John Gray, taking advantage of my trusting nature

According to today's Potomac news, "Republican" John Gray has filed to run for the Occaquan Supervisor's seat as an independent. From the article Candidates to Run as Independents:

John S. Gray also filed petitions Monday to run against incumbent Michael C. May, R-Occoquan.

May defeated Gray in a Republican convention in 2006 prior to a special election in January.

The Occoquan District seat was left vacant when former Occoquan District Supervisor Corey A. Stewart, R-Occoquan, was elected chairman of the board after former Chairman Sean T. Connaughton accepted a presidential appointment.

Before Gray challenged Mike May in Occoquan, he first challenged Corey Stewart for the Chair position on the Board of County Supervisors. During that race, some people made a big deal of the fact that Gray had last run for office as a Democrat, but was now saying he was a long-term Republican.

After the convention ended, John Gray came to me at the convention and had a conversation, which impressed me enough that I wrote My Conversation with John Gray, in which I said in part:

But anyway, he believed it was important to let me know that he had been a republican for years, had a good record of supporting republicans, and that his run for the democrat nomination in 2003 was a "stupid mistake".

I believe him. Of course, I tend to believe people that tell me things to my face, because I'm a pretty trusting guy. But if I had to justify my belief, I would use this argument: First, he sounded sincere to me. Second, he sought me out to talk to me, he wasn't trying an answer an argument. Third, this was after the convention -- he had no reason at that point to try to deceive me about his credentials as a republican.

Well, I may have just been proven wrong. I have no respect for people who say they are good Republicans, and then don't bother to run for office in a primary, instead filing as independents. It's hard to be a "good republican" when you are running against a republican in the general election.

John has every right to run as an independent. And at least he didn't run for the Republican nomination FIRST, and then jump to independent after losing the nomination. But I don't expect to be defending him the next time he claims to be a real Republican.