Letter: Party chair should not endorse

It was deeply disturbing to see Blaine Lotz, the chairman of the Beaufort County Democratic Party, publicly endorse Hillary Clinton for president four days prior to the South Carolina Democrat primary.

Making matters worse, he went on to predict a big win for Clinton, thus disenfranchising Bernie Sanders supporters.

We support open and transparent primaries for voters of our state, regardless of which primary they choose. Having party officials endorse candidates erodes trust in an open and fair process.

It is no wonder the GOP garnered 72 percent share of all primary votes. As long as the Democratic Party is beset by backroom dealings that benefit the insiders only, it will remain the minority party in South Carolina.

This story was originally published March 3, 2016 at 7:00 PM with the headline "Letter: Party chair should not endorse."