At a post-election event for members of the Republican Liberty Caucus, National Chairman Dave Nalle made the following remarks on the state of the Republican Party in the aftermath of the Romney defeat.

“If you nominate a candidate who has a position to please every constituency you run the risk that voters will decide that this is the same thing as having a position to alienate every constituency and respond by not turning out to vote. The party has lost its way because of lazy leaders who have ignored the sensible voters who make up the base of the party and have instead given too much influence to outside interest groups who bought their loyalty with the promise of easy votes.”

“It is time for fundamental change at the top of the party. Leaders who basically rigged the nomination process to force Mitt Romney on the party gambled their legitimacy on his success. They put the entire party at risk with a candidate whose failure dragged down other candidates including promising newcomers and incumbents whose seats should have been secure. They lost us seats in the Senate where we could have won a majority and even weakened our position in the House. They must pay the full price for their poor decisions and be stripped of any position of leadership in the party.”

“It is time for the Republican Party to return to the control of the grassroots and to a simple, ethical agenda of limiting the size and power of government and protecting the rights of individual citizens. The practice of giving special influence to outside groups whose first loyalty is to their own interests and issues must stop. Our allies should be drawn to us by our principles, not by our willingness to sell influence and trade favors.”

“The party is aging and becoming isolated from the people. Republicans have forgotten how to be activists and stir up popular enthusiasm for our cause. We have lost touch with the younger generation and we have abandoned minority groups which ought to share our principles. In too many counties and too many states the Republican Party has become an exclusive private club rather than the inclusive political movement it was meant to be. This is the course of extinction for a political party. If we do not grow and embrace new members and new strategies we will continue to stagnate and age into irrelevance.”

“The voters we need to attract to revitalize the party want less government on their backs and more liberty in their lives. They do not want to live in fear of external threats or internal security. They do not want to see the fruits of their labor seized by government or devalued by irresponsible policies. They do not want government in their businesses, their schools, their churches or their bedrooms. The Republican Party of the future should be young, entrepreneurial and inclusive. There is no hope for a party which is not strong enough to preserve its core principles while still embracing change.”

“This is the vision of the Republican Liberty Caucus. It is a challenge to the Republican Party to become a better party, rededicated to its founding principles. This election must be a turning point for the party and if we do not pick up the banner of leadership and embrace the changes which must come, then the GOP will fade away lnto whiggish obscurity.”

RNC Changing the Rules to Minimize Grassroots Efforts?
Crete, NE – Republicans taking part in the Republican National Convention in Tampa may have more on their plate than expected. Tropical Storm/Hurricane Isaac descends upon the area, but the bigger storm may be inside the convention center.
What should have been a convention lightly spiced with minor contention from the liberty wing of the Party, followed by a celebration as the Party unified under the Romney-Ryan ticket, seems to have become a battle of “establishment” vs. the “grassroots.”
“A cornerstone belief of the Republican Party,” says Laura Ebke, RLC-Nebraska Chair, “is the notion that we have checks and balances, and that we operate under republican pinciples.”
“I’ve been involved in Republican politics for as long as I can remember,” said Ebke. “I have vivid memories as a child of going to county conventions, and believing that local level political involvement was valuable to the Party. And now, I have to wonder whether today’s Republican Party cares about the grassroots anymore.”
At issue are two proposed rules, Rule 12 and 15, which would effectively minimize the input of the party’s rank and file, and put even more power in the hands of party leaders and wealthy special interests. This governing structure is no unlike that of the Democratic Party, which is much more top down than bottom up, noted Ebke.
“As I read these rules, I can’t help but believe that it effectively stomps out grassroots efforts, and will be especially harmful to the party in small counties around the state. I hope that Nebraska’s delegation will vote NO on the rules changes,” said Ebke.
The Republican Liberty Caucus, as well as a number of Tea Party related groups—including FreedomWorks—are working today to lobby RNC delegates around the country, before the vote on the Rules is taken on Tuesday.

CONCORD, N.H.—As the Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire adds 22 endorsed candidates and four recommended candidates to its list of supported contenders for the Sept. 11 New Hampshire primary, the organization will focus its remaining efforts on identifying the best Republicans for elected office in a final round of endorsements and recommendations prior to releasing its voter guide right before the election.

The RLCNH 26 endorsements and recommendations released today are for new candidates who scored well on the organization’s survey found at www.rlcnh.org/survey and who made it through a reputation-screening process run by the RLCNH Endorsements Committee. Last month, the RLCNH endorsed and recommended 90 incumbents based on how well their voting records reflected the essential principles of limited government, individual liberty, personal responsibility and free markets. Earlier this summer, the RLCNH endorsed an initial 20 new candidates who met the same criteria as the current group.

“The RLCNH is happy to offer voters today’s list of ideal Republican candidates who have shown their willingness to stand firm on principle and continue the work of the current Legislature to restore liberty and prosperity in New Hampshire,” said Carolyn McKinney, chairman of the Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire. “As we get closer to the primary, the RLCNH will start to identify key districts where these true Republicans are running against weak, big government Republicans. Following a final list of candidate endorsements and recommendations, we will release our voter guide to make sure New Hampshire continues to move forward in its effort to restore the ideas that made our state and country great.”

With 107 endorsed candidates winning their elections in 2010, the RLCNH swept 80 percent of its post-primary candidates into office. These endorsed Republicans passed 338 bills, leading the restorative, common sense changes desperately needed after years of wasteful Democratic spending and the resultant taxes and fees that left the New Hampshire economy in shambles.

Endorsed Republicans in the next biennium will have to continue the responsible decision-making that led to this session’s $1 billion budget cut, which allowed the Legislature to reduce taxes, fees and regulations and foster the beginning of economic growth. Further cuts to excessive and burdensome government will be needed to make the changes necessary for sustainable prosperity among New Hampshire’s working families and businesses.

The RLCNH has raised its standards in making endorsements for the 2013-2014 Legislative Session to send a clear message to voters about which candidates will truly support the organization’s Liberty and Prosperity for New Hampshire agenda, and which will simply continue business as usual in Concord.

“The just ending session of the Legislature was one of the most refreshing in modern times because it featured statesmen who truly executed on the mission they promised to voters,” McKinney said. “The RLCNH is interested in making this type of honest politics—focused on reducing the size of government by cutting the budget and reducing taxes, fees and regulations, and letting people live their own lives and raise their own children—a new normal within New Hampshire. We expect endorsed candidates to give deference to their campaign promises and their oaths to the N.H. and U.S. Constitutions above any testimony given by state bureaucrats or lobbyists.

“No longer can New Hampshire afford to accept mediocrity in the Legislature,” McKinney added. “Republican representatives, senators, executive councilors and governors should be spending every day of their elected office driving more power away from government and into our homes, private sector businesses and non-profit organizations.”

Because timing is now short, new candidates—particularly those with a primary—who have not yet filled out the RLCNH survey are encouraged to do so by visiting www.rlcnh.org/survey.

RLCNH THIRD-ROUND CANDIDATE ENDORSEMENTS 

 

Endorsed Executive Councilor Candidate

Robert Burns, Executive Council District 4

 

Endorsed State Senate Candidate

Dennis Acton, Senate District 23 (Brentwood, Chester, Danville, East Kingston, Epping, Exeter, Fremont, Kingston, Sandown)

 

Endorsed State Representative Candidates

Keith Carlsen, Cheshire 6 (Keene Ward 3)

Jacqueline Casey, Hillsborough 34 (Nashua Ward 7)

Donald J. Frye, Hillsborough 16 (Manchester Ward 9)

Bianca Garcia, Rockingham 8 (Salem)

Dan Garthwaite, Hillsborough 12 (Manchester Ward 5)

Shuvom Ghose, Hillsborough 11 (Manchester Ward 4)

Robert D. Goodman, Rockingham 36 (Exeter, Newfields, Newmarket, Stratham)

Donald Gorman, Rockingham 32 (Candia, Deerfield, Northwood, Nottingham)

Brian Griset, Rockingham 18 (Exeter)

Elijah Haykinson, Hillsborough 7 (Bedford)

Kevin J. Kervick, Rockingham 30 (Portsmouth Wards 1, 2, 4 & 5)

Gerard A. LeDuc, Merrimack 21 (Epsom, Pittsfield)

David Murotake, Hillsborough 32 (Nashua Ward 5)

Kelleigh Murphy, Hillsborough 7 (Bedford)

Ron Noyes, Merrimack 27 (Concord Wards 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7)

Eric Rolfs, Hillsborough 37 (Hudson, Pelham)

Emily Sandblade, Hillsborough 18 (Manchester Ward 11)

David Schoneman, Hillsborough 22 (Nashua Ward 3)

Phil Straight, Hillsborough 21 (Merrimack)

Len Turcotte, Strafford 25 (Barrington & Lee)

 

RLCNH THIRD-ROUND CANDIDATE RECOMMENDATIONS 

 

Recommended Executive Councilor Candidate

Jerry Thibodeau, Executive Council District 1

 

Recommended State Representative Candidates

Patrick J. Bick, Rockingham 8 (Salem)

Robert G. Fullerton, Strafford 17 (Dover Wards 5 & 6, Somersworth Ward 2)

Lee Shaikh, Merrimack 9 (Canterbury, Loudon)

CONCORD, N.H.—In an effort to convey transparency about its intentions to restore the liberty-oriented Republican form of government created by the state and nation’s founders, the Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire is unveiling a list of the 338 bills passed by the 107 legislators it endorsed in 2010 and the 66 bills it actively supported as an organization that are now the law of the land. “As an organization, we serve two important roles that both contribute to the advancement of conservative principles in New Hampshire’s government,” said Carolyn McKinney, chairman of the Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire. “Our first duty is to help elect principled Republicans who understand what it means to have limited government, individual liberty, personal responsibility and free enterprise, and help replace Republicans who don’t understand these essential tenets. Our second responsibility is to provide further education to elected officials and the public about the application of our core values in order to pass or repeal laws and advance our cause, which is to restore liberty and prosperity in New Hampshire.” The 107 Republican lawmakers endorsed by the RLCNH in 2010 passed 338 bills this session that accounted for 60 percent of the total 560 bills passed by the Legislature in 2011 and 2012. These bills, most of which advance the RLCNH agenda, are listed in an attached PDF document. Many of these bills, 66 to be exact, which are also listed in an attached PDF, were core policy goals for the Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire during the biennium, including but not limited to:   “The RLCNH applauds its endorsed lawmakers for making restorative progress toward the limited form of representative, constitutional government our founders set up,” McKinney said. “While we do not support all of the bills passed by our endorsed lawmakers and even actively oppose a handful of them, the great majority of the bills listed in this report are bills we are proud to say advance liberty and prosperity in New Hampshire. We’ve also highlighted 66 bills that our organization actively supported as crucial to this noble cause and express our deepest gratitude to the Legislature for making them New Hampshire laws.” When studying the attached files, please note that all 66 RLCNH-supported bills were fully vetted and supported by the organization from their initial public hearings until they became Chaptered Law. These are the only bills that can truly be attributed to the organization’s post-election activities. Many new laws sponsored by RLCNH-endorsed lawmakers were also supported by the organization or its members, but many of these laws were either not followed by the organization through the entire process or they were not included in the RLCNH agenda this term. Thus, an endorsed candidate’s bill that was not supported by the RLCNH may or may not have been a good bill, but chances are that it advanced the RLCNH agenda. Also documented in an attached PDF report, the RLCNH is happy to report that 21 of the 26 bills the organization actively opposed during the session have been killed. These are bills that moved New Hampshire in the wrong direction, not the least of which was CACR 12, an educational funding amendment that would have explicitly centralized control over education at the state level causing near permanent damage to local control over education and to educational freedom in New Hampshire. Unfortunately, a few of the RLCNH endorsed lawmakers were sponsors or cosponsors of some of these bills. “We ask supporters and the public in general to evaluate the full list of bills sponsored or cosponsored by our endorsed candidates and invite e-mails that suggest continuing or discontinuing endorsements of some of these incumbents based on the bills they supported,” McKinney said. “In fact, the RLCNH will be releasing a list of endorsed incumbents next week based on the bills we supported and opposed and we welcome all suggested improvements to our process this week and beyond, which is the very purpose of our transparency. Our ultimate goal, of course, is to fill the Legislature with endorsed candidates who all work to advance the proven founding principles of our state and nation.” By releasing the attached reports about the progress the RLCNH made during the current Legislative session, the organization is also hoping to involve more people in the process of self governance. True progress, after all, means that more people will work for themselves, run their own lives and households, raise and educate their own children and pursue the maximum amount of happiness they can possibly achieve through their own efforts. In order to achieve this progress, more people will need to rise to the occasion and do their civic duty—whether that means running for office themselves or paying attention and holding their elected officials accountable, we leave that up to them. “The trend of human history has been to favor central governments with extensive power to control individuals and economies, and we know from experience that such governments perpetuate human misery by limiting the genius of individuals to reach their fullest potential,” McKinney said. “We also know that human freedom encourages the best results for the most people, and that our system of government once allowed for such liberties and created the most prosperous and advanced civilization that we know of. While we have once again trended toward central government control in both our state and our nation thanks largely to Democrats and Republicans who subscribe to the philosophy of big government, and our state and nation have suffered for it, the Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire exists to help reverse that trend and restore an effective limited government philosophy that will restore liberty and prosperity for all hard-working people.”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 4, 2012 CONTACT: Chairman Dave Nalle at 512-656-8011 or chairman@rlc.org Republican Liberty Caucus Endorses 3 More Great Congressional Candidates in Texas GOP Primary These Candidates Are Dedicated to Returning the Republican Party to the Principles of Limited Government and Individual Liberty AUSTIN, TX  – The National Board of the Republican Liberty Caucus is pleased to endorse three more exceptional candidates in the Texas Republican primary.  Eddie Traylor (CD10), Grant Stinchfield (CD24) and Steve Stockman (CD36) stand out among a field of excellent candidates in Texas this year and were chosen for early endorsement because of their dedication to constitutionally limited government, individual liberty and free enterprise.  They are more great assets to add to a growing slate of extraordinary Liberty Republican candidates in Texas this year. “Voters in Texas are starting to realize that our nation cannot survive when both parties allow government to grow out of control at the cost of our liberties,” said RLC National Chairman Dave Nalle.  “These candidates represent the new direction of American politics and the best traditions of the Republican Party.  They have personal integrity, a dedication to the best interests of the people and a firm belief in responsible government.  They are exactly the kind of representatives we need to send to DC to work with our 2010 endorsees like Justin Amash (MI) and Rand Paul (KY) to put our government back on track” Eddie Traylor has an distinguished military background and was selected by the grassroots process developed here in Texas by GOOOH.  Grant Stinchfield has a background in media and business and has a burning desire to bring a platform of real reform to Congress.  Former Congressman Steve Stockman is finally heeding the call to return to politics.  He has been on the RLC board of advisers for many years and now we have great hopes that he’ll return to DC to finish the work which was left undone when he held office back in the 1990s. In 1774 John Adams wrote that the revolution had been completed “in the minds of the people” before conflict ever broke out, and we believe that a similar revolution in attitude is taking place in the United States today. Following on the election of more than two-dozen RLC endorsees to the House and Senate in 2010, the RLC has set a goal of doubling that number in the 2012 election. With a larger core of newly elected, principled representatives in Washington we can move away from the big government status quo and towards putting the rights and interests of the people first. The people of Texas are no longer content to sit idly by and accept the dictates of out of control government in Washington, DC. We are demanding better service and real accountability, and if we do not get it we will keep voting complacent and unresponsive office holders out until they get the message ### These candidates were selected based on their answers to questions on our candidate survey and at the recommendation of the Texas chapter of the Republican Liberty Caucus.  Further endorsements in state and federal races in Texas are expected in the coming months. More information on the Eddie Traylor campaign can be found at http://www.traylor.goooh.com More information on the Grant Stinchfield campaign can be found at http://www.grantstinchfield.com/ More information on the Steve Stockman campaign can be found at http://www.friendsofstevestockman.com

CONCORD, N.H.—Today, the Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire announces that it has acquired the political assets of the New Hampshire Republican Volunteer Coalition and has added NHRVC Co-Founder Steve MacDonald to its 10-member RLCNH Board to lead a merger effort and help carry on the mission of the NHRVC within the RLCNH organization.

“By merging the NHRVC into the RLCNH and adding Steve MacDonald to the RLCNH board, we are adding new vigor to our now substantially larger political action organization and ensuring the ongoing success of principled Republican activism in New Hampshire,” said Carolyn McKinney, chairman of the Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire. “During the last few election cycles, the RLCNH and the NHRVC groups had been duplicating efforts to elect liberty-minded Republicans. It simply makes good common sense to merge our efforts so that we can motivate our now larger group of activists to pursue one effective mission.”

The NHRVC was founded in the wake of the November 2008 elections as a grassroots coalition of highly motivated activists working to elect principled Republicans who stand for low taxes, fiscal responsibility, free enterprise, individual liberty, and the U.S. and NH Constitutions. Founded by Kevin McHugh and Steve MacDonald, the NHRVC grew from just a handful of people trading e-mails to more than 4,000 members working to spread liberty through the Republican Party.

The RLCNH was launched in December 2004 to promote the ideals of limited government, individual liberty, personal responsibility, free enterprise and adherence to the N.H. and U.S. Constitutions among Republican Party officials and throughout the state by identifying and supporting candidates sympathetic with the organization’s ideals, and by supporting, through public education and outreach, initiatives in the N.H. Legislature that further these ideals.

Both RLCNH and NHRVC have operated on the Facebook, Twitter and Yahoo Groups social media portals and have a Web site with a blog. The NHRVC social media portal sites and blog have been shut down. As part of the merger, NHRVC members will be migrated into the RLCNH social media sites (Facebook | Twitter) where members discuss political ideas and candidates, and they will be invited to sign up to receive the RLCNH Report of state legislative action items as well as to visit the RLCNH Web site and blog.

“Beginning today, I am inviting all former NHRVC members to continue their involvement in pursuit of the same aims, to whatever degree suits them, under a new banner,” Steve MacDonald said. “We will be able to engage in the same  debates on Facebook and start thousands of new ones, share important links and commentary on Twitter, and use our ‘boots on the ground’ mentality in the RLCNH Yahoo Group and beyond to connect our principled ideas with principled Republicans in New Hampshire and across the nation.”

Leading up to the merger decision, NHRVC Co-Founder Kevin McHugh handed the reins to MacDonald and resigned from the organization to focus more of his time on his work and family. It was at that time that MacDonald determined that the mission of the NHRVC could be more effectively fulfilled within the structure of the RLCNH. The merger plan was developed by MacDonald and members of the RLCNH Executive Committee during the past week, and today’s announcement seals the deal.

CONCORD, N.H.—The Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire rebukes the idea that Republicans should remove uncertainty by establishing a state health insurance exchange under the terms of Obamacare, as such a move would voluntarily bind the state under the control of the U.S. Health and Human Services Department while sending New Hampshire taxpayers the bill.

Contrary to arguments from some insurance regulators, insurance companies and industry groups, creating a state exchange will remove New Hampshire’s local control and ensure Obamacare is fully enacted in New Hampshire, whether the federal law is repealed or not. In addition, establishing a state insurance exchange under Obamacare requires the state to pay for the full cost of implementation starting in 2015, which could cost New Hampshire taxpayers anywhere from $10 million to $47 million a year, according to HTMS, a North Dakota health care consulting company.

“The bottom line is that the federal government has created uncertainty by passing an unworkable federal law that depends on states to put in the time and money to fix all of its faults,” said Carolyn McKinney, chairman of the Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire. “The cloud of uncertainty created by President Obama and the Democratic Congress won’t go away just because we accept Obamacare by creating a state health insurance exchange. In fact, these exchanges will distort the market, which will make for even more uncertainty.”

Those arguing for a state insurance exchange have clamored for predictability, but by establishing a state insurance exchange, the only predictable outcome will be that the state will be voluntarily implementing the terms of the Obamacare law that voters soundly rejected in 2010. The mammoth state bureaucracy created would only serve as a nominal state organization, but it would take all of its orders from Washington bureaucrats, who would set the rules for selling insurance plans within the state, thus reducing real competition and increasing the costs of providing health insurance.

What makes matters worse, under SB 163, the N.H. Senate bill that establishes a state exchange, “poison pill” language would eliminate only those sections found unconstitutional by the Supreme Court or repealed by the Congress, but it would leave everything else in place. If the bill passes, it would keep a state health insurance exchange in place even if the federal government fully rejects New Hampshire’s proposal, thus leaving us with a federal exchange plan funded by New Hampshire taxpayers.

The better approach is HB 1297, which would prohibit the state from enacting an exchange and make it harder for the federal government to implement the law. In fact, the more states that opt not to create a health insurance exchange will then send the federal bureaucrats scrambling to come up with one, without the time or funding to create one that will work. If New Hampshire and other states around the country say no to a state health insurance exchange, it all but guarantees that Congress will have to repeal or replace Obamacare, which is what the people want.

“Creating a state exchange voluntarily accepts Obamacare in New Hampshire,” McKinney said. “If we do that, this Republican Legislature will be directly opposing the voters who sent them to Concord to stand up against this federal overreach. These Republicans, and not the Obama Democrats, would be responsible for the consequences of Obamacare in New Hampshire.

“If Republicans act now to definitively reject a state exchange, however; the Republican Legislature stands a better chance of fulfilling the mandate of New Hampshire voters and leading the way toward true health insurance reform,” McKinney said.

For more information about the conclusions reached by RLCNH about state health insurance exchanges under Obamacare, please refer to these studies by the Cato Institute, the Idaho Freedom Foundation, and the Goldwater Institute.

CONCORD, N.H.—Because the right to freely associate is fundamental to liberty in a free market economy, the Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire has decided to use the Right to Work override vote as a litmus test for candidates running for reelection in 2012.

To be clear: any representative or senator who votes to sustain the governor’s veto of the Right to Work bill, HB 474, will not receive an endorsement or assistance of any kind from the Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire during the 2012 election cycle. In some cases, the Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire will actively support these incumbents’ opponents in their primary elections, especially if those opponents pledge to support a Right to Work law. (UPDATE 11/30/11: A full list of the Republicans who voted against Right to Work, the Republican Platform and the People of New Hampshire on Nov. 30, 2011 follows this article).

“Right to Work is a watershed issue when it comes to a legislator’s commitment to limited government and individual liberty,” said Carolyn McKinney, chairman of the Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire. “People have a natural freedom to associate with whom they please, and in this country, the freedom of association is even protected by the constitution, but this right is being regularly denied by unions in the workplace.

“Especially in these hard economic times when so many families are struggling, people should never be forced to hand over their hard-earned money to a third party just so they can hold a job and provide for their families,” McKinney added. “Clearly, people will voluntarily choose to join a union if they believe the costs are worth the benefits. But unions given unchecked power—as they have had for so many decades—have shown they will not always support the best long-term interests of their members. Right to Work would fix this by ensuring that unions will have to compete for members by actually serving them.”

The Right to Work veto override vote may come up as soon as tomorrow, but the Speaker of the House has the authority to call the vote at any time prior to the beginning of the 2012 House Session. The Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire supports any effort by the Speaker to call the vote when he knows it will be successful.

UPDATE 11/30/11: The following Republicans voted against Right to Work, the Republican Platform and the People of New Hampshire on Nov. 30, 2011, and will NOT receive an RLCNH endorsement. In addition, the RLCNH advises activists to do everything they can to recruit liberty-minded Republican candidates to defeat these Republicans in the primary election of 2012:

Bolster, Peter	Belknap	5
Brown, Julie	Strafford	1
Buxton, Michael	Hillsborough	24
Chirichiello, Brian	Rockingham	5
Copeland, Timothy	Rockingham	13
Day, Russell	Hillsborough	7
Devine, James	Rockingham	7
Dowling, Patricia	Rockingham	5
Dwinell, Richard	Cheshire	5
Emerson, Susan	Cheshire	7
Hopper, Gary	Hillsborough	7
Janvrin, Kevin	Rockingham	14
Katsakiores, Phyllis	Rockingham	5
Kidder, David	Merrimack	1
Knox, J. David	Carroll	4
Ladd, Rick	Grafton	5
Laware, Thomas	Sullivan	5
Lockwood, Priscilla	Merrimack	6
McCarthy, Michael	Hillsborough	21
McKinney, Betsy	Rockingham	3
Messier, Irene	Hillsborough	17
Millham, Alida	Belknap	5
Pepino, Leo	Hillsborough	11
Perkins, Amy	Rockingham	14
Perkins, Lawrence	Rockingham	14
Pilliod, James	Belknap	5
Proulx, Mark	Hillsborough	15
Quandt, Marshall	Rockingham	13
Quandt, Matt	Rockingham	13
Remick, William	Coos	2
Richardson, Herbert	Coos	2
Robbins, David	Hillsborough	26
Sapareto, Frank	Rockingham	5
St. Cyr, Jeffrey	Belknap	5
Stroud, Kathleen	Hillsborough	19
Terrio, Ross	Hillsborough	14
Tholl, John	Coos	2
Tremblay, Marc	Coos	4
Waddell, James	Rockingham	15
Webb, James	Rockingham	5
Welch, David	Rockingham	8

CONCORD, N.H.—Carolyn McKinney will serve as acting chairman of the Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire and strengthen the organization’s focus on a common sense State House agenda as RLCNH Chairman Andrew Hemingway leaves his post to work on a presidential political campaign.

“While we wish Andrew Hemingway the best in his new job opportunity, it is important to note that the Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire will not endorse a candidate for president,” said Carolyn McKinney, acting chairman of the Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire. “His decision to join a particular presidential campaign was his own and does not reflect the opinion of the organization. We at the RLCNH will remain highly focused on the issues affecting the citizens of New Hampshire as well as the important goal of advancing Common Sense within New Hampshire state government.

“The Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire will continue to support the positive changes the Republican majority has made in the State Legislature to reduce spending, reduce taxes, reduce business regulations and foster a job-creating environment by restoring individual liberty, personal responsibility and the state constitution,” McKinney added. “Right now, our main focus is on making sure the Legislature overrides the governor’s several vetoes and then continues to advance a responsible, liberty agenda in Concord. Next, we will turn to candidate recruitment and preparation for the 2012 state primary elections.”

McKinney, a resident of Amherst, has been intricately involved with the behind-the-scenes work of the Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire for several years as the organization’s executive secretary. Her promotion to acting chairman will be second nature to her. For instance, McKinney was instrumental in the organization’s success in getting 107 endorsed candidates elected to state offices in November 2010; that’s 70 percent of the candidates originally endorsed by the organization.

“The courage of these liberty-minded elected officials under the leadership of House Speaker Bill O’Brien advanced a 10 percent state budget reduction, a fiscally responsible move during hard economic times,” McKinney said. “And now we are seeing the fruits of principled Republican leadership as Moody’s Investors Service, Fitch Ratings and Standard & Poor’s recently decided to maintain the state’s high AA+ bond rating. Surely, the jobs will follow, particularly if these Republicans continue to push for strong regulatory reform and tax cuts.”

Before joining the Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire, McKinney worked for the Heritage Foundation as an outreach coordinator motivating groups of activists nationwide. She also served as a Witherspoon Fellow at the Family Research Council working in government affairs.