CONCORD, N.H.–To bolster Republicans’ progress toward responsible government in the House of Representatives, the Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire is endorsing David Simpson for state representative in a Hillsborough District 3 special election on Tuesday, Sept. 20.

Simpson, who is running for a vacant House seat representing the towns of Peterborough, New Ipswich, Sharon and Greenville, would bring important experience to reinforce the already impressive efforts of the Republican majority in restoring the common sense principles of limited government, individual liberty, personal responsibility, free enterprise and adherence to the state and federal constitutions.

“The Republican majority has demonstrated that they are dedicated to bringing prosperity back to New Hampshire, and David Simpson will be a valuable addition to that effort,” said Andrew Hemingway, chairman of the Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire. “David’s experience, primarily in the areas of finance, budgets and small businesses, will be important as we continue to undo the economic damage wrought by years of Democrat control and public mismanagement.”

On his Web site, www.davidlsimpson.org, Simpson makes clear his commitment to improving the business climate in New Hampshire, which will lead to economic and job growth. He says he wants to work to protect the New Hampshire Advantage by maintaining a reasonable regulatory balance, making business tax rates more competitive and protecting individuals right to work free from union coercion.

“David Simpson will strengthen Republican efforts to restore common sense government in Concord,” said Hemingway. “He is unwavering in his commitment to the welfare and prosperity of our state, and he understands that the only way to get the state back on the path to prosperity is by returning to our legacy of responsible, honest and limited government.”

In general, endorsed RLCNH candidates are strong proponents of limited government, individual liberty, personal responsibility and free enterprise. They have shown their dedication to these ideals with their score on RLCNH’s 20-question candidate survey and their reputation among liberty activists. Endorsed candidates must score 80 percent or higher on the survey and they must have a strong character recognized by their peers.

For more information about David Simpson’s candidacy, please visit www.davidlsimpson.org.

Like Governor Rick Perry I was a cheerleader, and I’m excited about the opportunities to lead the growth in the liberty movement during the coming election year.  So I sent out a letter to our state chapters to stir things up a bit and get us rolling as we go into this new season of amazing possibilities – DN

Republican Liberty Caucus of Virginia Endorses Patricia Phillips in Senate District 33

June 19 (Fairfax, VA) – The Republican Liberty Caucus of Virginia announced its endorsement of Patricia Phillips today in her race for the Senate of Virginia in District 33. She has the Republican nomination in hand, and will face incumbent Democratic Senator Mark Herring in November.

Virginia RLC Secretary Rob Kenyon observed: “Patricia‟s dedication to federalism and liberty will be a breath of fresh air in the Senate, a body that desperately needs it. She‟s also a longtime advocate of good stewardship of taxpayer dollars, as evidenced by her opposition to the Dulles Metrorail boondoggle, and the effective selling off of the Dulles Toll Road, for example. Patricia will also be a voice in Richmond against unconstitutional federal mandates like the Affordable Care Act, and understands the duty of the state government to interpose itself in such cases.”

Phillips will represent a change from “business as usual‟ in the Senate of Virginia, and a welcome contrast to the unmitigated disaster that is incumbent Mark Herring’s votes for big government. The Republican Liberty Caucus of Virginia and its Board of Directors is proud to offer its endorsement to Patricia Phillips.

The Virginia RLC was founded in 2007 and has formal chapters in northern Virginia and central Virginia. Members meet periodically to discuss issues, lobby, and endorse candidates.

In Kentucky’s Republican gubernatorial primary, RLC endorsed insurgent candidate Phil Moffett, despite performing better than expected, wasn’t able to beat his establishment opponent, State Senate President, David Williams. Upon first glance at the results with 70% of precincts reporting and Moffett down by about 7%, I was wondering where the vaunted Kentucky tea party network that propelled Senator Paul into office was. I was actually on the phone with RLC Chairman Dave Nalle earlier when I went to my favorite source, Twitter, and did a #KYGov search to find the aforementioned information. Looking at what I unearthed, I said to Dave, “I’m honestly stunned that anyone who voted for Paul wouldn’t also vote for Moffett”. After further researching the dynamics however, it turns out there were various factors at play that made for very different races, despite the candidate’s similar ideology and being the tea party insurgents pitted against the establishment.

In fact, one of the first articles I came across when I googled Phil Moffett, directly answered the question I had rhetorically posed to Dave. “Why Phil Moffett Is Not Rand Paul”, written by Kevin Brennan at The National Journal, provided immense clarification regarding their differences.

The first issue, and one that is always central in any race, was Moffett’s problem with name recognition. Despite marketing himself as Senator Paul’s heir apparent, there’s no doubt that Ron Paul’s network is what initially provided his son with momentum. That, of course, leads into Moffett’s second problem; fundraising – with which the elder Paul also aided his son greatly. Williams ultimately outspent Moffett 10-1, which speaks volumes about Moffett’s lack of traction in the cash procurement arena. Additionally, Moffett wasn’t able to capture Paul’s official endorsement, because Williams also supported Paul against Grayson in 2010.

Rand Paul’s national network, combined with media fueled fervor over whether the Senate would be turned over to the Republicans, was also undoubtedly an advantage for him that Moffett lacked. Although Moffett’s campaign and allies such as Western Representation PAC tried to pitch the storyline that Moffett’s campaign had a national impact because this GOP primary was the only one in 2011 in which the victor would face off with a pro Obama, Democrat incumbent Governor, creating national fervor in an off year over a primary that the media cares little about turned out to be nearly impossible.

Additionally, a major issue at play was the fact that there was a third dark horse choice in the primary. Jefferson County Clerk, Barbara Holsclaw, who is from Louisville just like Phil Moffett, ended up capturing 13% of the vote. She is reported to be well-liked by those who know her, but little known outside of her fairly small network. That Holsclaw and Moffett are from the same area and were both seen as outsiders, undoubtedly hurt our endorsee. In Rand Paul’s primary, it was just him, a nationally known figure with great fundraising capabilities, and the establishment candidate, former Democrat, Trey Grayson – who I believe was actually hurt by endorsements from the likes of Dick Cheney and Mitch McConnell.

Another aspect to note is the fact that Louisville is far north, right on the Indiana border. Having to compete for votes in his own hometown, and dealing with the fact that he wasn’t very well known in both the eastern and western stretches of his state were certainly a disadvantage. Moffett performed well in the Commonwealth’s two most populated counties, but was hardest hit primarily in the far eastern portions of Kentucky. When you aren’t raising enough funds, it of course makes travel difficult. Clearly, Moffett had trouble reaching some of the more off the beaten path rural areas, which make up most of eastern Kentucky.

Sadly, enthusiasm for Moffett didn’t peak, despite obvious potential. It’s possible that without Holsclaw, Moffett could have won in an upset, but unfortunately, that didn’t pan out for our anti-establishment businessman who valiantly took to the streets peddling common sense ideas. However, from an optimistic standpoint, it’s important to note that with all factors considered, Moffett actually performed well. As I noted above, Williams outspent Moffett 10-1 – yet he only won by 7 percentage points. Additionally, turnout for this primary was only at 9%. Given that Williams was the clear establishment favorite, he no doubt had somewhat of a machine, capable of turning votes out for him. As Rand Paul noted in his book, “The Tea Party Goes to Washington”, the tea party networks in Kentucky, while strong ideologically, aren’t terribly well-connected or organized – which of course tends to be the case with the movement nationally.

Considering the off year timing, relatively disorganized network of Moffett supporters, and comparatively dismal fundraising, the results were noteworthy. Certainly, liberty Republicans can learn a lesson from the failure of this campaign, and work toward building better infrastructure in the future. We need to effectively network and get out the vote for our candidates. As we move toward 2012, the Republican Liberty Caucus will certainly be on the ground, helping with just that kind of organization. Please join us!

It’s no secret that the trick to the success of many grassroots candidate backed by Tea Party groups and activist groups from the liberty movement like the Republican Liberty Caucus last year was using nationwide issue-based fundraising to drive money to local candidates from outside of their states.

The Ron Paul campaign showed how effective that strategy could be in their “moneybombs” in 2008 and it worked equally well for his son Rand and other grassroots Republicans in 2010. It made it possible for candidates whose support was primarily from small groups and individuals to widen their fundraising reach, largely through the internet, and thereby counter the influence of establishment PACs and even the Republican National Committee.

In an off-year election when there are far fewer races around the country there is the potential for this strategy to be even more effective for the small number of candidates who are running. The millions raised for hundreds of grassroots candidates in 2010 could carry far more weight when divided between only a handful of candidates in key races in 2011.

The main stumbling block is that people are still recovering from the 2010 campaign and awareness of the 2011 campaigns is not high among activists and potential donors. People just don’t think about politics as much a year when most of the elections are local and low profile. Nonetheless, there are a few very significant races being run and important victories which could be won for grassroots Republican candidates all over the country. There are special elections and state and local elections, including five governorships and a couple of seats in Congress up for grabs.

Most of these races haven’t really made it onto the national radar yet. There are four states with gubernatorial elections this year. The only one of these races which isn’t competitive is Bobby Jindal’s race for reelection in Louisiana. The other races are in West Virginia, Mississippi and Kentucky and haven’t gotten much attention outside their states. There are two vacant congessional seats, one in California (CD36) and the other in New York (CD26), both elections are to fill partial terms of representatives who resigned. There are also high profile mayoral elections in about a dozen cities and elections for major statewide offices in some of the states which are electing governors. Most of these elections are in November with party primaries earlier in the year.

In most of these races it’s still not clear who the good candidates are or even who’s running, though we know that Governor Haley Barbour cannot run for reelection in Mississippi because of term limits. So far the only race to be getting much national attention is the contest for Governor of Kentucky. A lot of attention is already focused on the state and there is a heated Republican primary to see who will get the chance to challenge incumbent Democrat Steve Beshear. Based on the surge of support for Rand Paul last November and his double-digit win in the general election it seems likely that a grassroots Republican will stand a good chance of beating Beshear. The two main contenders are State Senate Chairman David Williams and Louisville businessman Phil Moffett who has emerged as the first strong grassroots candidate of 2011.

The Kentucky GOP primary vote is on May 19th, so the campaign is already well under way, and Moffett has the support of most of the same groups which backed Rand Paul, including the recently announced endorsement of the Republican Liberty Caucus. Moffett is running on an innovative platform of major tax reform, reducing the size of government and protecting state farms and businesses from overregulation by the federal government. He has struck such a strong chord with voters that Williams has started to steal his ideas, trying to obscure his long history as a political insider.

The Kentucky primary is early compared to other primaries this year so the campaigns are already well under way, and Moffett has been using moneybombs and online events to draw in donations from Tea Partiers and Liberty Republicans all over the country who helped get so many grassroots candidates elected last November. The question for his campaign is whether those activists and donors are somewhat burnt out so soon after last year’s election, or whether they will realize what an opportunity this is and rally to support him despite the lower profile of an off-year race like this.

Moffett’s campaign has set a goal of raising $200,000 and is about half-way there. That’s significantly less than his opponent is spending, but his relative lack of cash will be offset by the enthusiasm and hard work of his followers. As happened with Rand Paul, once he wins the primary larger donors within the GOP establishment are likely to come around and start supporting him against the Democrat incumbent.

The Moffett campaign may be setting the tone for the other races which will follow this year, and showing that there’s a great opportunity for principled, grassroots Republicans to mount serious campaigns and raise substantial money during an off election year. The fundraising strategies which worked in 2010 have the potential to be even more effective now. As the campaigns in other states develop we can hope to see more candidates with Tea Party and Liberty Republican backing emerge, and those of us who support smaller, better and more responsible government should be watching for opportunities to support the best candidates, even if they are in a different state.

Following up on the RLC’s strong support for Rand Paul — which initially looked to be an uphill fight that resulted in victory — the Republican Liberty Caucus today announced that it has endorsed Tea Party favorite Phil Moffett for Governor in Kentucky.

Moffett faces Jefferson County Clerk Bobbie Holsclaw and state Senate President David Williams in the May 17 GOP primary.

The RLC endorsed Moffett because of his issue position statements and support for individual liberty and limited government.  Moffett has some very creative ideas about reducing the tax burden on Kentuckians as well as plans to stop the overreach of the FDA and other federal agencies which are violating state sovereignty and placing unnecessary barriers in the way of business in Kentucky.

You can learn more about Mr. Moffett and get involved in his campaign at his website.

Plus he has a catchy campaign song:

For Immediate Release: April 13th, 2011
Contact: Dave Nalle, National Chair: (512) 656-8011 or chairman@rlc.org

Republican Liberty Caucus Endorses Phil Moffett for Governor of Kentucky
Kentucky Voters Have a Strong Candidate Who Will Get Government off their Backs

On Tuesday the national board of the Republican Liberty Caucus voted unanimously to endorse Phil Moffett in the Republican primary for Governor of Kentucky.

In this off-year election season Phil Moffett stands out as one of the most promising candidates. His background in business, his support for limited government and his mission of protecting the people of Kentucky from an overreaching federal government make him the kind of strong champion of liberty the RLC wants to see elected.

“Kentucky already scored a major victory for liberty last year with the election of Rand Paul, and I’m confident that Phil Moffett will bring the same kind of integrity and dedication to better government at the state level which Rand Paul is promoting in Washington,” said RLC Chairman Dave Nalle. “We need Republicans like Moffett who will stand up for the best interests of the people and for Constitutionally limited government on the state level just as much as we need them on the national level.”

RLC Vice Chairman Aaron Biterman observed, “Moffett’s ideas for cutting taxes and his stand against the intrusive policies of the FDA and other federal agencies show creative thinking and a dedication to small and responsive government. Our members in Kentucky are very enthusiastic about Moffett and are rallying around his campaign.”

The Republican Liberty Caucus wishes Mr. Moffett every success in his campaign, and will be working hard this year to promote him and Republican candidates like him in order to bring the GOP back to its founding principles of limited government, free enterprise and individual liberty.

– 30 –

More information on the Phil Moffett campaign is at http://www.philmoffett.com
Information on current and past RLC endorsees and office holders can be found at http://www.rlc.org/

The National Committee of the Republican Liberty Caucus has endorsed Brian Costin for Mayor of Schaumburg, Illinois — a western Chicago suburb.

Mr. Costin serves a board member of Northwest Suburban Taxpayers United and a volunteer with the Citizen Police Academy Alumni Association of Schaumburg. Brian serves as Director of Outreach for the Illinois Policy Institute. Among his duties is heading up the Liberty Leaders project. Previously, he worked for the Heartland Institute as Assistant Director of Government Relations.

In 2008, Brian founded the Schaumburg Freedom Coalition, a non-partisan, non-profit volunteer group advocating lower taxes, personal and economic freedom, and greater government transparency. SFC gained recognition for its work in exposing the Village of Schaumburg’s red light camera program as a failed safety measure and preventing an unjust $15 million tax.

Schaumburg hasn’t seen a fight for mayor since 1995. Brian’s 2011 campaign is focusing on ethics reform, disciplined spending, and lower taxes for village residents. The election will occur on April 5.

Wisconsin RLC Chairman Michael S. Murphy is setting a good example for RLC members in his state and for state chapters in other parts of the country.

Gaining Election

Murphy was recruited by GOP members to run for South Branch Chairman of the Milwaukee County Republican Party earlier this year, which is the most populated of the six branches of the county Republican Party structure.

In late January, Murphy won election uncontested after it became clear that he was going to win even if the establishment put up a candidate against him. Murphy and Vice-Chair Alfredo Rios joined several pro-liberty allies on the Milwaukee County GOP Committee and, together, have been able to change some minds of members. For example, the Republican Party of Milwaukee County’s main page features a link to Ron Paul’s Facebook Fan Page and headlines an article by Thomas Sowell.

The Unwritten Rule

Last year, Murphy helped expose an unwritten rule that Wisconsin Republicans and Wisconsin Democrats have been upholding for many years. His efforts brought attention to a rule that was not previously known by Republican Party registrants or members.

The agreement is that incumbent Members of Congress will not campaign against each other. The agreement is between all Members of Congressional delegation. In Wisconsin, there are three Democrat incumbents and five Republican incumbents, none of whom will mention each other by name (except in a positive light) in the 2012 election cycle as a result of this unwritten agreement.

The absurd agreement is one of the reasons that RLC-endorsed candidate for Congress Dan Sebring, who ran against Democrat Gwen Moore, did not receive party support for his campaign in 2010 — despite that Sebring was the Republican nominee in the race.

Prior to November, an incumbent member of Congress had not lost in the state in over ten years and only four Members of Congress had lost in The Badger State in the last 28 years.

Participating in the GOP Process

Wisconsin RLC Chairman Mike Murphy, who received an award for his efforts to lead the state RLC chapter at the 2011 RLC National Convention, focused on bringing light to the “Unwritten Agreement” between Democrat and Republican incumbent politicians in Wisconsin.

As Chairman of the South Branch of the Milwaukee GOP, Mike Murphy introduced and passed a resolution condemning and disallowing the elected Republican members of Congress to participate in a sweetheart deal with Democrat incumbents.

Shortly before the Milwaukee County GOP Caucus, the Milwaukee County Resolutions Committee shot down Murphy’s resolution. Murphy took the resolution to the floor for delegates to hear. After explaining the “Unwritten Agreement”, he received support from delegates and even from members of the Resolutions Committee who previously discarded the proposal. The resolution was agreed to by the Milwaukee County GOP body.

On Saturday, March 26, the 4th District Republican Party will also consider the resolution. Murphy anticipates it will pass.

Erasing the Unwritten Rule

Two separate entities — the 4th Congressional District GOP and the Milwaukee County GOP — will be recommending Murphy’s resolution to the State Republican Party Resolutions Committee. Of course, having two GOP groups supporting the resolution will strengthen its appeal.

The state GOP Convention will occur on May 22 in Wisconsin Dells, at which time the State Resolutions Committee will consider the proposal. If passed by the Resolution Committee, the proposal will be listed in the state GOP program for delegates to consider. Should the Resolutions Committee not adopt it, Murphy will introduce the measure from the floor so delegates will have a say on it.

Republican pols like Jim Sensenbrenner should not be protecting Democrat pols like Gwen Moore.

Patriots like Mike Murphy lead by example and show other liberty-minded activists the path to success to restore liberty in the Republican Party.

Gwen Moore, Jim Sensenbrenner, and Paul Ryan have a deal.

The Republican Liberty Caucus of Wisconsin, which supported Governor Scott Walker’s budget proposal and efforts to limit collective bargaining rights for some state employees, is tackling recall and legislative efforts this spring. Specifically:

• RLC-WI members are working to collect signatures to recall eight of the 14 Democrat Senators who fled the state to Illinois for 3 weeks throughout February and early March; and

• RLC-WI members are rallying support for the legislation being introduced by Washington County legislators Glenn Grothman and Don Pridemore to legalize raw milk sales in the state.

Recall the Wisconsin 14!

The Republican Liberty Caucus of Wisconsin encourages its members to get involved in the recall efforts of eight Democrat Senators who chose to represent Illinois voters rather than Wisconsin voters. If you live in the Stevens Point/Wausau, Green Bay, North Woods, Kenosha, Madison, or Milwaukee areas, it is important to get involved in the recall efforts of the following State Senators. Click the link to be taken to the websites where you can download petitions to circulate.

• Recall Jim Holperin
• Recall Dave Hansen
• Recall Bob Wirch
• Recall Julie Lassa
• Recall Mark Miller
• Recall Spencer Coggs
• Recall Lena Taylor
• Recall Fred Risser

The goal of the recall efforts is to let the voters weigh in on the decision of the Senators to leave Wisconsin during a critical time in state history.

Legalize Raw Milk

Wisconsin RLC members are also working on a legislative initiative, as it did in 2010, to legalize raw milk in the dairy state. The proposal introduced earlier this week would allow for a licensed dairy farmer to register with the state to sell raw milk and its byproducts directly to consumers. Under current law, only incidental sales of raw milk are allowed. Nine states allow retail sales of raw milk.

Last spring, former Governor Jim Doyle vetoed a proposal that would have allowed farmers to sell their raw milk if there were certain safeguards in place to protect the public. But Governor Scott Walker said in January that he would likely sign a similar bill if it were to come across his desk.

Last May, the Wisconsin RLC sent out a press release supporting the legislation. “Imagine what a positive impact raw milk can have on the economy in our Dairy State,” said state RLC Chairman Michael S. Murphy of Milwaukee.

The Republican Liberty Caucus of Wisconsin was founded in 2009 to promote individual liberty, limited government, and free enterprise within the Republican Party. Learn more about the RLC-WI at http://wi.rlc.org/.