Former Warsaw City Councilman Kyle Babcock, Fort Wayne, has received several threatening emails and Twitter messages since talking to Politico.com about the presidential election.
One he received late last night has so many expletives in it that it can’t be printed.
He received the first email the day after the Saturday publication of the article, which is about Indiana delegates’ opposition to Trump. The email stated: “Wrong side Kyle. Hope the families well. Your name and info was sent to me on a list that is going public. Think before you take a step down the wrong path, the American people want to have faith in you, but it looks like a future in hiding is more appealing.”
That email, and any following emails which were threatening in nature, were reported to law enforcement, he said.
In his interview with Politico, Babcock said he hadn’t seen any evidence that general election Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump could beat the Democrat presumptive candidate, Hillary Clinton. He also mentioned to Politico he was leaning toward Ohio Gov. John Kasich, but on the first ballot he was bound to whoever the 3rd Congressional District voted for. This morning he said delegates have to be open minded enough to make good decisions after that.
“I will support the Republican nominee whoever that will be,” Babcock said.
Being in politics, Babcock – who will serve as an Indiana delegate to the Republican National Convention – said he’s very accessible and has his email on his website at kylebabcock.com, which is possibly how the writers found it.
Babcock, the 3rd District Republican treasurer, will be one of three delegates from northeast Indiana, besides 3rd District GOP Chairwoman Barbara Krisher and state Sen. Travis Holdman, R-Markle. Indiana has a total of 57 delegates going to the RNC.
“I have about 10 of them (messages). Only the most recent is hateful. Most of them are, ‘You’re an idiot, vote for the will of the people,’” Babcock said in a telephone interview this morning.
He said he was contacted last Friday by Politico because he was on the slate as a possible national convention delegate. In Indiana, for presidential elections, the delegates are selected at the Indiana GOP convention by the caucus. This year, however, the RNC moved the national convention up to July instead of late August or early September, Babcock explained.
Since the Indiana state convention isn’t until the first week of June, there wasn’t enough time for the delegates to be selected at the state convention by the regular process so district caucuses were held Saturday, Babcock said.
“So that’s why this is unique. Typically, this is done after the primary. This is the first time it’s ever happened like this for the selection of delegates,” Babcock said.
Four district officers, including Babcock, were required to put together a slate of delegates for the national convention, he said. The slate was then approved by county party chairs and vice chairs in specific districts.
“They could vote for or they could vote against the slate. If they voted for it, the slate was confirmed. If the slate was overturned, only people were selected from those who turned in their applications in March,” Babcock said.
Under the old delegate selection process, Babcock said there wouldn’t have been a need for a Politico story. And Politico got his name for the story, Babcock said, because his name was on the slate for the national convention, he’s worked in politics around the country and he’s known.
Babcock wasn’t named as a national convention delegate until Sunday, but he received his first hate email that morning, which he said was questionable.
The only other person involved in the process who received threatening emails was 7th District chair Tom John, who was not selected for the national convention, Babcock stated.
Babcock has received requests for interviews from National Public Radio, Bloomberg, CNN, FOX, ABC, NBC, The Washington Post, a group from London and “almost all the major ones have called me,” he said. He noted he wasn’t talking to the national press though, just local outlets like the Indianapolis Star, the Fort Wayne newspapers and the Times-Union.
“I’m not looking for my 15 minutes of fame,” Babcock said.
He said he’s archiving all the emails he receives and forwarding the more threatening ones to the police.
“It’s a shame that politics has stooped to this level,” he said. “Indiana is going to matter (in this election). I would imagine Ted Cruz and Trump will be around northern Indiana.”
Babcock graduated from Warsaw Community High School in 1980. He and his family returned to Warsaw in 2005, and he served on the city council from 2008 to 2011. He currently lives in Fort Wayne.
The Politico.com story can be found online at http://www.politico.com/story/2016/04/donald-trump-indiana-primary-221747
