Amidst the biggest mid-term shift in party political power since 1938, voters in several states approved propositions related to the Obamacare health law passed earlier this year.

Arizona and Oklahoma voters voted 55 percent and 65 percent, respectively, not to enact the individual mandate contained in the health care law. Seventy-one percent of Missouri voters endorsed an anti-mandate statewide constitutional amendment in August.

State legislatures in Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana and Virginia have all passed laws that would similarly stifle Obamacare by granting citizens freedom of choice in health care.

According to columnist Deroy Murdock, the Republican Party’s conquest of 19 previously Democrat state-representative chambers, 10 full legislatures, and 11 governorships gives state-level Republicans brand-new opportunities to hammer ObamaCare.

Additionally, Republican control of the most state-legislative seats since 1928 could spawn fresh anti-ObamaCare lawsuits beyond the 21 that states have filed. According to national exit polls, 48 percent of voters surveyed want Congress to repeal ObamaCare.

The Republican Liberty Caucus (RLC) Board of Directors are excited and optimistic about the election results. The most exciting results for Republican Liberty Caucus members is electing two of our own members to Congress:

Dr. Rand Paul is Senator-elect from Kentucky. Justin Amash (pictured, right) is Representative-elect from Michigan’s Third Congressional District. Congratulations, Rand and Justin! RLC supporters have no doubt that these two champions of liberty will work vigorously to promote our vision of a free country in Congress.

The RLC is also pleased that Mick Mulvaney of South Carolina, John Koster of Washington state, Chip Cravaack of Minnesota, and Steve Chabot of Ohio will join Dr. Ron Paul and our other pro-liberty Republican legislators in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Joining Rand Paul in the Senate are RLC-endorsed Senate candidates Mike Lee of Utah and Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania.

Two RLC-endorsed candidates for Governor, Paul LePage of Maine and Nikki Haley of South Carolina, were elected. LePage and Haley come from very different backgrounds and from different parts of the country, but are united in their strong belief in the individual and faith in the free market system.

Other key RLC victories and races we are still watching are below.

Arkansas: State Rep. Mark Martin, a RLC endorsed candidate, won his bid for Secretary of State. He is the first statewide Republican elected official since former Gov. Mike Huckabee left office.

California: Despite losing on the RLC-endorsed Proposition 19 to legalize marijuana in California, the RLC’s positions on Prop. 27 (no to eliminate the state redistricting commission) and Prop. 21 (a vehicle license surcharge to fund state parks) were adopted. Additionally, the RLC’s positions on Prop. 20 and 26 were adopted. These propositions related to Congressional redistricting and the process to impose state/local fees. See the proposition results here and view the RLC’s positions on each of the proposals here.

Arizona: 55 percent of state voters supported an amendment to the state constitution disallowing the Obamacare individual mandate to take effect in Arizona. Voters also approved medical marijuana.

Colorado: Despite Ken Buck’s Senate loss, RLC-endorsed candidate Donald Beezley defeated an incumbent and is now an elected State Representative from Broomfield.

Idaho: RLC-endorsed candidate for Bonner County Commissioner in District 2, Mike Nielson, won election on a platform of transparency and balanced budgets. Nielsen said he was eager to start getting more detailed budget information on the county website and wants to get a head start on the 2012 spending plan, according to The Bonner County Daily Bee.

Indiana: Republican Liberty Caucus member Steve Davisson was elected State Representative in Southern Indiana’s 73rd district. Congratulations, Hoosiers!

Kentucky: In addition to Rand Paul’s victory, RLC-backed candidate Thomas Massie was elected Judge Executive in Lewis County.

Maine: In addition to the victory of Paul LePage for Governor, RLC candidates for State Rep. and State Senate also found success. State House Challengers Michael McClellan, Ryan Harmon, Richard Malaby, Beth O’Connor, and Eleanor Espling (pictured, above left) — each endorsed by the Republican Liberty Caucus of Maine — won election. Additionally, former State Senator Lois Snowe-Mello won her old seat back and State Rep. Doug Thomas was elected to the State Senate. The RLC had a great day in Maine yesterday!

Maryland: Cindy Jones, a RLC member and delegate at our 2009 Convention in Florida, was elected to the St. Marys County Commission. Among all of the county commissioner races, Mrs. Jones had the largest margin of victory and the highest vote total. Four of the five Commission seats are now held by Republicans.

Michigan: RLC-endorsed candidate for State Senate Arlen Meekhof was elected to the post. Meekhof wants to repeal the Michigan Business Tax surcharge and bring jobs to the state.

Minnesota: Despite losing the Governors race narrowly, the RLC had its coalition of candidates elected to the State Senate and the State House. Kathy Lohmer (pictured, right), Andrea Kieffer, Doug Wardlow, Kurt Bills, and Sondra Erickson were elected to the House and Dave Brown and Dave Thompson were elected to the Senate. Former Minnesota RLC Secretary Norann Dillon narrowly lost in her race against an incumbent in a Democrat district. Congratulations to these new legislators and to the Minnesota RLC!

Missouri: In The Show Me State, RLC-endorsed candidate Paul Curtman was elected State Representative. He will represent parts of Jefferson, Franklin and St. Louis counties. Additionally, RLC-endorsed candidate Brian Nieves was elected to the State Senate. Two RLC-endorsed incumbent State Representatives, Tim Jones and Shane Schoeller, will be taking over leadership positions in the Missouri House of Representatives. The Missouri RLC is hosting its 2010 Convention on Saturday, November 13 in Springfield.

Montana: In Montana the RLC has an incumbent coalition in the State House and the entire slate of RLC-backed candidates was reelected. Additionally, former State Senator and longtime liberty advocate Jerry O’Neill was elected to the House of Representatives.

New Hampshire: Former Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire Chair Jim Forsythe was elected to the State Senate and State Rep. candidates Cameron DeJong and Andrew Manuse were elected to the State House. RLC Board member Paul Mirski was elected to the State House in Grafton as was former RLC Chair Dan McGuire in Merrimack. Longtime liberty activists Keith Murphy and Seth Cohn won election to the State House from Hillsborough and Merrimack, too. A full list of RLC victories from New Hampshire can be found here.

North Carolina: Republican Liberty Caucus-endorsed candidate Glen Bradley won election to the State House of Representatives. Congratulations to Glen and the North Carolina RLC!

Oklahoma: 65 percent of voters supported a ballot proposition to rebuke Obamacare by not allowing the individual mandate contained in the health care law to be enacted in the Sooner State.

South Carolina: RLC-backed candidate Curtis Loftis, who ousted the incumbent State Treasurer earlier this year in the primary, is now the State Treasurer-elect of The Palmetto State.

Uah: Two new RLC-endorsed candidates won election in Utah — Daniel Thatcher was elected to the State Senate and Ken Ivory won election to the State House. Ivory joins several other RLC incumbents in the House.

Texas: The Texas RLC helped elect two new State Representatives, Jason Isaac and David Simpson. Additionally, former Texas RLC Chairman Melissa Goodwin was elected Justice on the Third Court of Appeals. RLC Advisory Board member Jerry Patterson was re-elected State Land Commissioner. A full list of Texas results are available at our blog.

Wisconsin: In Wisconsin, a coalition of RLC-backed candidates for State House have won election for the first time. The slate includes: Andre Jacque from Green Bay, Jim Steineke from Appleton, Chris Kapenga from Delafield, Evan Wynn of Whitewater, Scott Krug of Black River Falls, Jeremy Thiesfeldt of Fond du Lac, and Roger Rivard of Rice Lake. Mr. Krug beat incumbent Marlin Schneider, who served in the legislature continuously since 1970. Congratulations to the Wisconsin RLC and Badger State voters!

Wyoming: Endorsed State Representative candidate Gerald Gay won election to the legislature for the first time.

These election results show not only the strength of the Tea Party, but also the disgust of average Americans with unresponsive, anti-liberty bureaucrats. The results also illustrate that liberty principles are popular and will make a comeback!

The battle has just begun, so thanks to all of our activists and candidates from across the country. Thanks especially to the state and national officers of the RLC who allow our organization to function.

The Republican Liberty Caucus is a grassroots coalition of liberty-loving Americans.

Won’t you join us in this critical battle to win hearts and minds for liberty and Constitutional restoration?

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.

– 30 –

Idaho Congressman Butch Otter made a name for himself in the early 2000s when he voted against the PATRIOT Act and had a record favoring less government intervention in the economy. The RLC endorsed him numerous times, including in his race for Governor in 2006.

Unfortunately, since leaving his post in Congress, his views dramatically shifted toward Big Government, and he even reversed his previous civil liberties stance, saying “much of the USA PATRIOT Act is needed to help protect us in a dangerous age of stateless zealots and mindless violence.”

Although no longer a darling of the Republican Liberty Caucus or freedom-loving Americans, Otter has made the news this week for signing a bill passed by the Idaho House and Senate that would sue the federal government if the Obamacare (health care) proposal passes.

Says The Washington Post: “Idaho is leading the charge in a states-rights push to defeat a proposal in Congress that would require people to buy health insurance, a key piece of reforms being pushed by President Barack Obama. [Governor] Otter used a ceremony Wednesday afternoon to become the first governor to sign into law a measure requiring the state attorney general to sue the federal government over any such insurance mandates. There’s similar legislation pending in 37 other states…”

Meanwhile, in New Jersey, Governor Chris Christie has taken an important step toward consolidating bureaucratic agencies in that state: he formed a Privatization Task Force of five members to cut waste and abuse.

The members of the Task Force are Dick Zimmer, Todd Caliguire, Kathleen Davis, John Galandak and Dr. P. Kelly Hatfield. Former RLC Vice-Chairman Murray Sabrin praised the appointment of Galandak, saying

I have known John for 25 years, and we worked together for more than 20 years delivering the World of Free Enterprise program to public school children, primarily in Bergen County. John has the unique perspective of a business association trade leader who understands completely the strengths of the free enterprise system and how taxes, government spending and regulations undermine prosperity and job creation.

John should not be shy in advocating a massive downsizing of state government, and in keeping with sound free market principles, steep cuts in taxes and an overhaul of the regulatory climate in the Garden State.

In addition, John should also advocate for free enterprise education. He should call for teachers, principals, administrators, parents and other stakeholders to run local public schools. That means schools becoming nonprofit institutions, relying on tuition, fees, grants and other non-tax means to pay for all school costs.

Additionally, former Congressman Dick Zimmer, while far from perfect on the issues, was on the RLC Advisory Board while he was a member of Congress.

Politics is very circular. It’s good to see some familiar faces in the news this week.

Summary: Although the trend was not good for Republicans on Nov. 4, there were some positives. I believe the RLC’s big victories included the addition of Tom McClintock to Congress and the additions of Justin Amash to the Michigan legislature and Jenn Coffey, Carol McGuire, and Calvin Pratt to the New Hampshire legislature, as well as electing several new Montana legislators. The RLC also won two races in Bonner County, Idaho. These principled legislators are close RLC allies and will cast principled votes that will increase liberty and prosperity in Idaho, Michigan, Montana, and New Hampshire.

The RLC’s setbacks include the losses of Tom Feeney from Congress, Lois Snowe Mello from the Maine State Senate, Gregory Sorg and Jason Bedrick from the New Hampshire Assembly, Bob Beers from the Nevada State Senate, and Frank Lasee from the Wisconsin Assembly. Additionally, North Carolina State Auditor and RLC ally Leslie Merritt lost his bid for re-election. Unfortunately, RLC Texas Chair Melissa Goodwin lost her bid for re-election in Travis County’s 427th Judicial district.

Ron Paul has a new ally in Congress in longtime
RLC ally Sen. Tom McClintock.

U.S. Congress: The RLC endorsed only a few candidates for U.S. Congress. Of those, only one non-incumbent, California State Senator Tom McClintock, was victorious. Sydney Hay did not win in Arizona’s District 1. Incumbent members of Congress Tom Feeney (Florida) and Steve Chabot (Ohio) suffered defeats, but all other endorsed incumbent members of Congress retained their seats.

State Legislature: In Arizona, all of the RLC’s endorsed incumbents won re-election. Andre Campos came close to upsetting a Democrat in Senate District 23.

In Arkansas, Amendment 2, which requires the legislature to meet annually, overwhelmingly passed. State Rep. Dan Greenberg, RLC ally, was the chief spokesman to defeat the measure.

In Colorado, voters narrowly rejected an initiative to prohibit discrimination or preferential treatment by the state in public employment, public education, and public contracting. Additionally, voters rejected an initiative to ban forced unionism. The RLC’s ally in the legislature, State Senator Shawn Mitchell, was re-elected.

In Delaware, State Senator Colin Bonini retained his seat. Rumor has it that Senator Bonini may run for Joe Biden’s Senate seat. Stay tuned to this blog for future updates.

In Florida, RLC Adviser and Congressman Tom Feeney suffered a defeat in his bid for re-election. However, RLC allies Lake Ray and Ritch Workman won seats in the state House of Representatives.

In Georgia, all RLC endorsed incumbents were re-elected.

In Maine, State Senator Lois Snowe Mello was narrowly defeated in her bid for re-election. In the House, Mike Vaughan lost his race. All other RLC endorsed incumbents retained their seats.

Massachusetts RLC allies State Senator Bob Hedlund and State Representative Jeff Perry were both re-elected. Additionally, Massachusetts voters passed a statewide referendum to decriminalize marijuana.

In Michigan, the RLC scored a big victory with the election of our own Justin Amash to the legislature in the suburbs of Grand Rapids, District 72. Justin is a young rising star in the Michigan GOP. Additionally, the RLC’s endorsed candidate in House District 88, Bob Genetski, was elected to an open seat. RLC member Brad Benzing was elected to the Hillsdale County Board of Commissioners, District 4. Finally, Michigan voters passed the RLC-endorsed initiative to legalize medical marijuana.

Justin Amash, the new ‘Leon Drolet’
of the Michigan legislature.

In Minnesota, RLC endorsed incumbents Steve Gottwalt, Ron Shimanski, Bruce Anderson, Tom Emmer, Steve Drazkowski, Joyce Peppin, and Tom Hackbarth were re-elected. RLC endorsed incumbent Sondra Erickson lost her bid for re-election. RLC endorsed challengers Peggy Scott and Mary Kiffmeyer were elected to the State House. Kathy Lohmer and Judy Lindsay nearly knocked off the incumbent Democrats in their races.

Missouri State Representative Jim Guest was re-elected in District 5.

In Montana, Greg Hinkle won his bid for an open state Senate seat. Dr. Krayton Kerns won a second term in the House. He will join RLC ally Joe Balyeat in the State Senate. In the House, RLC endorsed candidate Craig Witte was narrowly defeated in his bid for a second term. However, newcomers Gerald Bennett, Wendy Warburton, Lee Randall, Bob Wagner, Mike More, and Mike Miller were elected to the State House.  Randall, More, and Miller were active in the Ron Paul effort in Big Sky Country.

In Nevada, incumbent RLC State Senators Bob Beers and Joe Heck were each defeated for re-election. However, Kris Pickering won her bid to become State Supreme Court justice.

In New Hampshire, despite losing John Sununu from the Senate, there was some good news. All RLC incumbent legislators other than Jason Bedrick (defeated in primary) and Gregory Sorg (defeated Nov. 4) won re-election. Additionally, former RLC National Board member Carol McGuire was elected in Merrimack, District 8 and Jenn Coffey was elected in Merrimack, District 6. Hillsborough districts 4, 6, and 7 resulted in RLC endorsed candidates Bob Mead, William O’Brien, Cal Pratt, and Gary Hopper winning their races. Finally, Jim Twombly and Warren Groen won seats in Strafford, District 1.

In North Carolina news, all three RLC endorsed candidates lost their races, including the incumbent State Auditor, Les Merritt. The state RLC is working to ensure future successes.

Pennsylvania RLC legislators Daryl Metcalfe and Sam Rohrer were both re-elected.

In Oklahoma, State Representatives Charles Key and Jason Murphey each won their re-election bids.

In Tennessee, both RLC endorsed State Representatives, Susan Lynn and Donna Rowland, were re-elected. Additionally, RLC endorsed candidate Gregg Juster lost his race for Hamilton County School Board by just ten votes.

In Texas, there was no good news. Melissa Goodwin, Don Zimmerman, and Raymond Frank each lost their races.

In West Virginia, kudos to State Representative candidate Tomas Engle, who narrowly lost a State Representative seat to represent the West Virginia University area.

Rep. Frank Lasee has been fighting for individual liberty
and limited government in the Wisconsin Assembly
for more than a decade. He was defeated on Nov. 4.

In Wisconsin, the RLC’s closest ally, Representative Frank Lasee, was defeated. In better news, State Representative Jeff Wood, an ally of the RLC, was able to retain his seat after quitting the Republican Party earlier this summer. Wood left the GOP to become an independent because he felt the Republican Party had abandoned its limited government principles. He defeated Republican Don Moga of Chippewa Falls, becoming the first independent elected to the Wisconsin legislature in 62 years.

In response to the elections, Republican direct mail guru Richard Viguerie said, “Republican congressional leaders have failed their party, they have failed the conservatives who make up their party’s base, and they have failed the American people. They should resign immediately!”

A hearty note of THANKS to all of the RLC candidates who had the courage to run (and stay true to principle!) in 2008.

(Note: I have not been able to find comprehensive results for North Dakota, South Dakota, and Vermont. An updated listing of the RLC’s elected officials is available.)

A good number of RLC-endorsed candidates advanced through their primaries and on to the general elections in 2008, in what could be considered a breakout year for libertarian Republicans.  A listing of all of the RLC’s candidates is available here.

Each of the below candidates endorsed by the RLC ended up advancing in their respective primary race.  Congratulations!

• Alaska: Lt. Governor Sean Parnell, who was endorsed by the RLC, looks likely to lose in his race against Don Young. Both men are vying to represent Alaskans in Congress. Even if Parnell does lose, he will remain Lt. Governor. If McCain-Palin are successful in November, he will become Governor.

• Arizona: Sydney Hay, who is currently the underdog to replace Rick Renzi in Arizona’s First Congressional District. Hay received a donation from the Republican Liberty Caucus PAC.

• Colorado: George Lilly, who was inspired to run for Congress by Ron Paul.  Lilly is running in District 1 and is not favored to win the race due to district demographics.

• Florida: Ritch Workman, who is running for State Representative in District 30.

• Georgia: Dr. Paul Broun, who won his first campaign for Congress in 2007 and then faced a challenge from the establishment GOP in 2008.  Additionally, incumbent State Senator Jeff Chapman and State Representative Steve Davis, both RLC-endorsed, fended off challengers.

• Idaho: Elizabeth Allan Hodge, a former State Representative, won the GOP primary for State Representative in district 16B.

• Indiana: GOP challenger Bill Johnson narrowly lost his primary for State Representative in District 19.  However, in a victory for the RLC, the GOP challenger dropped out of the race for personal reasons and the county GOP decided that Johnson would be the ideal replacement.

• Maryland: The RLC has endorsed several victorious primary challengers in Maryland, including Richard Matthews (CD 02), Peter James (CD 04), Collins Bailey (CD 05), Roscoe Bartlett (CD 06), and Dr. Michael Hargadon (CD 07).  Unfortunately, all of the challengers are likely to lose due to district demographics.  Rep. Roscoe Bartlett is likely to retain his seat.

• Michigan: Three RLC candidates were victorious in their primaries in Michigan, including Justin Amash for State Representative (District 72), Bob Genetski for State Representative (District 88), and Tyler Whitney for Bash Township Trustee.

• Montana: RLC-endorsed candidates Greg Hinkle and Mike Miller won their races for State Senate and State Representative, respectively.

• Nevada: Kris Pickering won her primary for State Supreme Court and up-and-coming GOP rock star Lindsay Nicole Madsen won a tough primary for State Senate in District 7.

• North Carolina: Dr. B.J. Lawson won his primary and will face incumbent David Price for U.S. Congress, District 4.

• Oregon: Delia Lopez won her primary in Oregon, District 3 and will face veteran Earl Blumenauer in November.

• Texas: Dr. Ron Paul won his primary in Congressional District 14 and will return to Congress come January.

• Washington: Michael Delavar won his primary against an establishment GOP candidate in Congressional District 3. He will face incumbent Democrat Brian Baird in November.

• West Virginia: Edward R. Burgress, the RLC contact for West Virginia, won his primary in District 30 (St. Albans) for the House of Delegates. Seven individuals, all of them currently Democrats, represent this large district.

“When the Republican Party issued a clarion call last week for its grassroots supporters to submit ideas online to build the party’s platform, Republican National Committee officials probably weren’t expecting a concerted push for the dismantling of the Federal Reserve and a return to the gold standard,” writes Wired.com.

However, “Ron Paul supporters have made themselves at home on the the GOP platform site, sounding many of the themes that turned the Texas congressman’s doomed run for the Republican presidential nod into an internet cause célèbre. ‘Get rid of the unconstitutional Federal Reserve, and go back to a sound gold and silver based currency,’ wrote Cathy, a contributor from Stevensville, Montana, in a post to the ‘Jobs and Economic Growth’ section of the site.”

Cathy’s comment is just one of pages and pages of comments submitted by users complaining about the Federal Reserve, the USA Patriot Act, REAL ID, NAFTA, and No Child Left Behind. The RLC encourages you to use the automated search tool at the site to see exactly what Republican voters want their platform to say. And, believe it or not, their wishes don’t include a whole lot of meddling government.

The RLC is interested in documenting the impact that grassroots RLC members have had any on the platform debates at state GOP conventions in 2008. Across the nation, county Republican Parties have had their platforms amended to oppose the PATRIOT Act’s warrantless wiretapping provisions, the Iraq War, the Federal Reserve, the federal income tax, and REAL ID, among other changes. What impact have these local changes had at the state level, and to what extent was the RLC involved?

In March at the Alaska GOP Convention, delegates supporting Ron Paul were able to amend the state GOP platform to include a provision affirming Fourth and Fifth Amendment rights against the USA Patriot Act and REAL ID Act. They also added a plank supporting fully informed jurers. Among the resolutions that passed: Abolition of the IRS, repeal of the federal income tax, abolition of the Department of Education, and against implementation of REAL ID in Alaska.

In Idaho, where libertarian-friendly Norm Semanko was elected Chair, Ron Paul supporters (many of whom are members of the Republican Liberty Caucus) were able to add a provision to the state GOP platform demanding the abolition of the Federal Reserve bank.

In St. Charles County, Missouri, the largest Republican County caucus in the state, libertarian-leaning Republicans won 128 of 137 slots. According to The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Ron Paul delegates “snagged roughly a third of the 2,137 Republican delegates” in the state. Similar events took place in Jackson County and Greene County. In Jackson County, delegates changed the county platform in fourteen distinct ways, including abolition of the Department of Education and affirming that Congress only can go to war with a declaration from Congress.

In Oklahoma, the candidate endorsed by the libertarian-leaning faction of the GOP for National Committeeman, attorney James Dunn, was also selected by the majority of Convention delegates.

In Texas, RLC Board member Dave Nalle was able to stop two proposed resolutions, one condemning homosexuality and one opposing any form of gay unions.

Last May in Spokane at the Washington state GOP Convention, delegate Bruce Morton was able to pass a resolution affirming the that the GOP supports a formal declaration of war passed by Congress.

Attempts to change the platform in some states, such as Hawaii, Maine, and Nevada, were diffused by the establishment Republicans ‘leading’ the Convention.

In short, the RLC’s active grassroots membership is having an impact. Please let your voice be heard in the National GOP platform debate.

A few updates from RLC state affiliates:

Idaho: Ron Lahr, a RLC member, attended a meeting of Ron Paul supporters on C’oeur d’Alene on Monday, July 7. Ron spoke on the RLC’s behalf. He is now working with the state contact, Greg Maeser, to establish a RLC charter in Idaho.

Michigan: A few candidates were added to the listing of endorsed candidates in 2008. The affiliate is preparing for the RLC National Convention, which they are hosting in September.

Missouri: Rob Hillman, the new RLC state contact in Missouri, is working to charter the state affiliate. Rob is also running for a seat on the Rivers Township (Saint Charles County) Republican Committee in Missouri.

New Hampshire: I’m still waiting to hear about candidate endorsements from the affiliate contact.

New York: I’m still waiting to hear about candidate endorsements from the affiliate contact.

Utah: The newly chartered state affiliate should finish endorsing candidates in the coming weeks.

Wisconsin: I have received confirmation from at least six individuals interested in chartering the RLC affiliate.

DC: The state RLC is attempting to charter and will hold its first meeting on July 15 at Brickskeller north of Dupont circle at 6:30pm.

Florida: The state RLC is working on a new web site that will debut shortly. Stay tuned.

Idaho: As detailed earlier in the blog, the state GOP Convention saw two rivals fight out debate on the platform and future direction of the party, with our pro-liberty faction coming out ahead. The new state chair is Norm Semanko.

Illinois: The state RLC met at the GOP Convention in Decatur on June 6 and 7. Unfortunately, the libertarian-leaning Steve Rauschenberger was defeated for the state committeeman seat by Pat Brady.

Maine: The state RLC is working on candidate endorsements.

Nebraska: The Nebraska RLC charter has been approved. In celebration of the new charter, the Nebraska RLC will hold its first event on July 11 at 5:30pm at the Double D Ranch (567 County Rd. C) in Ashland, Nebraska. Click here to view a PDF of the event invitation.

Nevada: An alternative GOP Convention was held recently, in protest of the previous Convention. See below post for additional information. The state party-sponsored Republican Convention will reconvene on July 26.

New Hampshire: The state RLC is working on candidate endorsements.

New York: The state RLC is working on candidate endorsements.

Ohio: The RLC has a new state contact in Ohio, retired Colonel John Mitchel. Mr. Mitchel is very involved with his community, is a member of his local GOP Committee, and has nearly 30 years of military experience. He is also an adjunct college professor. We look forward to his active involvement in chartering the Ohio chapter of the RLC.

Utah: The newly chartered state affiliate is working on candidate endorsements.