restaurant just to put up their sign,” Dave said. “He’s taking advantage of businesses that don’t have a lot of clients and offering them lots of promises we know will not be fulfilled.”
4PA and the Seegers Foundation
When asked about 4PA and its relationship with Seegers Foundation money, Dave was more pointed.
“I don’t want to comment a lot,” he said, “but Pastor DeScala is a good guy. If I were him, I would just not be involved in politics or take money from a person who’s running for a commissioner position. It makes your credibility to vanish”.
He added: “I’ve read they were raising lots of money and even got a new pickup, but not a single person is living there after all those millions.”
Why He Spoke Out
When asked why he decided to reach out to Salsa Picante — knowing it would make him unpopular in some conservative circles — Dave didn’t hesitate.
“I’m sure they read you guys more than the newspapers,” he said. “You were the first ones to confront Jeff Tozzer and Seegers. They were running completely unaccountable. One thing I fear the most is that if Seegers wins, all those agitators who hacked the Facebook page and almost burned the library down will take control of our institutions. As I said, Seegers is not our guy anymore. We don’t want him here. He can go back to Texas.”
The Bigger Picture
Seegers has tried to position himself as above the fray — practical, local-first, neither Republican nor Democrat. Inside the Republican headquarters on Lincoln Street, that branding is landing very differently.
The sign pressure, the library confrontation, the refusal to separate from radical MAGA actors, the Watchdog’s role, the description of the Calico Cat Club, the critique of Seegers’ approach to minorities, the unhoused, and the tribes, the $500 restaurant story, the pointed comments about 4PA, and now this final warning have produced a clear message from at least one senior voice: He’s not our guy.
And that same voice is now telling fellow Republicans to sit the primary out entirely. No Seegers. No French. Just abstain.
Whether that stance spreads or gets walked back remains to be seen. In a county this tight and this polarized, one high-ranking Republican going on record like this is already enough to make the final days before the primary very interesting.
Clallam County politics just got a whole lot spicier.
I’ve def seen that sign in the Hawaiian food shop and it sadly makes me NOT want to give my business to them.
I'd like to be able to quote sources for all this. Can you provide any?