After V.A. Shiva Ayyadurai, a senatorial candidate in Massachusetts, cancelled a $250 check to the state’s College Republicans, Curt Schilling stepped up to the plate and donated to the organization.
Ayyadurai was invited to speak at the Massachusetts Alliance of College Republicans (MACR) Convention in which all speakers were required to donate $250 to the organization in order to help cover the cost of the event.
Jason Ross, a senior at Bridgewater State and the MACR Chairman told Red Alert Politics that Ayyadurai showed up to the event an hour late. A few days later, Ross received a notification from the bank that Ayyadurai’s check to the organization had been cancelled.
After the MACRs complained about the situation on Twitter, Curt Schilling, former pitcher for the Boston Red Sox and a current host of “Whatever it Takes” on Breitbart, stepped up and donated an undisclosed amount that exceeds the $250.
Schilling’s donation was in direct response to the organization’s conflict with Ayyadurai.
Ayyadurai claims that he cancelled the check due to ethical concerns he had with the senatorial straw poll held at the MACR convention. The strawpoll was held to survey attendees on which candidate they prefer to run against Senator Elizabeth Warren in 2018. Ayyadurai was one of the choices.
Ayyadurai told Red Alert Politics that his assistant received a text message the day before the event from a MACR organizer stating “… there will be a senate straw poll at convention, so try and get as many Ayyadurai supporters to come as possible for better results.”
Ayyadurai told Red Alert Politics that he “did not find this great or awesome, as it amounted to voter fraud by asking us to participate in rigging a poll.”
Ayyadurai says he “contacted the organizer and informed him that their plan of rigging the poll by advising us to bus in people was unethical and amounted to voter fraud, and that I would participate only if they did not indulge in such activities, a condition which the organizer accepted and agreed.”
However, the next day Ayyadurai claims the straw poll was still conducted amongst the 40 attendees and Geoff Diehl, a Massachusetts State Representative and senatorial candidate won.
Ayyadurai claims that the MACR straw poll was training young College Republicans to indulge in rigging polls and voter fraud and told Red Alert Politics that he has set aside $1,000 for an educational fund for the College Republicans that is to be used for Ethics training.
“[T]hey are being groomed by the Establishment to become the next generation swamp creatures…” he continued.
The Senate candidate also put down the young organizers for supporting Jeb Bush and Ted Cruz. Ayyadurai is no stranger to controversial statements; he claims to be the “inventor of email” although his claim is widely disputed.
Encouraging a candidate’s base to come out to vote in a straw poll is a common tactic that is used at many political conferences. This is done each year in a massive straw poll at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC.)
“We think of the CPAC Straw Poll as a reflection of a candidate’s ability to organize,” Ian Walters, CPAC’s communications director, told Red Alert.
Ross disputes Ayyadurai’s claims of voter fraud saying that “The same rules applied to all of the candidates” adding “MACR does not favor or endorse any candidates, and any claims to suggest otherwise are false. Furthermore, MACR does not allow outside groups or campaigns to interfere or meddle with the agenda and activities of our organization.”
After the cancellation, Ross claimed that MACR was “in a bind because we did not think we had raised enough to achieve our goals for the year.”
Schilling heard about the financial situation and contributed what Ross calls a “very generous” donation.
Schilling told Red Alert Politics that he “would have donated anyway” adding that “It is challenging to find young kids that age involved, much less active. The event that they were having was very grassroots, I love things like that.”
Not only did he donate financially, he left them with some advice as well.
“If you want to live a life unchallenged — keep your mouth shut, but if you’re a conservative you’re gonna stand up for things in life that matter they are going to be painful, that’s how you know what you’re standing up for is relevant. Sacrifice involves pain,” said Schilling.
