Kris Kobach and his staff have transformed the party into a well-oiled organization with a solid foundation, a great and hardworking staff, and a message and mission of winning races for Republicans while setting aside on divisions in favor of a coherent and unifying message of our party's principles.
Examples of change:
- The party's email membership list stood at just 800 when Kobach took the reigns of the Kansas GOP. Now, the membership is 88,000+ strong and the party sends out several weekly emails highlighting the follies of our governor and elected Democratic officials while touting Republican solutions to the 21st century problems Kansans face
- The Kansas GOP now provides a centralized database of voters and voter info. for candidates to access--now the candidates can trust and rely on the support of the party, instead of trying to support the party while running their own races
- Kansas will hold its first-ever statewide presidential caucus in 20 years--the last one was in 1988. The party is organized and ready, with several voting locations in each congressional district. For the first time ever, Kansas will matter as the candidates will most likely look towards Kansas to solidify their standing since the race is currently close and unsettled
- The Kansas GOP (once a lifeless, practically useless organization) is now responding vociferously to damaging Democratic proposals and blunders in Topeka through newspapers, blogs, websites, television, and radio, and highlighting our great lineup of Republican candidates in 2008 to bring real reform and change back to Topeka and Washington
National Committeeman and Committeewoman race
Incumbent Commiteewoman Alicia Salisbury lost to Dr. Helen Van Etten, former director of the Kansas Republican Assembly. Salisbury, who fulfilled her duties diligently without controversy or upseting anyone in the party, only garnered 37 votes to the over 100 votes for Van Etten. Van Etten gave a heartfelt and moving speech that addressed when her family immigrated to the states from North Korea, and her own success story as an immigrant who achieved the American dream. Dr. Etten's addition as KS' national Commiteewoman will add diversity to our delegation and reminds voters that only the Republican Party promotes individualism, respect for life, and the opportunity for everyone to succeed and achieve the American dream of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
There was no contest for the National Committeeman race. Tim Huelskamp did not compete, and a consensus candidate--Mike Pompeo--faced no competition, which is good news for the party and the state of Kansas leading into 2008.
Campaigns
Nick Jordan's campaign reception was well-attended, and the Senator announced the addition of a seasoned and nationally-renowned campaign veteran to his staff.
Lynn Jenkins gave a rousing speech, taking a page from David Letterman's "Top Ten" list, read off the "Top 10 Reasons why Democrats cannot be trusted with power," eliciting laughter and then excitement as she called for new Republican leadership and promised to bring Republican representation back to the 2nd District. Kansas is fortunate to have such a seasoned, tested, and principled candidate to take on Nancy Boyda and the Washington establishment in 2008.
Jim Ryun's campaign was also active and on-hand to energize supporters, ensuring that no matter whom Republicans choose, they will have an enthusiastic candidate and campaigner challenging "Bad News Boyda" in the general.
Secretary of State Ron Thornburgh spoke to each congressional district committee, giving what seemed more like a campaign stump speech (albeit a really good one) than just a simple party pep talk (the governor's office may not be open until 2010, but it is never too early to start campaigning).
Presidential Endorsements
In a rare display of unity, former KS GOP Committeeman Steve Cloud and Sen. Sam Brownback are teaming up to form a "Kansans for McCain" committee.
According to the Kansas City Star, KS GOP chair Kris Kobach has endorsed Mitt Romney.
4 comments:
Kris Kobach and his staff have transformed the party into a well-oiled organization with a solid foundation
i actually laughed out loud, honestly i did...
Yeah, Brandon...saying it don't make it so.
C'mon guys...
Are you going to tell me that you don't see ANY improvement from before?
Is it perfect? No, there is still much room for improvement, but at least from what I see, the change from Shallenburger to Kobach is pretty dramatic.
Surprise! Kobach endorsed Romney. Talk about a kiss of death.
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