[76][77], Kelly has said he supports the call for a royal commission into suicides by veterans. In a challenge to the major parties, Mr Kelly said he would introduce a bill to Parliament to end the exemption from the Privacy Act and Spam Act if he knew it would have the numbers to be passed. Tweet with a location. The TGA believes the campaign broke copyright law and criminal law by using the Commonwealth agencys logo on a political party website that conveyed adverse event notifications in a way that tried to discourage people from being vaccinated. Kelly also criticised Facebook for flagging a Donald Trump video in which Trump made false claims about fraud in the 2020 United States presidential election and praised the mob, arguing that fraud was a greater threat to democracy than the storming of the Capitol. Here he is phoning into Brisbanes anti-lockdown protest nine days ago and urging them to oppose vaccine passports: CRAIG KELLY: We can do this. Kelly commented that "neo-fascists and Marxists had engaged in a highly co-ordinated 'false flag' operation, by infiltrating the protest and invading the capital so that the worlds media would falsely blame and discredit Trump supporters. - Alan Jones, Sky News Australia, 12 July, 2021. This might be OK were he a private citizen, but his ever-increasing following garners thousands of shares and hundreds of comments, mostly from outside the electorate. We were sick of being taken for granted. [110] With Kelly's Facebook page having high engagement, the Sydney Morning Herald called Kelly "one of Australia's most influential politicians" on the platform. With Kelly's help a disallowance motion was moved in the House of Representatives that forced the Labor government to reinstate the entitlements. This is despite the chief medical officer stressing that many of these treatments have not been properly evidenced. We are not aligned with any political party or ideology. [132] Kelly later released a statement to the press after his meeting with Morrison;[133] however, his Facebook page was still replete with posts on ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine. And that has led anti-COVID-vaxxers around the world including Kelly to claim the vaccines dont work, as The Washington Post and others have reported: A vaccine skeptic community that often focuses on unverified data, innuendo and false and misleading comparisons is suddenly pointing to Israel again. [108] While a member of this committee, Kelly criticised the Turnbull government's position on energy. Others are startled by his staunch support of the fossil fuel industry; he famously stated that fossil fuels are keeping us safe from a dangerous climate. In that famous phrase of Trumps adviser, Kellyanne Conway, those might better be called alternative facts. [12], In April 2014, Kelly spoke at an event commemorating the establishment in 1941 of the Independent State of Croatia, which was associated with Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany during the Second World War. [46] In the second spill on 24 August, Kelly was one of the first few to sign the petition calling for a party room meeting to vote on the leadership of the Liberal Party. During that first spring training back together, Biggio lived in the same Florida . [7] The redistribution of Hughes was thought to strengthen Kelly's hold on the seat,[36] and Kelly was returned with a margin greater than 9 points, despite a small swing against him. [143], On 15 September 2021, lawyers for the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) threatened Kelly with legal action, alleging the United Australia Party breached copyright and demanded that it stop distributing incomplete extracts of adverse event reports relating to COVID-19 vaccines which the TGA believes could be seriously misleading. Our independent will be an independent for Hughes, and we cannot wait. Most of the people now testing positive in Israel have indeed been vaccinated. [69] A website was set up by a Hughes constituent to fact-check Kelly's claims. The use of the TGA logo in this instance potentially breaches both copyright legislation and the Criminal Code Act 1995.. Some are appalled at his lack of knowledge on climate science and peddling of climate denialism. And around 90 per cent of those suggest the vaccines dont work, or spread fear, doubt and uncertainty about the risks. [12] He is one of four children born to Lawrence and Raima Kelly. [42], Kelly was expected to be challenged for preselection for his seat for the 2019 Australian federal election, and former prime minister Tony Abbott endorsed Kelly. [31] The Intermodal Terminal began construction in 2017. [103] He stated on his Facebook page that he would vote with what his electorate wanted in the marriage survey. Health regulator moves to take on Craig Kelly over misleading vaccine texts. The Australian Skeptics cited, "spreading misinformation about COVID and vaccinations, and offering dubious cures and conspiracy theories". But in June the country threw off its final COVID restrictions. His political career has also just been saved by Prime Minister Scott Morrison, following a challenge to his preselection for the coming election. View in Telegram. But if anyone is hiding the truth in his crusade against masks, lockdowns and vaccines, it is Kelly. [137] Kelly has called for the halt of the AstraZeneca vaccine rollout in Australia. Kelly wishes to paint us as fake independents and remnants of the Greens. - Email, Dr Tim Graham, QUT Digital Media Research Centre, 29 July, 2021. We have the evidence, we have the data, we have the science and we have the facts all on our side. [135], Kelly had been lobbying Minister for Health and Aged Care Greg Hunt and the head of the TGA to try to influence their recommendations to the National COVID-19 Clinical Evidence Taskforce, ceasing only when his correspondence was subject to freedom of information applications. ", "Liberal MP Craig Kelly says Tuvalu 'floating, not sinking' in monarchist dinner speech about ABC", "Australian backbencher Craig Kelly takes shots at 'weather girl' Laura Tobin", "Craig Kelly Slammed As A 'Disgrace' And 'Climate Denier' In Trainwreck British TV Appearance", "Bushfires: Ministers rebuke Craig Kelly on climate change stance", "An 'absolutely seminal moment': climate change opinion shifting in face of fires", "Backbencher Craig Kelly has been criticised for spreading misinformation. [158] Other confirmed members of the forum include Tony Abbott, Eric Abetz, Kevin Andrews, Barnaby Joyce, George Christensen, and Ian Goodenough. We do allow for videos that have sufficient countervailing context, which the violative videos did not provide.- The Guardian, 1 August, 2021. He described it as "divisive", and as a reverse form of apartheid. The airwaves have been awash with news about COVID-19 and vaccinations, much of it unhelpful. - Bernardi, Sky News Australia, 18 June, 2021. [78], While usually up to four extra staff can be allocated to independent MPs, the current Prime Minister must approve any such staffing increase,[79] and Kelly was not allocated extra staff. [12] In 2012, Kelly was referred to the parliamentary privileges committee over a range of allegations, including a failure to declare on his register of interests his directorship of several companies linked to his family's bankrupt company, which owed millions to creditors and staff. All rights reserved. [48] Kelly criticised Julia Banks' decision to retire following the spill in a Sky News interview, defending politics as a "rough-and-tumble game. - Alan Jones, Sky News Australia, 19, July 2021. [44], On 18 July 2018, Kelly commented on Sky News, in response to a Facebook post by the father of three children killed aboard MH17: 'if some of the things that Russia has gotten away with in the past has to be slightly looked over, well I'm sorry that's the price that we have to pay sometimes to have good relations going forward'. [57] This has been described by former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull as unacceptable. [88] His personal mobile phone number was leaked by Australian online news publisher, Crikey, in retaliation. Clive Palmer's new friend Craig Kelly is a spammer. And well keep talking about it. The firm imported Asian furniture and onsold it to retailers like Harvey Norman, but financial troubles resulted in the Australian Taxation Office issuing wind-up orders in 2012, leaving creditors and employees owed over $4 million. Although the policy won support of the Liberal party room, Mr Kelly threatened to vote against the policy if it reached Parliament a grave threat given the Government's tenuous hold in Parliament. From Kellys page I found the group Craig Kelly Must Go. Authorised by Craig Kelly MP, Liberal Party of Australia, Sutherland NSW Several audience members walked out of a candidates' forum in the southern Sydney seat of Hughes on Wednesday evening after the maverick MP Craig Kelly labelled mandatory vaccination in. And thats why Professor Bruce Thompson from Swinburne University did not mince his words about Craig Kellys claim the vaccine is useless, telling Media Watch: Even if the vaccine IS becoming less effective in preventing infections, it is still really high in terms of preventing serious illness and hospitalisation, and in that nothing has changed. This service may include material from Agence France-Presse (AFP), APTN, Reuters, AAP, CNN and the BBC World Service which is copyright and cannot be reproduced. Our group We Are Hughes is mobilising to have the Liberal politician democratically demoted. [64], In October 2018, Kelly suggested that the fuel excise should be reduced by 10 cents per litre,[65] and that divestiture powers should apply to the petrol industry. [2][3][4], Kelly has been widely criticised for spreading misinformation on social media. Mr Kelly easily reclaimed the seat. When you have 3000 people dying every week of the year, and especially with vaccines given among older people, its not surprising that, coincidentally, there are hundreds of people who, sadly, die within days of being vaccinated.. And the fact checkers at Twitter clearly reached the same conclusion, because on 22nd of July Kellys account was frozen for a week. Craig Kelly (born 29 September 1963) is an Australian politician who represented the Division of Hughes as a Liberal Party and later United Australia Party MP from 2010 until his defeat at the 2022 Australian federal election. [41] Kelly opposes drug checking. [104] In the conscience votes which sought to amend the Marriage Amendment (Definition and Religious Freedoms) Bill 2017, Kelly voted for all the amendments, none of which were passed. A 36-year-old Caminiti returned to the Astros in 1999, and his good buddy Craig Biggio tried to keep him clean. [82][83] Kelly was previously approached to join after becoming an Independent. When Turnbull's representations were leaked to the press, Turnbull confirmed them,[59][57] and the intervention made it harder for the moderates to do anything other than tacitly re-endorse Kelly. If you have Telegram, you can view and join CRAIG KELLY - National Director, United Australia Party - keeping the bastards honest. The basis for our grassroots movement is integrity and accountability in politics. Kelly was the catalyst for our community group We Are Hughes. He has suggested that he would actively campaign for the "No" side in a referendum for constitutional recognition of Indigenous Australians. Professor Skerritt said the adverse outcomes were investigated by an independent panel that found only nine of the deaths could be attributed to the vaccines in some way. In 2016 he also faced a challenge, after Mr Kelly a conservative was targeted by the "moderate" arm of the NSW Liberal Party. Were working to restore it. The text messages were sent to more than 14 million phones and triggered complaints to federal regulators as well as questions about how Mr Kelly, who has joined Mr Palmers United Australia Party, obtained personal numbers. [5] Kelly has also suggested that the Luxury Car Tax, which applies to imported vehicles worth more than $67,500, be abolished. He has unashamedly pursued policies he believes will lower power prices at the expense of reducing carbon emissions. [24] Kelly also served on the Joint Standing Committee on Migration from 2013 to 2016. But as the fires raged, my attention was drawn back home to where my local MP, Craig Kelly, made international headlines by, Outlandish: Labor urges Facebook to act against Craig Kellys harmful content, calling the UK meteorologist and BBC presenter Laura Tobin, fossil fuels are keeping us safe from a dangerous climate. And his posts there, analysed for Media Watch by Dr Tim Graham at QUT, show an alarming pattern. Kelly and Grant put together a petition in favour of reinstating the entitlements that was circulated Australia-wide, attracting well over 10,000 signatures. [152], Kelly opposed carbon pricing in Australia and in 2012 addressed a rally of about 2,000 people on the issue in Hyde Park, describing the carbon pricing as a "poisonous, toxic tax" and claiming the Federal Labor government was destroying Australia's prosperity by undermining the country's competitive advantage. In a speech in parliament he criticised the use of federal funds to obtain wind power of "questionable reliability" in favour of spending on other critical social needs. [18][19], At age 46,[20] Kelly was elected to the Australian House of Representatives as the Member for Hughes in 2010, which was considered a marginal seat. Commonwealth Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly has said there is no evidence Ivermectin offers any benefit in preventing COVID-19. [93], During the 2022 election campaign, Kelly was egged in a Melbourne park. Very large text size. This affected upwards of 22,000 service men and women. Kelly was further criticised for racism and misogyny after referring to meteorologist Laura Tobin as an "ignorant Pommy weather girl" who had "no idea what she's talking about", despite her university degree in physics and meteorology. [1], In 2021 Kelly sold his family home in the Sutherland Shire and purchased a new home approximately 100km from his electorate in Narara on the New South Wales Central Coast. BA from University of Rochester; JD from Boston . [123] Kelly and Coatsworth have reportedly "agreed to disagree" on hydroxychloroquine. Youre an inspiration to many of us. [129], Royal Australian College of General Practitioners President Karen Price criticised Kelly for his 2021 appearance on a podcast with Pete Evans, who "spread[s] alarming misinformation, including content linked to the QAnon conspiracy theory and COVID-19 denialist claims". He was, after all, re-elected at the last election with an increased majority. We Are Hughes looks at successes in Warringah and Indi as inspiration, but we forge our own path, with our own Hughes flavour. You can read his full five-page response on our website. [50] As of August 2018, Kelly's electoral conference had raised $5,000 of a $75,000 fundraising target for the Liberal Party. It was the summer Australia will never forget. [109] Kelly replaced Ross Cameron on Sky program Outsiders after Cameron was fired, becoming a regular co-host. [102] Kelly put his support behind a plebiscite into same-sex marriage, and he predicted that the majority would vote against it. But if anyone is hiding the truth in his crusade against masks, lockdowns and vaccines, it is Kelly. [144][145], In November 2021, the Australian Skeptics, an organisation that investigates pseudoscientific claims and medical misinformation, awarded Kelly the "Bent Spoon",[146] Last January I was on holidays in Tasmania, enjoying some much-deserved family time. [119] Some of these posts were removed by Facebook. [16][21] The then Leader of the House, Anthony Albanese, alleged Kelly failed to disclose his directorship of three entities which he had not officially relinquished until March 2011, eight months after the 2010 election. Election 2022 Craig Kelly - Your Local MP for Hughes - stands for Medical Freedom - the sanctity of the Doctor/Patient relationship Your Body, Your Risk, Your Choice #ausvotes #auspol #auspoll2022 #auspoll2022 [85] Kelly has drafted a bill calling for politicians and senior bureaucrats to be paid $750 per week while a lockdown is in place in their area. And even Sky News admitted it was wrong and forced Alan Jones to read a correction on air: ALAN JONES: The broadcast didnt point out the higher rate of cases of the Delta variant in the unvaccinated compared with the vaccinated . : a Randomized, Multicenter Trial", "Hydroxychloroquine Facebook post from Craig Kelly on Andrews criticised", "Liberal MP says doctors should be given choice over issuing controversial drug to COVID-19 patients", "Craig Kelly: Scott Morrison silent as MP continues conspiracy theories", "Craig Kelly slammed after attack on top doctors over hydroxychloroquine", "Backbenchers' hydroxychloroquine push a 'challenge' for top health official", "Coronavirus: Liberal MP Craig Kelly says TGA approval not enough for him to get vaccinated", "Liberal backbencher Craig Kelly will 'wait to see the evidence' before getting Covid vaccine", "Liberal MP Craig Kelly attacks Facebook for warning him over unproven Covid treatment post", "Chief Medical Officer says MP Craig Kelly's COVID-19 Facebook posts 'not scientifically based', "RACGP President calls out rogue MP over COVID misinformation", "Pete Evans thanks Craig Kelly for 'fighting for us' in video interview", "Scott Morrison hauls in COVID quack cure pusher Craig Kelly and declares 'enough is enough', "Craig Kelly defies the PM with new COVID treatment Facebook post", "Craig Kelly in bid to 'influence' government scientists on hydroxychloroquine", "Craig Kelly banned from Facebook for a week for posting Covid misinformation", "Facebook removes Craig Kelly's page, says former Liberal MP breached misinformation policies", "Facebook deletes Craig Kelly's backup page", "Kelly's vaccine bill exposure more revealing than MP realised", "Scott Morrison defends George Christensen's anti-lockdown activism but labels Sydney rally-goers 'selfish', "Australia Covid live update: Gladys Berejiklian confirms 145 new local cases in NSW; Queensland and SA record one new local case each; Victoria records 11", "TGA's lawyers allege UAP breach of copyright and demand distribution of alleged misleading adverse event reports stop", "TGA threatens Craig Kelly with legal action over 'seriously misleading' COVID-19 texts", "Craig Kelly awarded Australian Skeptics' Bent Spoon gong for spreading Covid misinformation", "Climate sceptic MP appointed chair of environment and energy committee", "Coalition committee tries to balance climate science briefings by inviting denialists from thinktank", "Liberal MP says people will die of cold because renewable energy drives up fuel prices", "Publisher rejects Craig Kelly complaint school textbook 'inaccurate' on climate change", "Sydney carbon tax protesters out in force", "Aussies drive another stake into the heart of the wind-farm vampire Telegraph Blogs", "Canberra windfarm protesters demand end to 'renewable energy scam', "Key backbencher warns Frydenberg to tread carefully on energy policy", "A huge bloc of Malcolm Turnbull's backbench have formed a pro-coal group to lobby the government", "Monash manifesto: Coal subsidies good, renewable targets bad", "Monash Forum trick leaves conservatives divided", "Coalition dissidents demand national energy guarantee meeting be open to all", "Liberal MP Craig Kelly calls Frydenberg emissions deal a 'double-edged sword', "Labor MPs flock to join Craig Kelly's 'friends of coal' group", "Scott Morrison banned Liberal MP Craig Kelly from the ABC's Q&A program", "Is the Pacific island nation of Tuvalu growing, and not sinking, as Craig Kelly says? The campaign texts appear likely to continue if the TGA does not find a way to act, with Mr Kelly saying the UAP could spend as much at the next election as it did at the last one. And when you drill into the data you can see why. We are situated in the south-western part of Sydney, hugging the Royal national park, Heathcote national park, Woronora, Port Hacking and Georges River, as well as boasting the longest coastline of any Sydney electorate. Back in April, he was banned from Facebook for spreading COVID misinformation to his 100,000 followers, at which time he had one of the highest profiles of any Australian politician, apart from Pauline Hanson. He resigned from the Liberal Party in February 2021 to sit on the crossbench as an independent politician, before announcing that he was joining the United Australia Party in August of that year, and was appointed as the party's leader. Here's a list of conspiracy theories he has promoted", "Liberal MP Craig Kelly backs Advance Australia's climate change resources in classrooms", "Craig Kelly MP to Visit Moran Residential Aged Care, Engadine", "Craig Kelly buys $1.3 million family home 100km north of electorate", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Craig_Kelly&oldid=1152726030, This page was last edited on 1 May 2023, at 23:02. In a Facebook post following his appearance, Mr Kelly said Laura Tobin "doesn't know what she's talking about". [101], Kelly was formerly part of the conservative right-wing faction inside the Liberal Party. Despite this, there has been strong compliance with mask mandates in the community, including among children, showing that many in our electorate do not share his extreme views. [66], Kelly is said to cherry-pick "rich meme content that is stimulating, share-able and attractive to his base voters" on social media. [81], On 23 August 2021, Kelly joined and was appointed the leader of Clive Palmer's United Australia Party (UAP). Notes on vaccine effectiveness from Associate Professor Paul Griffin, University of Queensland. Kelly himself posted a study a few weeks ago that claimed mask-wearing for children is akin to child abuse. [35] Tony Abbott had also "pushed aside moderate challengers" to Kelly when Abbott was Prime Minister. Which brings us to our show two weeks ago, in which we called out Alan Jones and Craig Kelly MP for the crazy claim on Sky News that getting a COVID jab makes you more likely to die from the disease. He provides regular political commentary on Sky News, relentlessly defends his political opinions and rarely if ever backs down. CRAIG KELLY - National Director, United Australia Party - keeping the bastards honest. [25] A Croatian-language newspaper described Kelly's speech as conveying congratulations from Prime Minister Tony Abbott. [74], Kelly was set to face a preselection contest in Hughes,[75] but in February 2021 he resigned from the Liberal Party and sat on the crossbench as an independent. - Alan Jones, Sky News Australia, 10 May, 2021. Independent MP Craig Kellys texts to millions of Australians could face legal scrutiny.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen. His political career has also just been saved by Prime Minister Scott Morrison, following a challenge to his preselection for the coming election. "[49], Kelly was critical of AGL's decision to close the coal-fired Liddell Power Station in 2022, stating that it is anti-competitive of AGL not to consider selling Liddell before retiring it. [54] The pre-selection contest was reportedly being delayed by the party as long as possible, and Kelly was advised by former Liberal Party presidential candidate John Ruddick to quit the party and run as an independent. Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. It is hard to believe, but it's been almost two years since I was re-elected to Cambridge City Council in 2017. - Alan Jones, Sky News Australia, 1 July, 2021. Preview channel. However, Kelly has told us he is not an anti-vaxxer, that COVID vaccines are not proven to be safe and that free debate should be allowed: we are living in an environment of censorship and cancel culture, where any dissenting expert medical opinion dissenting from the current Government narrative is being censored and crushed. Join the team Become a member today Details. ALAN JONES: Outstanding. And the Pfizer vaccine is still working. [26] Kelly subsequently described the speech he gave as condemning fascism and communism, and apologised for appearing to endorse the flag of the Independent State of Croatia. before the MP . Well, no, its not. A protester has violently smashed an egg on Craig Kelly's head in an unprovoked attack at a Melbourne park which ended with a bizarre bicycle chase. But its Alan Jones who has boosted Kelly most, getting him on six times since May to peddle his anti-lockdown, anti-vaccine message: CRAIG KELLY: There are thousands and thousands of breakthrough cases where people are supposedly been fully vaccinated and yet are still catching the virus, still ending up in hospital and still unfortunately dying. [149] Kelly advocates for a "hockey-stick" approach to meeting the Paris 2030 emissions target for the energy industry, which has been characterised as delaying action to the last possible moment. Israel spent big to get the Pfizer vaccine and was the first to immunise its adult population. We Are Hughes is raising the political bar for any politician who wishes to represent us. Dangerously, Kelly moved to supporting alternative treatments for Covid-19. [167] Emergency Management Minister David Littleproud, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg and Prime Minister Scott Morrison distanced themselves from Kelly's comments,[168] and NSW Energy and Environment Minister Matt Kean said that "Craig Kelly is as qualified to talk about atmospheric physics as he is to perform brain surgery". For the first time since 2010, the outspoken MP will no longer be the member for Hughes. [76] He confirmed he would continue to support the Morrison Liberal/National government on confidence and supply. He is an avid cyclist. The TGA is very concerned about any information which provides an incorrect picture of the safety of COVID-19 vaccines, particularly if that information is distributed widely to the public, a spokesman said. But that is because hardly anyone in the population has not. [130] Kelly reassured Evans that the government would not mandate vaccines for COVID-19. Denis Muller, The University of Melbourne. But, crucially, protection against hospitalisation and severe illness remains high across all groups, with Israel's Ministry of Health making it clear last week that: The effectiveness of the vaccine in preventing hospitalizations and severe symptoms stands at 88 percent and 91 percent, respectively That, of course, is what we need the vaccine to do. The reason: The country is suddenly seeing an uptick in cases, and most of them are among vaccinated people. We would like to show you a description here but the site won't allow us. - Alan Jones, Sky News Australia, 27 May, 2021. He was educated at public schools. The leader of Clive Palmer's United Australia Party, Craig Kelly (left), lost his seat of Hughes after defecting from the Liberals. Liberal MP Craig Kelly has resigned from the party to move to the crossbench. He achieves higher levels of engagement than either the Prime Minister or the Opposition Leader by selectively reinforcing the conservative opinions of his followers. Therapeutic Goods Administration head John Skerritt has slammed the texts for spreading incorrect information about the vaccines and is taking legal advice on whether the campaign breached criminal law. Mr Kelly stunned colleagues in the Coalition party room on Tuesday morning, revealing he would still support the government on matters of supply and confidence but he needed to "stay true" to what he believes in and to himself. ALAN JONES: This blokes courageous and he is correct. The bill includes constitutional problems such as not allowing for people who want to restrict who comes into their home. [23], In 2013, Kelly was nominated by then Opposition leader Tony Abbott as the representative of the Coalition on the bipartisan committee overseeing the implementation of the National Disability Insurance Scheme. [94], In the 2022 election, Kelly won around 8% of the vote, and Jenny Ware, representing the Liberal Party, won Hughes. we dont allow content that denies the existence of Covid-19 or that encourages people to use hydroxychloroquine or ivermectin to treat or prevent the virus. [99] Kelly maintained in March 2021 that no-one had any complaints about Zumbo, despite former staffers saying they had raised specific complaints about Zumbo with Kelly in 2013. Kelly was the only sitting member of the House of Representatives with firsthand knowledge of raising a child with severe disabilities and said that he would use this experience in the position. . Quite extraordinary. [68] Despite calling for free speech on the platform, Kelly blocks some commenters, including constituents, who politely disagree with him. Labor has unleashed on Coalition MP Craig Kelly in Question Time, but one comment from the embattled Liberal made the parliament erupt with laughter. Craig. live, learn and work. Last year Mr Kelly also warned colleagues that crossing the floor to prevent the same-sex marriage plebiscite and force a parliamentary vote would be breaking an election commitment.