Several county Republican organizations have either co-sponsored or sent out e-mails promoting appearances in their communities by former New Mexico Governor and Republican Liberty Caucus Advisory Board member Gary E. Johnson. Johnson, a lifelong Republican, recently remarked that the party had always treated him well and he had no reason — if he ran for future political office — to run as something other than a Republican.

Republican Party organizations in Brevard County, Florida and Jefferson County, Alabama are promoting Republican Liberty Caucus-sponsored forums with the courageous former Governor:

At the Brevard County Republican Party website, the county party previews Governor Johnson’s upcoming appearance: “BREC is joining with the Republican Liberty Caucus of Central East Florida and the Florida Campaign for Liberty to host a meet and greet for former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson on Friday, November 19, 6:30 – 8 PM, at the Duran Golf Club. RPOF Vice Chair and Party Chairman candidate Debbie Cox-Roush will also be speaking. The event is free of charge, so please join us. There will be a private policy briefing and photo opportunity with the governor following the reception at a cost of $100.”

In Alabama, the Jefferson County Republican Party — home of Birmingham — sent an e-mail blast promoting the upcoming event with the Governor sponsored by the Alabama RLC and the Samford University Republicans. Their message was addressed to “Members, Elected Officials, clubs, friends, and interested individuals.”

This is exactly the purpose of the RLC: to spread the liberty message to local Republican Party clubs. Congratulations to the Alabama and Central East Florida RLC affiliates for their efforts!

In an event co-sponsored by the Samford University Republicans and the Republican Liberty Caucus of Alabama, former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson will be speaking at Samford University on Wednesday, November 17. The university is located in Homewood, a suburb of Birmingham. Learn more about the event.

Additionally, Governor Johnson will address the Republican Liberty Caucus of Central East Florida (Melbourne/Brevard) at a location to be determined on Friday, November 19 from 6:30pm to 8:30pm. You can RSVP to the event on Facebook.

A successful small businessman, triathlete, marathon runner and mountain climber, Governor Johnson is a Tea Party favorite and a likely 2012 Republican presidential candidate. He currently serves as the Honorary Chairman of the Our America Initiative. He is also an Advisory Board member of the Republican Liberty Caucus.

Please join liberty advocates in Alabama and Florida at these events. Please also consider making a monthly pledge to the Republican Liberty Caucus.

If you live in Alabama or Arizona, we hope you’ll attend the following meetings.  New members are always welcome.

Alabama RLC Meetup

Who: Alabama Republican Liberty Caucus
When: Tuesday, August 31 at 7:00PM
Where: Southern Pain Specialists — in the “One Nineteen Health & Wellness Center”, on the Second Floor, Suite 204. 7191 Cahaba Valley Rd, Birmingham, AL 35242-6042. Map and directions: http://www.southernpain.com/Map.asp.

Pima County RLC Meetup

Who: Pima County Republican Liberty Caucus
What and When: The Pima County Republican Liberty Caucus will hold its August regular monthly meeting on Thursday, August 26th, beginning at 6:30pm. The meeting will be informal and will last 1 – 1 1/2 hours. We will discuss the primary election results as well as how to move the RLC agenda forward in Arizona.
Where: Canyon’s Crown Restaurant & Pub, 6958 E. Tanque Verde Rd., Tucson, AZ.
Facebook RSVP.

Republican Liberty Caucus chapters in at least nine states will be holding meetings in the coming month. They include:

Alabama: The Alabama RLC affiliate will hold a meeting in the coming weeks. Please contact Stephen Gordon for details.

Arizona: The Arizona RLC affiliate will hold a meeting in the coming weeks. Please contact Ken Rineer for details.

District of Columbia: DC Republican City Council candidates Jim DeMartino (Ward 6) and Tim Day (Ward (5) will present and answer questions at the RLC-DC meeting on Monday, August 30, along with Ward 1 School Board candidate Patrick Mara. The event will take place in the Community Room K at City Vista Condominiums (12th Floor), 475 K Street NW, equidistant from Gallery Place/Chinatown and Mount Vernon Square/Convention Center metros at 7pm. RSVP on Facebook.

Florida: The Florida RLC will have an outreach table, make a short presentation about the RLC and hold an informal RLC update and discussion get-together in conjunction with the Campaign for Liberty’s Summit at the Rosen Centre in Orlando. The informal RLC statewide meeting will be held at 12:30-1:30 pm on Saturday, August 12 at the RLC outreach booth at the Summit. Also, RLCers and friends who are not attending the Saturday night banquet are welcome to join us for dinner offsite, but nearby! Pick up the details at the RLC booth. See you there!

Indiana: The state RLC affiliate will hold its Convention at George’s Neighborhood Grill (6935 Lake Plaza Dr) in Indianapolis on Saturday, September 25. The keynote speaker will be Attorney General Greg Zoeller. RSVP on Facebook.

Maine: The Maine RLC will host its first annual Calvin Coolidge Clambake with John Fund of The Wall Street Journal on Thursday, August 26 in Portland. Learn more at http://www.rlc.org/2010/08/08/maine-rlc-hosts-clambake/.

New York: The RLC will host a kickoff meeting on Tuesday, August 17 at 7pm at the HOUNDSTOOTH PUB (520 8TH AVE – W37 St) in Manhattan. There will be a cash bar and free food. RSVP on Facebook.

Virginia: The Northern Virginia RLC will host a happy hour in Arlington in late August. Contact Mitchell Bemos for details. The Central Virginia RLC will host a meeting on Thursday, August 19 from 6:30pm to 8:00pm at Isis, Inc. (2727 Enterprise Pkwy, Suite 100) in Richmond, VA. This is the first meeting of the RLCCV following elections of chapter officers. RLCCV will discuss our goals with the RLC and welcome new members and all who are interested in becoming members of the RLCCV. Please RSVP by Thursday, 8/19 at 1pm. RSVP on Facebook.

Utah: An immigration debate hosted by the Utah RLC chapter will occur and will feature key policy leaders in the state. Exact date/location TBA. Contact Julian Babbitt for details.

“What seems to be a GOP victory at first may well become another liberal victory in the long term. Unless Parker Griffith (formerly D-AL, now R-AL) starts voting like a true fiscal conservative, Alabama could be stuck with another entrenched Big-Government Republican Congressman.”

“Welcome to the party, Parker. Here’s an electronic copy of the Constitution. Read it well, as you will have to continue to dodge us if you continue to disregard it.”

The Washington Times features an article on how conservatives are not ready to accept Griffith; and the Alabama RLC provides several quotes from other conservative pundits on the switch.

Another election gone by, and it turned out quite well for the Republican Party overall and the Republican Liberty Caucus in specific.

Republicans elected new Governors in New Jersey and Virginia. Neither of the candidates, Chris Christie or Bob McDonnell, was endorsed by the Republican Liberty Caucus, but we believe they will provide a better vision for their states than their respective opponents.

In Virginia, voters elected State Senator Ken Cuccinelli to the post of Attorney General. Cuccinelli is a social and fiscal conservative, and some RLC members have been offended by his social conservatism. Still, he seems to be one of the few politicians in the state that understands the concept of limited government, and has a voting record consistent with the RLC’s goals. His new position elevates Cuccinelli to one of the most high-level advocates of limited government in the country.

RLC members in Virginia worked hard to help Cuccinelli win the nomination for Attorney General, and many contributed to his campaign directly. Cuccinelli has said that he will not enforce laws he deems unconstitutional. In 2007, Cuccinelli took the time to drive several hours to address a small group of RLC members. View his speech to RLC members at YouTube.

In the RLC’s biggest victory of the night, RLC National Committeeman Dan Halloran was elected to the New York City Council in a Queens district that leans heavily Democrat. Halloran is also the state Chair of the Republican Liberty Caucus in New York. He worked tirelessly to become elected and will join just four other Republicans on the 51-member City Council.

The RLC also had some other significant victories in New Jersey and New Hampshire. Incumbent Michael Patrick Carroll, who the RLC discovered earlier in the year, was re-elected to his New Jersey House seat. Perhaps the most successful liberty-oriented politician in the state, Michael Doherty, was elected to an open seat in the New Jersey State Senate. The RLC profiled Doherty in an earlier edition of our newsletter.

In the Granite State, Jim Forsythe led a team of liberty-loving Republicans that successfully helped three candidates obtain victory. Political newcomer Lynne Blankenbeker was elected in a special election to the New Hampshire House, and RLC members Phil Greazzo and Cameron DeJong were elected to Alderman and Selectman positions in Manchester, New Hampshire.

Several non-endorsed candidates with strong libertarian leanings were also successful on Election night, including Kim Rafferty, who was elected to the Birmingham City Council in Alabama, and Shaun Kenney, who was elected to a County Supervisor in Fluvanna County, Virginia. In Minnesota, RLC member Luther Stueland won a position on the Moorhead City Council and Patricia Barnum was elected to the West St. Paul ISD 127 School Board.  Additionally, Lisa Marie Coppoletta has advanced to a run-off in a race for San Marcos City Council in Texas.

Unfortunately, TABOR ballot initiatives — which would tie revenue increases to population and inflation growth to keep spending in check — were defeated by voters in Washington state and Maine. The gay marriage ballot initiative in Maine passed, overturning gay marriage in the state, while voters in Washington state chose to extend rights for gays and lesbians.

The nine victories for RLC-endorsed candidates this fall combined with the five spring victories (in Arizona, Illinois, Massachusetts, and Texas) have resulted in a very successful off-year election for liberty-focused Republicans.

Congratulations are extended to all of the above candidates, our other endorsed candidates, our supporters, and the folks that helped our endorsed candidates succeed.

Complete RLC election results are available here.

The new Alabama affiliate of the Republican Liberty Caucus is off and running!

Members of the Alabama Republican Liberty Caucus assisted with the coordination of three Tax Day Tea Parties held in Alabama. RLC Alabama Secretary Shana Kluck and RLC Alabama Media Coordinator Steve Gordon helped secure speakers, provide professional advice, and assisted with other logistical concerns for the Tuscaloosa and Birmingham Tea Parties, respectively. Additionally, RLC supporter Matthew Givens was a coordinator for the Montgomery event while Alabama RLC Chair Scott Boykin was involved in the Shelby County Tea Party logistical efforts.

While crowd estimates vary, approximately ten thousand people attended these three events, with the Birmingham Tea Party receiving national television attention on Fox News.

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Last week, Steve Gordon was on the Rachel Maddow show discussing the Tea Party movement (see above video) and the rift between Big Government Republicans and liberty-minded Republicans. Gordon caught Maddow off-guard and clearly explained that the liberty movement has been working for many years to change the direction of Washington.

According to HotAir.com’s Green Room, Gordon took “hard shots at Newt Gingrich, Mike Huckabee and Alan Keyes” which “should suffice to dispel any notion that the Tea Party movement is a ‘neocon/Republican/Fox News’ conspiracy.”  As Maddow explained, Sean Hannity was not welcome at the Atlanta Tea Party — at least not if we had our way!

On Thursday, Alabama RLC Media Coordinator Steve Gordon spent an hour as an in-studio guest along with national political journalist Robert Stacy McCain on WYDE’s Lee Davis Show. Discussing the topic of recent Alabama Tea Parties, McCain stressed a point which Gordon had made to him during Ron Paul’s recent presidential bid: “The Ron Paul movement wasn’t about Ron Paul. It was about a movement.”

It looks like anyone remotely near Alabama needs to join these folks today. They mean business!

Congratulations to the Alabama and Minnesota affiliates of the RLC, both of which launched websites this weekend.

The Alabama RLC was chartered last month and includes a vast array of experienced activists, including current and former City Council members.  The Alabama RLC website features links to the Alabama RLC on Twitter and Facebook and also features the Alabama RLC’s YouTube channel. The press release announcing the formation of the group can be found at RLCNews.org.

The Minnesota affiliate, which has been active for roughly a year, has proven itself through its ability to recruit and endorse candidates, hold events, and build coalitions.

The new Minnesota RLC website contains links to the organization’s bylaws and contact information and includes a handy calendar of events.

Stay tuned … more RLC state websites to follow!

As those advocating Keynesian economics and the vast expansion of the federal government continue to control our country, the grassroots movement to return American to Constitutional principles continues to expand. The Republican Liberty Caucus is leading the grassroots effort to take back the Republican Party.

As part of the RLC effort, three new state affiliates have recently chartered to provide resistance to government growth and to a GOP that has lost its core principles.  Activists from across the states of Alabama, Tennessee, and Washington have come together to form new RLC chapter affiliates.

RLC members recently chartered their affiliate in Alabama.

In Alabama, the new affiliate includes former Birmingham City Council member Dr. Jimmy Blake, homeschooling mom Shana Kluck, and longtime libertarian activist Steve Gordon.  The Chair of the affiliate is attorney Scott Boykin.  The Alabama affiliate plans to set up a web presence shortly.  According to Gordon, the group is extremely energetic and ready to recruit more members.  A press release about the group’s formation is available here.

The Tennessee group came together under the skilled leadership of Dr. Joe Dumas and former Hamilton County School Board candidate Gregg Juster.  The group has already established a website and is selling RLC merchandise to reach out to prospective members.  Additionally, Tennessee RLC Vice-Chair Matt Collins, 27, recently tied an establishment candidate in a competitive and multiple-ballot race for Davidson County GOP Chair.  A run-off will occur soon to determine the winner of the race.

The Washington RLC is now off the ground, thanks to organizer John W. Herr of Pierce County. The affiliate is hoping to expand its membership and capitalize on the 23% received by Ron Paul in the 2008 GOP Presidential primary in the state.  Interested parties should visit the Washington RLC page to become involved in the affiliate.

The District of Columbia RLC affiliate recently held its re-organizational meeting, the Maryland RLC will soon be submitting its charter, and the Virginia RLC is hosting a re-organizational Conference Call this Sunday night. Across the country, the movement for limited government is alive and well — thanks to the Republican Liberty Caucus.