Off to the Races

The Republican National Committee – made up of State Chairmen, National Committeewomen and National Committeemen from every state and territory – had its winter meeting last week in San Diego. It has been an incredible honor to serve on the RNC for the last four years. Since I am not seeking a third term as ALGOP Chairman, this was my last meeting with the RNC. A new state chairman will be elected on February 21 at our annual meeting in Montgomery.

The primary business conducted at the RNC meeting last week was the election of officers. Chairman Reince Priebus was unopposed for a third term. Also re-elected was Co-Chairman Sharon Day, who also serves as the National Committeewoman from Florida.
Reince has done an incredible job as Chairman, and I believe will go down as the most effective Chairman in RNC history. To learn more about the amazing job Chairman Priebus has done, read How Reince Priebus Reinvented The Political Party.

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Chairman Priebus set records in raising money for the RNC. Last year Priebus led the efforts to raise nearly $200 million; and in the off-election year of 2013, the total was just under $100 million. The RNC has consistently outraised the DNC under Priebus’ leadership.

>>>In addition to raising money, Chairman Priebus has completely revamped the RNC. For example, the digital plan implemented at the RNC empowered the battleground states to focus like a laser on identifying Republican votes and turning them out, which resulted in the Republican Party picking up nine seats in the U.S. Senate.

Another change Priebus led at the RNC will be seen in the upcoming presidential campaign. The RNC convention, to be held in Cleveland, Ohio, will be moved up to mid-July 2016 as opposed to the late-August 2012 convention. This will give our ticket another six weeks of campaigning before the November election.

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Also, instead of letting the media and presidential candidates run the gamut with over 20 presidential debates as was the case in the 2012 presidential election, the RNC is taking control of the debate process, including the dates, locations and sponsors.

All of the sanctioned debates listed are contingent on further negotiations with the media partners, and any future violation of RNC rules could result in the debate being unsanctioned. The RNC and the broadcast partners will make additional announcements of conservative media partners and panelists in the coming weeks.

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Speaking of the 2016 Presidential election, several of the would-be presidential candidates got a jump start on seeking the support of RNC members by attending the meeting in San Diego last week. And campaign workers of other candidates were at the meeting in full force.

Dr. Ben Carson, the famous pediatric neurosurgeon who gained notoriety a couple of years ago after speaking at the National Prayer Breakfast, spoke to members of the RNC at a luncheon on Thursday. Clearly, Dr. Carson is one of the most intelligent people to consider running for the presidency, and has become known for his quiet demeanor and speaking style. Some question whether he can mount a serious campaign for President, but everyone wants him to be in the next President’s cabinet. Dr. Carson has been to Alabama several times in the last couple of years and I enjoyed visiting with him again in San Diego.

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Governor Scott Walker, who has been elected Governor of Wisconsin three times in four years, was clearly the favorite of many who heard him speak at the RNC luncheon on Friday. Gov. Walker pulled an upset in 2010 when he was first elected Governor of Wisconsin. Living up to his promise to balance the state’s budget in 2011 did not set well with the state’s union workers, because it cost them some benefits. The Democrats and union bosses used the issue to force a recall election of Gov. Walker in the middle of his term. Walker fought back and was re-elected in 2012. And, last year the Democrats made him their number one target. Sending in President Obama, Vice President Biden, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and practically every nationally known Democrat to help snatch the Governor’s office from Walker. But, again, Gov. Walker prevailed. He is admired by many on the RNC because of his demonstrated ability to win elections in a Democrat territory. Gov. Walker spoke to the RNC at the Friday luncheon. I had a great visit with Gov. Walker while in San Diego. We reminisced about his visit to Alabama, when he spoke at our 2013 ALGOP Summer Dinner.

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Governor Rick Perry, who has been Governor of Texas for 14 years, did not run for re-election last year. It was clear to all in attendance at the RNC luncheon on Friday that Gov. Perry is fired up about running for President again. He is definitely one of the more dynamic speakers among the potential candidates running for President, and he seems very confident of himself. Some have doubted that he can make a comeback after a failed 2012 presidential race, but he seems to be enthusiastically forging ahead with lots of confidence. ALGOP had Gov. Perry as our guest speaker at the ALGOP 2011 Summer Dinner. It was good visiting with Gov. Perry again while in San Diego.

The final would-be presidential candidate to visit with members of the RNC was 2012 Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney. He and wife Anne attended a reception on Friday night and seemed energized and ready to make another run for President. He clearly has the “bug” and wants another shot at running for President. While many RNC members admire Gov. Romney and would love to have him as President today, not many were openly stating their support for another run.

 

By Bill Armistead, Chairman of the Alabama Republican Party