Wednesday, November 19, 2008

GOP Leadership

Here is an update on Republican leadership. Unfortunately, there are too many of the same names. When will we see real change? These leaders let the GOP get so far out of touch but they want their jobs back and we are letting them.

Senate
The Senate GOP voted Monday on its leadership for the 111th Congress. The results:
• Senate Min. Leader Mitch McConnell, KY
• Min. Whip Jon Kyl, AZ
• GOP Conference Chair Lamar Alexander, TE
• GOP Policy Cmte Chair John Ensign, NV
• GOP Conference vice chair John Thune, SD
• NRSC Chair John Cornyn, TX

House
Looks like GOP House Leader OH Congressman John Boehner will likely keep his position as Minority Leader. There was a half hearted attempt by California Congressman Dan Lungren, part of very conservative GOP Study Group, to run against Boehner.

MO Congressman Roy Blunt stepped down from is position as number two Republican in the house. VA Congressman Eric Cantor will likely ascend to his post as Minority Whip. Cantor is currently Deputy Whip.

The number three House Republican, FL Congressman Adam Putnam, also is stepping down from Conference Chair and IN Congressman Mike Pence has been recruited by Boehner. Pence is a name that might be familiar, as he was speculated to be on McCain’s short list. He is ultra conservative.

TX Congressman Pete Sessions is running for the NRCC Chair against the current Chair, OK Congressman Tom Cole. Boehner has put his weight behind Sessions. Cole and Boehner have clashed in the past, and said that Sessions was the right person to rebuild the majority coalition, recruit great candidates, and get them the support they need.

RNC
Michael Steel, former lieutenant Governor of Maryland and unsuccessful US Senate candidate, announced that he is seeking election as chairman of the RNC. It is still unclear if current Chairman Mike Duncan will run for re-election.
Normally the party chair is appointed by the President if the Republicans have control of the White House- now the selection will be left up to RNC members.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Republican Governors' Association meets

Last week, the Republican Governors' Association convened for the annual Republican Governors' Association conference. Although AK’s Gov. and former VP candidate Sarah Palin was the media’s sweetheart, it was the other governors who gave substantive policy ideas and a clear vision for the future of the Party. Their ideas were varying, some calling to go further right and to seize on the successful passage of anti-gay marriage initiatives which passed in several states. Gov. Rick Perry of Texas, who wants the Party to go even further right on social issues, forgot to mention the resounding rejection of all the abortion restriction initiatives -- the far right’s other favorite topic. On the other sid, Gov. Charlie Crist asked for the Party to look beyond divisive social issues and said:

“Those issues are very important, but there’s a lot of issues that people care deeply about, that affect their lives in a real way, every single day. If you’re going to be successful in this business, you have to win a majority. It’s not just a majority of Republicans, it’s not just a majority of Democrats, it’s a majority of the people.”

Hopefully, Republican will hear the warnings coming from party leaders such as Crist. The country has too many pressing issues that Americans deal with everyday to focus on social issues. The Party needs real solutions that Americans can connect to. Republicans need a new vision and it should be one of common sense, real solutions, focusing on personal freedom and an honest look into the future while rejecting tired policies of the past.

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

RRM is pleased to announce that endorsed candidate Rep. Mike Castle (DE-AL) has won re-election. Rep. Castle is a shining example of what the RRM embodies, and is a strong voice for the moderate majority in the House of Representatives.

In Presidential news, John McCain has won West Virginia, Alabama, Utah, Texas, Mississippi and Louisiana. Barack Obama has won New Mexico and Iowa.
West Virginia has been called for Senator John McCain.

Ohio has been called for Senator Barack Obama.

North Dakota Governor John Hoeven (R) has won re-election.

Senator Mitch McConnell (R) has won re-election in Kentucky, along with fellow Republican Pat Roberts in Kansas.

Senator Tom Udall (NM) has won, changing the open seat from red to blue. In South Dakota, Sen. Tim Johnson (D) has won re-election.

In the House elections, Florida-24 is now a blue district. Rep. Tom Feeney lost his bid for re-election to Suzanne Kosmas.
Michigan, Rhode Island, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Pennsylvania and New York have been called for Barack Obama.

John McCain has been called as the winner in Arkansas, North Dakota and Wyoming.

Senator Elizabeth Dole (R) has lost her North Carolina seat to Democrat Kay Hagan. Senator Frank Lautenberg (D) has won re-election in New Jersey. Sen. John Sununu (R) has lost his seat to Jeanne Shaheen (D) in New Hampshire.
New Hampshire, Maine, Maryland, and Washington, DC has been called for Barack Obama.

Senator John Kerry (D) has won re-election in Massachusetts.
8 PM has passed and many states are already calling elections.

Real Republican Majority is happy to announce the re-election of Senator Susan Collins in Maine. She exemplifies the real Republican values of the GOP and is a strong voice for the moderate majority in the Senate.

On the Presidential level:
Obama has been called as the winner of New Jersey, Illinois and Connecticut.
McCain has been called as the winner of South Carolina, Oklahoma, and Tennessee.


In the Senate:
Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin (IL) and Sen. Joe Biden (DE) have won re-election.

In the Gubernatorial elections, the Missouri open seat that was Republican is now Democratic. Delaware is staying blue, along with New Hampshire.
It's now almost 8 PM, and more elections have been called in West Virginia and Indiana.

Gov. Mitch Daniels (R) has won re-election in Indiana.
Gov. Joe Manchin (D) has won re-election in West Virginia.
Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D) has won re-election in West Virginia.

Stay tuned- at 8 PM, 15 more states will close their polls, along with the District of Columbia. Swing states in this group include Florida, Missouri, Pennsylvania, and New Hampshire.
It’s 7 PM, and the first polls are closing throughout the nation. Two important swing states are closing their polls: Virginia and Indiana. Predictions are coming in as we speak. Major news organizations are casting the following predictions:

Vermont is expected to go to Barack Obama
Kentucky is expected to go to John McCain
Virginia’s Senate seat that is open due to Senator John Warner retiring is being called for the Democratic candidate, Mark Warner.
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham has won re-election in South Carolina.

The next states to close at 7:30 are Ohio and West Virginia, two more pivotal states in these elections. Stay tuned throughout the evening for more information.

RMC Members Report on Election Day

As Election Day continues we are concentrating our efforts to remind each and every moderate voter to get out and support our endorsed mainstream candidates. We'll be reporting back once the polls close. Here are a few updates from RMC members in the field.

RMC Colorado members report that turnout in the state will well exceed 2 million voters. 1.7M of an expected 2.1-2.5M votes have been mail-in/early voting. And since the clerks can start processing 10 days prior to today, a very large % of results are expected to be released shortly after the polls close at 7pm MST.

Efforts to stop the dangerous Amendment 48 are moving in full force and we are proud to report that things are looking good that 48 will be defeated - hopefully by a large margin.

In California, voters seem to be leaning more to our side in voting against Proposition 4, another ballot initiative that would allow big government to interfere in private doctor-patient relationships and place teenagers in danger. Just days ago the polls had us down; but it's been trending more in the “NO” vote direction over the weekend and we are urging every CA voter to get out and vote no matter how late- every vote will count.

Members in the important swing state of Virginia are reporting long lines across the state and the lines are saturated with voters, both blue Democratic sample ballots as well as red Republican sample ballots. In short, this race remains a true swing state in the Presidential elections. Early reports are that many traditional GOP voters are crossing lines to support Democrat Mark Warner for US Senate. This is the seat that is being vacated by retiring GOP Senator John Warner.

Moderate Republican Rudy Giuliani was covered today with his thoughts that Senator McCain "has got to win all the states that are Republican states. In other words, he’s gotta bring back all the Republican voters” Giuliani believes that is still a strong possibility.

Analysts are reporting that this election will produce the largest percentage of voters in 100 years - in 1908 66% of voters turned out the highest percentage to date - this year is likely to break that record.


Keep sending RRM your updates on races, polling, campaigns, and your election experiences to Elizabeth at b.elizabeth.payne@gmail.com. We’ll continue to keep you updated here, so keep checking back as we get ready for an exciting night.

The Youth Vote is Out

This last summer, we established new youth voter outreach programs using Facebook, a social networking website that allowed us to connect with the new generation of Real Republican voters. Today, Facebook is being used as a giant GOTV effort and allowing it’s users to log in and state that they have voted. As of 12:00 PM EST, over 1,575,000 Facebook users have voted. Our Facebook fans are included in this number, and we’ve let them know about how and where they can go to vote for Real Republicans. We’re also receiving word from our younger members that election fever has gripped their campuses, with students taking the day off to volunteer at the polls. Many of these students are voting in their first elections, and are supporting our Real Republican candidates.

For more information on our Facebook page or to learn more about how young Real Republicans can become more involved, please contact Elizabeth at b.elizabeth.payne@gmail.com. Also, if you have a campus Election Day story to tell, let us know by sending Elizabeth an email at the address above. Please provide your location, school name, and first name with your story.

Volunteering in Connecticut’s 4th District

Bethany Vensel and Elizabeth Payne of RRM and RMC are volunteering in Connecticut. Here’s an update from them and their experiences.

It’s a cold morning in Norwalk, CT, but the energy at Rep. Chris Shays’s campaign headquarters is more than enough to combat the cold. The team is confident that the race is going well, and we’ve been hearing only positive things from the staff and large group of volunteers, however Congressman Shays still needs every vote he can get in this race.

One thing that is great about Congressman Shays is how positive his race has been. Shays, a real Republican, firmly believes in keeping races clean and positive instead of concentrating on the negative. That has made many voters support Shays and his style of campaigning. We’ll keep updating you from Norwalk- Bethany is out at a polling place and will check in soon, so keep your eye out for that.

If you have an RRM Election Day story to contribute, please send it to Elizabeth at b.elizabeth.payne@gmail.com, along with your first name and where you’re from. As always, keep checking back with us for more information.

Today is Election Day!

Today marks the day that the past year has been building up to: Election Day. RRM hopes everyone is getting out to vote today. Lines are expected to be long in “battleground” states, so we recommend that you leave extra time for voting today. Please keep checking back on the blog for updates as the day goes on. Again, please make sure your voice is heard—vote!

Monday, November 3, 2008

Tomorrow is Election Day!

Please get out and vote tomorrow, November 4th. Real Republicans at all levels are in close races and your vote will count. Let's make sure real Republicans are well represented in all states at all levels so there is a balance in government and common sense will prevail.

If you need help finding your polling location, please click here for more information.

Check in all day long with RRM.org for updates.