After a grueling Texas State Republican convention which ran more than 4 hours overtime, tired RLC members staggered into the Aloft Hotel in downtown Dallas to attend a special statewide meeting of the Republican Liberty Caucus of Texas. Most of the attendees were also convention delegates, but some had come in from around the state just to attend the meeting. The Austin, Dallas and Houston areas were most strongly represented among the group of over 30 RLC members who were in attendance.

The purpose of the meeting was to reorganize the Texas RLC state board and recharter the state organization to address a peculiar situation where the state has a number of successful and active regional chapters but no functioning state board. In the three-hour meeting the attendees were able to elect provisional board members and executive officers, approve a set of bylaws, fill out a charter application and discuss various issues of concern for Liberty Republicans in Texas. The meeting was moderated by RLC National Chairman Dave Nalle who is a Texas resident and RLC national board member Dan Shiell.

The overall mood was enthusiastic in the wake of the hard-won convention victory of Steve Munisteri, the new Chairman of the Texas GOP. Munisteri has a background of association with relatively pro-liberty leaders and campaigns, including having worked for Ron Paul, Fred Thompson, Jack Kemp and Ronald Reagan. He is expected to be much more friendly towards Liberty Republicans than his predecessor who was quite hostile and had even denied Debra Medina’s new advocacy organization a booth at the convention. Many of those attending the RLC meeting had been working hard at the convention to assure a Munisteri victory.

The meeting agreed to elect officers and board members on a 60-day provisional basis to be confirmed or modified and approved in a teleconference to be held within that period. This will provide time for RLC members in chapters around the state to review the work of the representatives at the meeting and for additional board members to be selected. Joey Dauben of Ellis County was elected Chairman. Judson Vandiver of Dallas was elected Vice Chairman. Dave Nalle of Travis County was elected Secretary. Joe Petronis of Austin was elected Treasurer. Board members elected at the meeting included Jeff Larson (Houston), Summer Yen (Austin), Patricia Nalle (Manor), Dan Shiell (Dallas) and Stephen Schoppe (Austin).

At a dinner gathering after the meeting, National RLC Chairman Dave Nalle commented that “After a convention where hostile party factions were at each others throats, being able to sit down with a group of real Liberty Republicans who so clearly shared the same objectives restored my faith in our movement and our efforts and the potential for achieving great victories for liberty in the Lonestar State.”

These results are perhaps the best results the Republican Liberty Caucus has achieved on a single primary day in our nearly 20 years of existence.

As we reported last night, RLC endorsed candidates for Governor in Maine (Paul LePage) and South Carolina (Nikki Haley) were victorious on the Super Tuesday primary ballots. In South Carolina, Nikki Haley will face Congressman Gresham Barrett in the run-off because she did not reach 50% of the vote.

Some big news out of South Carolina: incumbent State Treasurer Converse Chellis has been ousted by a Republican Liberty Caucus-endorsed challenger. Curtis Loftis (pictured), a small business owner who has “created jobs, balanced books and met payroll,” defeated the incumbent Treasurer by running as a conservative alternative to the Republican Chellis.

Loftis attacked Chellis for making an accounting error that cost the state (taxpayers) $60 million. Loftis is a term limits supporter who vowed to take on special interests and corruption as State Treasurer. This is an exciting win for South Carolina taxpayers. On a similar note, Congressman Bob Inglis, a bailout supporter representing a very conservative South Carolina Congressional district, will have to face a Republican opponent in an upcoming run-off election.

In California, RLC endorsed candidates for Congress did quite well. John Dennis in District 8 and Gary Clift in District 10 both won their respective primaries in northern California. Dennis (pictured with Dr. Ron Paul), a RLC member and Chair of the Republican Liberty Caucus of San Francisco, will face Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi this fall. In southern California, RLC candidate Clayton Thibodeau gained a respectable 30% of the vote against moderate U.S. Rep. Mary Bono Mack. In Santa Cruz, RLC-endorsed State House candidate Ellie Black faced no primary opponent, so she will face incumbent Democrat Assemblyman Bill Monning in November.

In Maine, four RLC-endorsed candidates for State Representative will advance to the General Election, including Richard Malaby (pictured left), Ryan Harmon, Michael McClellon, and William Gombar. Harmon and Gombar are both dues-paying RLC members. Their victories come on the heels of a huge win for Paul LePage to become the next Governor. Remember the name Paul LePage; with our help, he is going to become Maine’s next Governor.

In addition to the Nikki Haley and Curtis Loftis victories in South Carolina, two other statewide RLC-endorsed Republicans have advanced. RLC-endorsed candidates Richard Eckstrom — the incumbent two-term Comptroller General — won his primary and Bill Connor (pictured right) has advanced to a run-off in his bid to become the state’s Lt. Governor. Connor would be a significant improvement over the current Lt. Governor, Andre Bauer, who performed terribly in yesterday’s gubernatorial election. According to Connor, “I’m one who firmly believes in as small a government as possible. Charity is the job of churches.”

Additionally, two South Carolina RLC candidates scored victories in their Congressional races. Mick Mulvaney was unopposed in District 5 against 30 year incumbent John Spratt. Mulvaney describes himself as a libertarian Republican and Republicans nationally believe he has a good chance in November. In Congressional District 6, RLC-endorsed candidate Nancy Harrelson advanced to a run-off with a Republican opponent for the right to face House Majority Whip James Clyburn. Harrelson has signed the RLC’s Liberty Compact.

Although the Republican Liberty Caucus did not endorse any candidates in the high profile Nevada U.S. Senate race, the Republican Liberty Caucus did endorse Sharron Angle in her 2006 bid for Congress. Angle is well aware of the RLC, is a subscriber to our Nevada RLC list-serve, and has made efforts to reach out to RLC members in the past. In July, 2009, we profiled her as a “leader for liberty” in the RLC newsletter. While many RLC members may object to her views on social issues or foreign policy (or both), her philosophy on government appears to be in line with ours in the general sense: It’s doing way too much and must be downsized.

This is turning out to be a great election year for liberty-focused candidates, thanks in large part to the Tea Parties. Please become a Republican Liberty Caucus member today or make a small gift so we can propel our movement forward in states like California, Maine, and South Carolina.

This is only the third time I have written about Adam Kokesh since his campaign began. The first time — nearly one year ago — I provided an analysis of what I believed would occur in the race. The second time I wrote about the race was to defend Kokesh against some pro-war Republicans who were ripping him to pieces.

The results are not yet complete, but with over 60% of the vote, Kokesh has a little more than 27% of the votes. You can see what the end result will be from these totals.

Let me explain why Adam Kokesh lost his race:
1) Wrong district
2) Poor strategy
3) Unpopular message

First, Kokesh absolutely picked the wrong district to run in. I could have told him that a year ago. (Look above, I did!) I’m told other folks also explained this fact to Kokesh but he (the candidate) was set on running in New Mexico’s Third District. My original analysis of the race explains why the district was not ripe for a Kokesh victory — either in the primary or the general election.

The strategy of the Kokesh campaign was a losing one. The idea was to woo left-leaning Democrats and Independents into the Kokesh camp. The strategy resulted in an unimpressive less than 20% showing at the New Mexico Republican Convention for Kokesh and led us to watch the votes pour in for Tom Mullins this evening.

The strategy of any Republican campaign seeking victory in the primary must be to turn Republican voters on to your message and sell your ideas to the people voting on the election ballot. Kokesh’s focus should have been on his Republican primary. One idea that would have helped him was to simply gather his Republican supporters together and form a New Mexico chapter of the Republican Liberty. This strategy would have lent Kokesh some Republican credentials and would have formed a caucus around his campaign.

New Mexico 3 is not the right place to sell liberty. A libertarian message is not going to sell in a district that supports government handouts. And a libertarian message is not going to sell when the Republicans voting in the primary fail to be convinced that you’re a Republican or that you have any affinity for the principles of the Republican Party.

The voters made their choice in New Mexico’s Third District.

The New Mexico 3 experiment really underscores the value of time, effort, and resources. Unfortunately, all of these — including over $225,000 of hard-earned donor money which could have been spent on winnable races — were wasted.

Let’s learn something from this endeavor and do something different next time — by not squandering precious resources on unwinnable races.

The Republican Liberty Caucus National Board is offering an outstanding slate of liberty-oriented candidates who will effectively work to limit the size and scope of government if selected by voters in the upcoming primary and in November. The slate of candidates includes:

* Nikki Haley, Governor
* Bill Connor, Lt. Goveror
* Curtis Loftis, State Treasurer
* Richard Eckstrom (Incumbent), Comptroller General
* Jim DeMint (Incumbent), U.S. Senator
* Dr. Mike Vasovski, U.S. Congress, District 3
* Dr. Christina Jeffrey, U.S. Congress, District 4
* State Senator Mick Mulvaney, U.S. Congress, District 5
* Nancy Harrelson, U.S. Congress, District 6

“This slate of candidates is already standing up for liberty and smaller government,” said RLC Endorsements Director Dan Sheill. “We hope South Carolinians will choose them in the upcoming elections to continue the pro-liberty agenda of the outgoing Governor.”

The Republican Liberty Caucus of Wisconsin, which was chartered in December of last year, had its first major presence at the state Republican Party Convention. The Convention, which took place over the weekend in downtown Milwaukee, featured Presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty and the much-loved Congressman Paul Ryan.

At the Convention, Chairman Michael S. Murphy handed RLC literature out to longtime Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner and had a brief conversation with Wisconsin Republican Party Chair Reince Preibus. Additionally, the Wisconsin RLC received numerous requests for membership applications and talked to candidates who wanted to seek the Republican Liberty Caucus of Wisconsin endorsement.

Several candidates who have already been endorsed by the state affiliate were being actively promoted by RLC members, such as Terri McCormick for Congress in Wisconsin’s 8th District and Ed Thompson for State Senate in District 31.

Below are some photos of Wisconsin RLC members at the 2010 GOP Convention. A special thanks to Chairman Michael S. Murphy and Secretary Paul Sanchez for their hard work to prepare for liberty outreach at the Convention.

Learn more about the Wisconsin chapter of the Republican Liberty Caucus at http://wi.rlc.org/.

Secretary Paul Sanchez with RLC endorsed candidate for State Senate from Rock County, Rick Richard.

Two RLC board members with Wisconsin’s Voice of Liberty, Ken Van Doren (center).

Michael S. Murphy, U.S. Senate candidate Dave Westlake, and Paul Sanchez.

Wisconsin RLC Vice Chair Chris Ciancimino.

Wisconsin RLC Chair with candidate for Congress Dan Sebring (District 4).

Wisconsin RLC Chair with candidate for Congress Terri McCormick (District 8).

Republican Liberty Caucus Endorses Liberty Slate of Idaho Candidates
Endorsed Candidates Filled out RLC Questionnaire and Will Implement Limited Government Agenda

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 21, 2010
CONTACT: Dan Sheill, Endorsements Director

Coeur d’Alene, Idaho – The Republican Liberty Caucus, a national grassroots caucus which advocates for limited government and individual liberty within the Republican Party, has endorsed the following candidates in the Idaho primary next week:

* Steven Dana Pankey for Lieutenant Governor;
* Todd Hatfield for State Controller;
* M.C. Chick Heilson for U.S. Representative, District 2;
* Dennis Engelhardt for State Senate, District 2;
* Mike A. Nielsen and Russell Schenck for Bonner County Commissioners in District 2 and 3; and
* Bud Mueller for Bonner County Clerk of the District Court

According to Republican Liberty Caucus Endorsements Director Dan Sheill, “The Idaho primary is approaching on Tuesday. Will Republican voters select these small government candidates to return Idaho government to one that respects individual rights and less government intrusion?”  Continued Idaho RLC member Tom Dillin, “This slate of candidates will put Idaho on the right track and will bring us so much closer to restoring our Constitutional principles within the state and within the Republican Party.”

The Republican Liberty Caucus is a 527 political organization committed to protecting the principles of individual liberty, limited government, and free enterprise that once defined the Republican Party. The Caucus recruits and endorses candidates who support our agenda, work to elect limited-government Republicans to political office, and work to change the direction of the Republican Party to reflect members’ vision of peace and prosperity.

Learn more about the Republican Liberty Caucus at http://www.RLC.org.

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Republican Liberty Caucus of Utah Endorses Candidates at Statewide Convention
Caucus Advocates Change in Direction of Republican Party to Favor Limited Government

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 5/19/10
CONTACT: Julian Babbitt

Draper, Utah – The Republican Liberty Caucus of Utah, an affiliate of the national Republican Liberty Caucus, met over the weekend at its Annual Convention and endorsed the following candidates for public office:

* Mike Lee for U.S. Senate
* Morgan Philpot U.S. Congress, District 2
* Daniel Thatcher for State Senate, District 12
* John Dougall for State Representative, District 27
* Rob Alexander for State Representative, District 35
* Chuck Bateman for State Representative, District 5
* Ken Ivory for State Representative, District 47
* DJ Schanz for State Representative, District 20
* Craig Frank for State Representative, District 57
* Curt Oda for State Representative, District 14

Said the newly elected chair, Julian Babbitt, “Small government and personal liberty advocates have been increasingly frustrated with the Republican Party, best exhibited by the recent showing by Senator Bennett at our State GOP Convention, which gained national headlines. Our slate of candidates offers hope for the cause of liberty and for all Utahns who believe in a sharply limited government.”

All of the 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. With the Obama Administration’s trampling of states’ rights and personal freedom, the time is now for change at both the federal and state level.

The Republican Liberty Caucus of Utah is a grassroots network of concerned citizens dedicated to upholding individual liberty, limited government, and free enterprise within the Republican Party. The RLC’s 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. Learn more about the Caucus at http://www.RLC.org. A specific report on the event is found at the Utah RLC blog.

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The Republican Liberty Caucus, which exists to promote individual liberty, limited government, and free enterprise within the Republican Party, has endorsed a candidate for Governor in Maine and a candidate for Governor in Pennsylvania.

Maine has seven Republican candidates vying for the Republican nomination, which will be decided on the June 8 primary. Pennsylvania has two Republican candidates running to win the May 18 primary.

The Republican Liberty Caucus of Maine, a chartered state affiliate, has endorsed Waterville Mayor Paul LePage (pictured below) for Governor.

The national RLC Board of Directors has endorsed Sam Rohrer for Governor and Russ Diamond for Lt. Governor in Pennsylvania. Diamond and Rohrer are not running on the same ticket, as elections will occur independently for both offices.

“The Maine RLC Board voted to make a donation from the Maine RLC Political Action Committee to the LePage campaign,” said Maine RLC Vice-Chair Vic Berardelli. LePage has an interesting background, having been born the oldest of 18 children to impoverished parents. He left home at age 11, when he was adopted after being on the streets. Olympia Snowe’s first husband persuaded a college to accept LePage despite his poor verbal skills at the time. LePage went on to graduate, obviously improving on his language skills, and opened several successful businesses. He currently serves as Mayor of Waterville, a Democrat stronghold, and has persuaded the council not to enact any tax increases.

LePage says he believes that Maine government must become smaller and more agile. He’d like to reform the state’s welfare system by placing greater emphasis on personal accountability. And apparently undaunted by the prospect of becoming a GOP governor who might very well have to work with majority Democrats in the Legislature, LePage says his experience as mayor of Waterville should give Mainers some idea of what they can expect from him as governor.

Pennsylvania does not have an active Republican Liberty Caucus affiliate. The national RLC Board of Directors endorsed State Representative Sam Rohrer for Governor in The Keystone State. This video outlines how Rohrer has tapped into the grassroots Tea Party and constitutionalist mood to run an uphill campaign for Governor.

Since his remarkable election to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in 1992, Rohrer has been one of the leading voices for state government reform. His outspoken support for constitutional principles has been the hallmark of his public service. More than opposing negative public policies, Sam has been a champion for consensus-building public policy alternatives and solutions.

This year he led an effort to pass a 10th Amendment Resolution to challenge the expanded reach of the federal government in areas ranging from health care to education. He also has appeared on “Freedom Watch” with Judge Andrew Napolitano.

Rohrer will face the establishment favorite, Attorney General Tom Corbett, in his primary.

An endorsed Republican Liberty Caucus candidate from Tennessee won his primary for County Commission in Madison County, all but securing victory in the county general election this August because he has no other opponents.

Adrian Eddleman, who the RLC endorsed just two weeks before at the annual Tennessee RLC Convention, received 362 votes to his opponents 227 votes. A third opponent gained 86 votes. The county general election is August 5th.

You can view Adrian’s biography here.

“I wish to extend my congratulations to Adrian and look forward to him upholding limited government principles while serving in office,” said Tennessee RLC Vice-Chair Matt Collins. Continued Collins, “It should also be pointed out that with local races often times only a few dozen votes determine the outcome of the election. Hopefully this will serve as an inspiration for you to get involved in races in your area.”

Remember, remember … all politics is local. Congratulations to Mr. Eddleman!

The Republican Liberty Caucus National Board confirmed the following endorsements at our Board meeting yesterday.

The endorsed candidates include: Brett Gaspard (District 69) and Tim Fairfield (District 78) for State Representative; Cathy H. Flaig (Boone County) and John Riley (Spencer County) for Judge Executive; Peter Garrett for Campbell County Commissioner; and Cindy Arlinghaus Rich (Incumbent) for Boone County Property Valuation Administrator.

These endorsements are in addition to our previous endorsement of Dr. Rand Paul for U.S. Senate in the May 19 Kentucky primary. Good luck to these candidates!