Yesterday the Republican Liberty Caucus of Minnesota, a state affiliate of the Republican Liberty Caucus, announced endorsements for 12 candidates who will restore fiscal responsibility, individual liberty, and reduced size to state government. The Minnesota primary occurred last month.
“Our state government is living well beyond its means, and Minnesotans are feeling the consequences of the DFL-led legislature’s inability to set the state’s spending priorities given the realities of current revenues,” said state RLC Chairman David FitzSimmons.
Challengers endorsed by the Caucus include Dave Kruse, House District 23B; Doug Wardlow, House District 38B; Dale Helm, House District 51B; Mark Fotsch, House District 54A; Andrea Kieffer, House District 56B and Krysia Weidell, Senate District 67.
“The strength of this slate is a testament to those who remember and respect the principles that founded our country since they are running to preserve our freedoms here in The North Star State,” concluded Chairman FitzSimmons.
A full listing of the Minnesota RLC’s endorsements is available here.
New Hampshire RLC Endorses 142 Candidates
With just two weeks until the New Hampshire primary, the state chapter of the Republican Liberty Caucus has endorsed 45 additional candidates for office. The group of 45 joins the 97 other candidates endorsed by the New Hampshire RLC previously.
The candidates were selected after reviewing candidate surveys from www.rlcnh.org/survey, which were used to judge the candidate’s positions on the issues.
“Once elected, these 142 candidates will be leaders who bring restorative change to New Hampshire with their common sense agenda,” said Andrew Hemingway, chairman of the Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire. “No longer will growing government and the taxes and spending that come with it govern the state. These leaders will restore the principles of limited government, individual liberty, personal responsibility and free enterprise to New Hampshire.”
RLCNH is promoting Common Sense for New Hampshire, an effort to elect legislators who will promote policies favorable to economic opportunity, health care savings, and parental/community empowerment. The New Hampshire RLC is also targeting seven “Republicans in Name Only” (RINOs) this fall.
A listing of the newly endorsed New Hampshire candidates is here and a listing of previously endorsed RLCNH candidates is here.
The views expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect official positions of the RLC.
A Republican Liberty Caucus-endorsed candidate for Congress in Washington state finished ahead of his Democrat incumbent opponent in a five-way primary last Tuesday.
John Koster, the Republican nominee for Congress in District 2 and a Snohomish County Commissioner, edged Democrat incumbent Rick Larsen in the total number of votes received in the primary, according to Politico.
According to the secretary of state’s Web site late Friday, Koster received 73,899 votes, or 42.2 percent, in the Aug. 17 primary to Larsen’s 73,623 votes, or 42 percent. About 175,200 votes were cast. Three other candidates were eliminated and Koster will now face Larsen head on this November.
Larsen is a five-term incumbent and was not on the National Democratic Congressional Committee’s list of vulnerable incumbents until now.
Go John Koster!
The views expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect official positions of the RLC.
It’s almost a month to the day of the Wisconsin primary (September 14) and 8th Congressional District Republican candidate Terri McCormick finds herself in a 3-way Republican battle to face Congressman Steve Kagen.
It’s getting ugly.
Kagen, a 2nd-term Democrat representing an independent-minded swing district, voted for Obamacare, Cap and Trade, and nearly everything else that Obama-Pelosi asked him to pass.
The Wisconsin chapter of the Republican Liberty Caucus endorsed McCormick early on in this election cycle. This piece reviews her credentials, the attacks against McCormick in northeast Wisconsin, the 8th District race, and why McCormick is a good bet for WI-08 voters and the broader liberty movement.
Terri McCormick: The Original Maverick
In 2006, the Republican Party was clinging to its electoral strategy of “Compassionate Conservatism”. President George W. Bush and his wife Laura came to Wisconsin to campaign in the WI-08 Congressional primary. Wisconsin Republicans had a prime opportunity to pass a Republican-held Congressional seat to a fresh face because Congressman Mark Green decided to run for Governor. The primary field was cleared by the Republican Party, which was betting that Speaker of the Wisconsin House John Gard could win the race. There was only one problem: Terri McCormick, a self-term limited Representative, also decided to run. Despite a drawn out smear-ignore campaign strategy and despite the intimidation tactics used by the Republican Party Bosses both nationally and in Wisconsin, McCormick continued her bid for Congress.
Long story short: Gard and the National Republican Congressional Committee spent $2 million to defeat her in the primary. McCormick received 32 percent of the vote and established herself as a Republican maverick. The 32 percent she received represented the segment of Wisconsin voters frustrated with George W. Bush’s policies, pissed that the Republican Party Establishment refused to allow the independent-minded voters of the district decide the primary, and excited about Terri McCormick’s message.
Establishment Republican John Gard lost the General Election to Steve Kagen in 2006 and 2008. Some Wisconsin Republicans incorrectly blame Terri McCormick for his defeat in both election cycles.
Terri McCormick entered public policy in the 1990s when her children were in grade school. A concerned mother with a background in education policy (and an impeccable resume), she fought to pass Wisconsin’s charter school laws and later headed up the Wisconsin Charter School Association. The charter school laws she wrote now successfully serve over 25,000 students in the state.
As book reviewer Michael Swartz notes after reading McCormick’s book, “While Tea Parties weren’t being contemplated yet in the early 1990’s, Terri McCormick was leading a grassroots effort of her own.”
In Terri you will find a candidate committed to listening to voters and solving problems. That’s how she entered political life.
Representative McCormick
Terri McCormick was elected in 2000 and served in the Wisconsin Assembly representing Neenah and Appleton until 2006. She pledged to serve only three terms and adhered to her original pledge. While in the Assembly, she wrote new transparency and open bid requirements so watchdogs could trace the costs of healthcare proposals, voted to attach an economic impact statement to legislation crafted to negatively impact small business, and authored legislation to give a property tax credit to combat disabled veterans.
Most legislators enter the State House with grandiose ideas about what they will achieve and end up with little to show for their time there. McCormick was able to build bipartisan coalitions to pass important legislation that positively impacts Wisconsin families years after she left the legislature. As former Republican National Committeeman Terry Kohler notes about McCormick, “She [was] a real bell ringer in Madison and I have no doubt she will repeat that perseverance and persuasiveness in Washington.”
Terri McCormick’s former constituents asked her to run for Congress in 2010 because they could not find another candidate with the combined integrity, credentials, and commitment to common sense policy solutions.
McCormick Under Attack
As her campaign has picked up steam, McCormick has increasingly been under attack. Almost daily the Wisconsin blogosphere is hurling snowballs at McCormick, to put it mildly. She has been targeted in print through the mainstream media, via personal verbal smears, in the blogosphere, and even on the radio.
Thus far she’s been accused by several “conservative” (read: neocon, establishment) bloggers of not attending a rigged 8th Congressional district candidate forum, not getting enough hits at her website, questioning the good health status of Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner, and bashing the very bloggers who are spending nights and weekends posting smears to throw a wrench into her candidacy. They continue to question her 1977 Wisconsin Truman Scholarship nomination even after she has posted it at her campaign website and they even hacked into her computer to search for documents that might ruin her campaign.
So far their smear tactics have only added fuel to her candidacy. Quite clearly the bloggers at PartyofKnow, “RhymeswithClown”, and “BerryLaker” are desperate to defeat Terri McCormick.
Their motivation may be to keep Congressman Steve Kagen in office: McCormick is the only 8th Congressional district candidate with the name recognition, debate skills, and credentials to defeat the incumbent Democrat.
Two other possibilities: 1) McCormick is a strong-minded, independent woman running in a state that has never elected a Republican woman to federal office; 2) McCormick will not bow to the Republican Party Establishment.
The 8th District Race
The Eighth Congressional district is in northeast Wisconsin and borders Bart Stupak’s Upper Peninsula Michigan district. It’s largest cities are Green Bay and Appleton, both of which have a Republican mayor. From 1998 to 2006 it was represented by Congressman Mark Green, a conservative Republican. Since Green resigned to run for Governor in 2006, the district has been represented by liberal Democrat Steve Kagen of Appleton.
In 2010, the Republican candidates for candidates number three: Roger Roth, nephew of former Congressman Toby Roth; Reid “the Roofer” Ribble; and McCormick. Roth’s numbers seem to be decreasing rather than increasing after the Republican Liberty Caucus of Wisconsin exposed his anti-liberty voting record and dangerous rhetoric.
Reid Ribble was the leader of the National Roofing Contractors Association, a lobbying organization that supported the McCain-Kennedy immigration bill seeking to give amnesty to illegal immigrants. Ribble was also the Chairman of ROOFPAC in 2005-2006, the roofing contractor Political Action Committee. Despite his residency in Wisconsin, it appears Mr. Ribble has long been connected to Washington lobbyists.
Speaking of residency, a simple search of the White Pages indicates that Ribble lives in the 6th Congressional District represented by Republican Tom Petri, not the 8th District. Sherwood, Wisconsin is located in Calumet County, outside the boundary of the 8th District.
A March survey of the race illustrates that Ribble barely registers when it comes to name recognition despite that he has received over $20,000 in contributions from DC Political Action Committees to date. Still, the Establishment believes either Reid Ribble or Roger Roth will defeat Terri McCormick in the primary. They’re betting on it.
Terri McCormick’s campaign has already achieved several of its benchmark goals:
- Raised over $100,000 in the 2nd quarter fundraising period; - Gave the race a national focus by appearing twice on “Freedom Watch” with Judge Andrew Napolitano; - Featured in Politico (August 2010) and the National Journal’s Hotline (November 2009); - Became the first candidate to run a TV ad in the race; - Hired Tea Party-endorsed candidate Will Johnson from Iowa as campaign manager.
Given that McCormick received 32% in her 2006 Congressional race, she simply needs a repeat performance to win the 8th District primary.
Help McCormick Win the Primary
Establishment Republicans in the 8th District are desperate to derail the Terri McCormick freedom train. This is precisely why it is critical to participate in McCormick’s August 11 MoneyBomb, donate to her campaign, and join her Facebook fan page for updates.
Terri McCormick has addressed members of the Campaign for Liberty (see above video), Students for Liberty, the Republican Liberty Caucus, and “Freedom Watch” viewers. The issues page of her website outlines not only her achievements, but also her solution-focused approach to Washington politics-as-usual.
Voters in the 8th district should bet on McCormick because she is the only candidate who can defeat liberal Big Government Democrat Steve Kagen. As The Capital Times in Madison notes, “[T]he former legislator (Terri McCormick) has always been a maverick … [s]o the 8th might experience something rare in American politics: a contest between two genuine mavericks who disagree on a bunch of fundamental issues. A Kagen/McCormick race would be exciting, maybe a bit edgy.”
Terri McCormick’s slogan is “Credibility cannot be bought or borrowed; it must be earned.” Hopefully Terri McCormick has earned your support.
The views expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect official positions of the RLC.
Several Republican Liberty Caucus-endorsed candidates in Georgia either won their races or advanced to runoffs on Tuesday’s election in The Peach State.
Topping the list of runoff candidates is Karen Handel (pictured, left), who was one of two candidates endorsed by the Republican Liberty Caucus of Georgia Board of Directors for Governor. Handel will face Congressman Nathan Deal in the August 10 runoff election.
In Congressional District 12, voters will get a chance to choose between candidates Carl Smith (RLC endorsed) and Ray McKinney in the same runoff. The winner will face Congressman John Barrow (D).
In Congressional District 13, RLC-endorsed candidate Mike Crane will face off against Dr. Debra Honeycutt in a runoff. The winner will face Congressman David Scott (D).
In the Attorney General race, ex-Cobb County Commission chair Sam Olens will face State Sen. Preston Smith in the runoff. The Republican Liberty Caucus has endorsed Preston Smith.
The RLC-backed candidate for Commissioner of Agriculture, Gary Black, won his primary.
Jason Shepherd (pictured, right), a longtime Board member of the Republican Liberty Caucus of Georgia, won his State Representative primary in District 37 and will face Terry Johnson (D) in November.
For State Representative in District 180, RLC-endorsed candidate Jason Spencer has advanced to a runoff.
For a full list of RLC-backed candidates in Georgia, click here.
Congratulations to these candidates!
The views expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect official positions of the RLC.
The third district in Tennessee typifies what’s happening in America today. An open seat that will go to the Republican winner of the primary August 5, it is the Republican establishment vs. the liberty groups like RLC and the Tea Party.
Ten candidates are vying for the seat that Zach Wamp help for 16 years, but only three candidates have a chance:
1) Robin Smith. Former head of the TN Republican party and Zach Wamp acolyte, she is the choice of the Republican establishment. She will be just like Zach — good on many issues until the Constitution gets in the way. Zach Wamp voted for TARP. Robin will be more of the same.
2) Chuck Fleischmann. The choice of establishment Republicans that don’t like Robin. Better than Robin, but I don’t know if he is strong enough to fight off orders from above and would be a Republican puppet. Both Robin and Chuck are very well funded.
3) Van Irion. Endorsed by the RLC, and the favorite of 95% of Tea Party members in the 3rd district. Has one rule book, the Constitution. Van is a true believer in the 2nd Amendment with a carry permit. (View this clip.)
Van Irion has acted on his beliefs by filing a federal lawsuit against the Constitutionality of the recently passed Health Care bill. You can join in as a plaintiff at http://www.obamacareclassaction.com.
Van (pictured below) has been endorsed by Congressman Ron Paul. His goal in getting to Washington is to leave with less power by giving it back to the people and the states. For more information go to www.van4congress.org.
Gregg Juster is Chairman of the Republican Liberty Caucus of Tennessee.
The views expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect official positions of the RLC.
The Republican Liberty Caucus, a grassroots network of concerned citizens dedicated to upholding individual liberty, limited government, and free enterprise within the Republican Party, is pleased to announce its support of the following Colorado candidates:
Each of our endorsed candidates share common goals of dramatically reducing spending, cutting taxes, and an overall sense that government needs to return to its proper role and and exercise only those powers enumerated in the Constitution.
In addition to these endorsements, the Republican Liberty Caucus is pleased to endorse the following Colorado ballot initiatives in 2010:
The Republican Liberty Caucus mission is to recruit and endorse candidates who support its agenda, elect limited-government Republicans to political office, and change the direction of the Republican Party to reflect members’ vision of peace and prosperity.
If we are able to elect these liberty-minded candidates while passing these ballot initiatives, Colorado will be many steps ahead of where it is now. There’s lots of work to do still, so please get involved today!
The Republican Liberty Caucus National Board has selected to endorse Sharron Angle for U.S. Senate in Nevada against Harry Reid.
Mrs. Angle is a former Reno area Assemblywoman who often cast independent votes — often in opposition — while in the legislature. In 2006, the Republican Liberty Caucus endorsed Sharron Angle’s candidacy in the primary against now-Congressman Dean Heller. Angle lost by a very narrow margin.
But she’s back and better than ever in 2010, after winning the primary against two major Republican challengers.
Voters interested in supporting a candidate who will work to reduce the size of government should enthusiastically support Sharron Angle for U.S. Senate in Nevada.
The bonus is that electing Angle will rid our country of Majority Leader Harry Reid.
It took a bit of time, but Justin Amash’s campaign for Congress in District 3 (Grand Rapids area) is picking up steam. Yesterday he added an endorsement from Congressman Ron Paul and today he gained the endorsement of the Republican Liberty Caucus (receiving support from both the Michigan RLC and the RLC National Board).
Justin Amash has been a formal member of the Republican Liberty caucus since 2007. He is running for an open seat in Congress, as Congressman Vern Ehlers decided to retire. It’s possible that his challenge to the moderate Ehlers from the right resulted in the longtime Congressman calling it quits.
Now Congressman Ehlers has endorsed one of Amash’s four opponents, but he has no fear. “I wouldn’t expect Ehlers to endorse a candidacy like mine — which is committed to less spending, limited government and free markets,” he said in response.
In the August primary, Justin Amash will face four others, including a former State Senator and a former County Commissioner.
Amash is a first-term State Representative who has championed efficient, common sense, limited government. He’s a husband, father and attorney.
Representative Amash publishes his votes on his Facebook page so residents can get the inside scoop of the inner workings of the legislature in Lansing. He’ll do the same as a Representative in Congress
According to Congressman Ron Paul, “Justin Amash in one of the most principled young leaders I have seen in a generation. Justin will do the work to fight for lower taxes and spending and for more freedom in Washington. We need people like Justin voting with me in Congress.”
National Vice Chair of the Republican Liberty Caucus Aaron Biterman is excited about Amash’s campaign, saying “Americans who are concerned about an ever-expanding government and the growing debt need to cast their votes for Justin Amash or donate directly to his campaign as I have.”
The views expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect official positions of the RLC.
Republican Liberty Caucus endorsed candidates in Utah and South Carolina won their runoffs last night.
Congratulations to Mike Lee, who narrowly defeated Tim Bridgewater in the Utah U.S. Senate race. Lee will be a voice for common sense in the Senate after he wins in November. Until then, we have to make sure he is able to fend off his Democrat opponent.
In South Carolina, Nikki Haley won her run-off against bailout-supporting Congressman Gresham Barrett. Haley will be the first female Governor if she is elected. She will also be the 2nd southern Republican Governor of Indian origin currently serving. It’s good to see the Republican Party in a southern state embracing diversity and independent thinking.
In South Carolina’s 8th District, the votes were so close between RLC endorsed candidate Nancy Harrelson and her opponent that there will be a recount.
Congratulations to Mike Lee and Nikki Haley, their campaign teams, and Utah/South Carolina voters!
The views expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect official positions of the RLC.
On a Saturday in mid-May, the Republican Liberty Caucus of Utah held its annual Convention in Draper. A special thanks to RLC members Rob Alexander, Bryan Livingston, and Lowell Nelson for coordinating the convention and to all of the new officers and Convention speakers.
The Convention’s first speaker was Utah Representative John Dougall, who made a passionate speech in favor of persuasion instead of the use force. Dougall’s plan for maximizing liberty includes the importance of self-reliance in skills and education and the avoidance of debt. As more and more people become dependent, the more likely will be the calls for government to solve a problem that it cannot solve. He also stressed the importance of charity to help others achieve self-reliance.
Former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson (pictured addressing Delegates) was the featured speaker. He was elected on his promises and he kept them and was subsequently re-elected. He prevented billions in new spending by vetoing 750 bills, as well as thousands of line item vetoes. He was one of the most outspoken governors regarding bringing freedom of choice and competition to the educational system. He also discussed how much of law enforcement dollars are spent on the war on drugs. Johnson explained that much of the violence that occurs along the US-Mexican border is directly related to the prohibitive aspect of drug use. He says the “drug treatment model” does not work. He would have vetoed recent immigration legislation in Arizona had he been governor there, because he believes it could lead to racial profiling.
Johnson also discussed how we have to slash government spending by at least 43%, because 43 cents of every dollar America spends is borrowed. The Fed inflates (prints) money to cover our drunken binge. In the next 4-10 years, a dollar today will be worth only 50 cents then. Johnson believes that what’s happening in Greece is what is going to happen here. Many U.S. state pension funds are “under water”, with California being likely the one that will first fail.
Johnson believes the root of nearly all our problems is that the federal government is too large. He does not believe that attacking Iraq was warranted because we have the technology to know that Iraq didn’t have Weapons of Mass Destruction. Says Johnson, attacking Afghanistan was initially warranted, but the target, Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda, is not there anymore. America makes up 5% of the world’s population, but we spend 50% of the world total on military armaments.
Cherilyn Eagar, former Candidate or US Senate from Utah spoke for just a moment. She said that the campaign was exhilarating and she achieved some remarkable friends. She appreciates the successes of the Republican Liberty Caucus. Several other candidates for public office spoke, including Utah RLC members like Rob Alexander and DJ Schanz.
Mike Lee (pictured addressing Delegates), candidate for U.S. Senate from Utah, considers Cherilyn Eagar a patriot and a friend. Lee talked about how America is exceptional because of our tradition of liberty. He said that whenever government acts, it acts at the expense of liberty. He said we must therefore be mindful of what we allow the government to do. He remembers watching the 1994 election returns, thinking that it would be a happy change, but it didn’t turn out that way, even with a Republican president later elected. The Republican revolution in 1994 failed and has since died. But Lee believes we have a greater opportunity now in 2010, and we can’t mess it up this time. He says this time we must anchor it in something that is solid and time-tested–the Constitution. If we had done this in 1994, that revolution would still be vibrant today.
Here are a few photos from the Convention:
Lowell Nelson, Convention Chair.
Utah RLC members.
Utah RLC members.
The Utah RLC also elected its new officers:
Chair: Julian Babbitt, Cottonwood Heights Vice Chair: Chris Lovato, West Valley City Secretary: Bryan Livingston, Lehi Treasurer: David Garber, Provo
Board Members: Jeremy Hurren, Pleasant Grove James Williams, South Jordan Frank Staheli, Santaquin Lowell Nelson, Highland Clint Lord, Sandy Jordan Gunderson, West Provo
Advisery Board: Rob Alexander D.J. Schanz Rep. John Dougall Rep. Craig Frank
Utah House: Rob Alexander, District 35 Chuck Bateman, District 5 John Dougall, District 27 Craig Frank, District 57 Ken Ivory, District 47 DJ Schanz, District 20
Before closing the convention, the floor was opened to an informal roundtable discussion of issues and ideas, including:
* Senator Howard Stephenson is sponsoring a bill that would implement Preferential (Ranked) Voting in General Elections in Utah; * Representative John Dougall is sponsoring a constitutional coinage bill that would legalize and protect gold and silver in Utah; * General support of an RLC “Liberty Index” was expressed, and the Board may publish its first such index of Utah candidates in 2011; * Officers and board members will have a conference call monthly, and a face-to-face meeting quarterly. Events will be on a Google Calendar. * Members are encouraged to help DJ and/or Mike Lee in their respective primary races.
Thanks to everyone who made the Convention a success!
The views expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect official positions of the RLC.
(pictured) for Governor, Pat Anderson for State Auditor, Rep. Dan Severson for Secretary of State, and Lee Byberg for the Seventh Congressional District.
Congressional primary. Wisconsin Republicans had a prime opportunity to pass a Republican-held Congressional seat to a fresh face because Congressman Mark Green decided to run for Governor. The primary field was cleared by the Republican Party, which was betting that Speaker of the Wisconsin House John Gard could win the race. There was only one problem: Terri McCormick, a self-term limited Representative, also decided to run. Despite a drawn out smear-ignore campaign strategy and despite the intimidation tactics used by the Republican Party Bosses both nationally and in Wisconsin, McCormick continued her bid for Congress. 
was one of two candidates endorsed by the 
Liberty Caucus of Georgia, won his State Representative primary in District 37 and will face Terry Johnson (D) in November.
He was one of the most outspoken governors regarding bringing freedom of choice and competition to the educational system. He also discussed how much of law enforcement dollars are spent on the war on drugs. Johnson explained that much of the violence that occurs along the US-Mexican border is directly related to the prohibitive aspect of drug use. He says the “drug treatment model” does not work. He would have vetoed recent immigration legislation in Arizona had he been governor there, because he believes it could lead to racial profiling. 
