In late February, the Republican Liberty Caucus of Michigan had its annual meeting, which featured guest Governor Gary Johnson. Here are a few photos from that event.

The Minnesota RLC held its Convention on April 12. Here are several photos from that event:

The Minnesota chapter of the Republican Liberty Caucus has been busy, as usual.

Not only is Minnesota RLC member Norann Dillon running for State Senate, but many RLC members were among the first to rally behind State Rep. Tom Emmer, one of two potential Republican Gubernatorial nominees. Polls show Emmer defeating his Democrat opponents.

The upcoming Minnesota RLC events include:

1) A Second Congressional District Meeting for RLC and Campaign for Liberty members on Thursday, March 18. Among the plans at the meeting are to formalize RLC/C4L participation at the Jason Lewis Tax Rally on May 8 and the Minnesota GOP Convention on April 29. Additionally, the Second Congressional District GOP Convention will occur on Saturday, March 20. PLEASE RSVP to this event.

2) The Minnesota RLC Convention on Monday, April 12. PLEASE RSVP to this event.

3) Outreach at the Minnesota GOP Convention on April 29. Stay tuned for details.

The Michigan RLC recently held a successful Convention with former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson. The Nebraska RLC is holding its Convention with Governor Johnson in July. The Illinois RLC recently endorsed several candidates.

Additionally, the Wisconsin RLC and C4L chapters are planning to reach out at the state GOP Convention in late May. Meanwhile, Indiana and Ohio have primaries quickly approaching. The Indiana chapter is working to endorse candidates and Ohio RLC members are working to charter their chapter.

Activists in the Midwest are doing good work to keep liberty alive.

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 Minnesota chapter of the Republican Liberty Caucus has been hard at work, reaching out to prospects as we approach the 2010 elections.

This weekend, the Minnesota RLC will be operating a table at the state GOP Convention. This is the first time the Minnesota RLC has ever appeared a statewide party event. Says Secretary Norann Dillon, “With all of the talk and ttention on LIBERTY in this party, it will be an important outreach event for us.”

The Minnesota RLC is looking for volunteers to maintain the booth, so please contact us if you’re interested. The Minnesota RLC will be using the World’s Smallest Political Quiz, asking folks to drop off business cards for a book raffle, and handing out RLCMN cards to prospects.

Additionally, in September, members of the Minnesota RLC drove to Fargo, North Dakota to attend the first-ever Economic Reality Summit. The RLC and the campaign for Liberty sponsored the summit, which offered a “wake up call” to residents on fiscal issues like the national debt and government spending.

The Minnesota affiliate tabled and reached out to prospective members at the event. Many of the interested parties were North Dakota residents, so the Minnesota RLC helped lay the groundwork for the possibility of a North Dakota Republican Liberty Caucus in the near future.

Thank you to the members of the fabulous Minnesota chapter for their continued hard work!

Below is a letter to the editor published in The Pioneer Press penned by RLC Minnesota Secretary Norann Dillon:

Celebrating independence and individual liberties

I was very glad to see the column about staying in the Minnesota Republican Party, because I also believe that it’s worth working with the party to restore our republic (”Why we’re staying with the Minnesota GOP,” June 26).

While it’s true the party has drifted in recent years from its core principles of fiscal responsibility and individual and property rights, I am encouraged to see so many members renewing their interest in and commitment to constitutionally limited government.

I am home-schooling my children this summer on the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution. The first lesson teaches the balance between internal government by conscience and external government by force. More of one means less of the other. The larger and more intrusive that government becomes in our lives, the less freedom we have as individuals.

From the federal takeover of automotive companies to the state sales tax to fund arts and trails, the Democrats are making entire segments of commerce and society dependent on government.

When we celebrate our independence as a nation, it’s a good time to remind ourselves that this country was founded to protect the inalienable rights of the individual, and I will work with the Minnesota GOP to fight for the liberties and privileges established for us 233 years ago.

Norann Dillon, Plymouth

The writer is secretary for the Republican Liberty Caucus of Minnesota.

Reprinted from today’s edition of The Pioneer Press:

In his opinion piece “Why I am leaving the Minnesota GOP,” Lt. Col. Joe Reypa paints a pretty damning picture of the Republican Party of Minnesota. As Republican grass-roots activists, we have witnessed and experienced what Joe described as “tyrannical domination over the grass-roots” of the party.

We agree with Joe when he says “it is time to stop enabling bad behavior from that party.” Joe is a friend who has been a principled champion of freedom and liberty for many years; he remains a friend. We disagree, however, with his conclusion that “the Minnesota GOP is no longer capable of being saved.”

This is why we are not leaving the Minnesota GOP. Not only can the Minnesota GOP be saved, it must be saved.

While the Republican Party has drifted away from the fundamental principles inherent in the U.S. Constitution — the primacy of individual sovereignty, the sanctity of private property and preservation of the rule of law — the Minnesota DFL has coalesced around the national Democratic Party values: the collective good over individual pursuit of happiness, the property needs of the state over the property rights of the individual, and government power restrained only by the grace of the majority, irrespective of the rule of law. History warns us that a nation so divided cannot long endure.

And this is why we choose to remain in the Minnesota GOP: Despite past leadership flaws, the Minnesota GOP remains the last best hope for resurrecting Quantcast
republican, constitutional government. It is the last best hope for individuals who want to make their own decisions about health care, their children’s education, where they live, what they eat and how they worship. The Minnesota GOP is the last best hope for preservation of the unalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It is the last best hope for a productive society capable of creating the wealth that makes compassion possible.

The groups we represent — the Republican Liberty Caucus, the Campaign for Liberty, and Minnesotans for Limited Government, and many other like-minded liberty-oriented organizations — are evidence that hope is not dead.

To Joe’s point, many of our groups have sprung up and grown strong because the Minnesota GOP abdicated its role as protector of republican principle — endorsing capital “R” Republicans regardless of their allegiance to small “r” republican principle. But for whatever reason our groups came into being, they exist, and they are making a difference.

When the campaign for GOP officers began, the emphasis was on “Platform Conservatism,” the notion that the “best conservative,” the “best Republican,” was the one who could put the most check marks next to the 171 planks of a 5,100-word party platform. Over the course of the campaign, the debate changed.

Republicans started talking about “Principled Conservatism” as an alternative to the litmus test of platform politics. The grass-roots felt empowered; a candidate for chair was drafted by the party’s grass-roots. With no “old guard” support whatsoever, he nearly pulled off the upset.

A Web site and Facebook group, “Grassroots for an Open Republican Party,” described a Republican Party that doesn’t just win elections, but one that earns respect as a party of integrity and principle. Both the newly elected chair and deputy chair of the Minnesota GOP signed on as supporters.

Campaign for Liberty supporters of Ron Paul (who as Joe notes were systematically shut out of the 2008 GOP State Convention) remain engaged in the Republican Party, actively supporting liberty-oriented candidates and conservative/libertarian principles.

The Republican Liberty Caucus, “the conscience of the Republican Party,” exists to promote individual liberty, limited government and free enterprise within the Republican Party.

Minnesotans for Limited Government is educating the party and public on the principles of limited government and supporting liberty-minded candidates.

There is an old adage that describes change as frightening when done to us, but exhilarating when done by us. This is an exhilarating time to be a Republican.

The frightening change taking place in the country, the abandonment of republican government and fundamental constitutional principles, is a wake-up call. Now is our “Time to Choose.” It is our time to stop an ever-intrusive government from doing change to us. It is our time to “preserve, protect and defend” the Constitution of the United States. It is our time to put American principles to the test. It is our time to reform, re-energize and resurrect the last best hope of American constitutional government — the Republican Party.

That is why we are emphatically not leaving the Minnesota GOP.

David FitzSimmons of Cokato is chairman of the Minnesota Republican Liberty Caucus: rlcmn.org; Marianne Stebbins of Excelsior is coordinator of the Minnesota Campaign for Liberty: www.campaignforliberty.com/usa/MN; and Mitch Imbertson of Maplewood is Communications Committee Chair of Minnesotans for Limited Government: www.mnlg.org.

According to the St. Cloud Times, “Republicans in Minnesota’s 6th Congressional District elected Wright County Party Chairman David Fitzsimmons, a supporter of U.S. Rep. Ron Paul’s presidential campaign last year, to be the district’s new party chairman during the weekend.”

“Fitzsimmons became Wright County’s party chairman earlier this year and joined the local party leadership just two years ago, along with the increasing participation of Republicans who supported Paul’s presidential campaign. Fitzsimmons won 136 votes on the first ballot, compared with 53 for Knoblach and 17 for Vollkammer.”

“Fitzsimmons said he hopes to expand the party’s coalition by bringing disaffected Republicans, independent, Independence Party, Constitution Party and Libertarian Party members into the fold.”

The Minnesota chapter of the RLC also received an award from the Republican Liberty Caucus for their continued chapter growth at the recent RLC National Convention.

Congrats, David!

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!

Pro-Liberty Republican Caucus Announces State Candidate Endorsements:
Candidates will fight for limited government, living within our means

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 24, 2008

CONTACT: David FitzSimmons,
rlcminn@gmail.com

ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA — Today, the Republican Liberty Caucus of Minnesota, a state affiliate of the Republican Liberty Caucus [www.RLC.org], announced endorsements for 32 Republican candidates who will restore fiscal responsibility, individual liberty, and reduced size to government at the federal and state levels.

Founded in 1990, the Republican Liberty Caucus works to advance the principles of individual rights, limited government and free enterprise within the Republican Party. In 2008, the Caucus has endorsed over 220 principled candidates in 42 states.

“Our state government is living well beyond its means, and the people are feeling the consequences of government run amok,” said state RLC Chair David FitzSimmons. Congressional candidates endorsed by the Caucus include Ed Matthews, District 4; Barb Davis White, District 5; and Michael Cummins, District 8.

“This is truly an honor,” said Barb Davis White, who is running against first term incumbent Keith Ellison in urban Minneapolis’ District 5. “Let’s fight to maintain the little piece of liberty that we have manged to hold onto. Let our voices be heard together,” urged Davis White.

Eric Franzen was endorsed in his bid for State House, District 60A. According to Franzen, “From schools to energy to health care, government is not the solution. I will work to take the power out of St. Paul and give it back to you.”

Incumbent State Representatives endorsed by the Caucus include Steve Gottwalt, District 15A; Sondra Erickson, District 16A; Ron Shimanski, District 18A; Bruce Anderson, District 19A; Tom Emmer, District 19B; Steve Drazkowski, District 28B; Joyce Peppin, District 32A; and Tom Hackbarth, District 48A.

Challengers endorsed by the Caucus include Allan Kehr, District 7B; David Allan Pundt, District 12A; Joshua Behling, District 15B; Mary Kiffmeyer, District 16B; Jason Johnson, District 29B; Jake Dettinger, District 30A; Rhett Zenke, District 31A; Judy Lindsay, District 37B; Bill Jungbauer, District 39A; Gene Lotts, District 46A; Troy Buchholz, District 47A; Peggy Scott, District 49A; Tim Utz, District 50A; Kathy Lohmer, District 56A; Grant Cermak, District 58A; Felix Montez, District 59A; Adam Martin, District 60B; Andrew Sheppard, District 61A; Kirsten Lindberg, District 61B, and Gilbert Higuera, District 66A.

“The largess of this slate proves that liberty-loving Americans are fighting to preserve our freedoms here in the North Star State,” concluded Chairman FitzSimmons.

To learn more about the Republican Liberty Caucus, visit www.RLC.org .

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Florida RLC Update

Term limits advocate Tom Rooney picked up a Congressional seat (CD 16), replacing incumbent Tim Mahoney in a district still referred to as “Mark Foley’s old seat.” Meanwhile, Rep. Tom Feeney of Orlando (CD 24) lost his Congressional seat.

In the Florida legislature, two of the five RLC-endorsed candidates won their seats: Rich Workman (D30) and Lake Ray (D17). Thanks to Sarah Lovett, Dean Santoro and Matt Caldwell for flying the limited government flag in their first, but hopefully not last, electoral efforts.

RLCer Bruce Reichert won a non-partisan seat on the Collier County Soil & Water Board, as did Jeff Hunt in Duval County. Hunt is not an RLCer, but is the right-hand man of RLCer Adam Guillette, the Florida director of Americans for Prosperity.

Georgia RLC Update

The Republican Liberty Caucus of Georgia needs volunteers! We need liberty oriented folks to step up to the plate and assist the RLC in the following areas:

- Membership renewal and growth
- Writing articles and sending out newsletters
- Legislative coordinator: track legislation in the General Assembly and advise the membership on key votes
- Start a local RLC chapter in your area

If you’re interested in helping out, e-mail chair@gopliberty.org.

Minnesota RLC Update

RLC Minnesota Secretary Norann Dillon penned a beautiful letter in The Woodbury Bulletin on October 29 in response to a letter from a reader that mischaracterized the Republican Liberty Caucus. Norann also offered the following update to RLCMN subscribers:

“RLCMN sent out almost 150 Liberty Compacts to the endorsed Republican candidates in the state. They had to read it and realize there are people who want them to stand for its principles. We received 39 of them back, signed. We’ve received radio mentions by Jason Lewis; we had successful outreach at the Sept. 20 Conservative Issues Fair; Sue Jeffers featured our candidates on her radio show when they called from the Oct. 4th pork chop dinner; we received some press when Kathy Lohmer, candidate in 56A, mentioned our endorsement in a debate, and in the follow up letters to The Woodbury Bulletin.

Additionally, our eGroup has grown from about 170 members in the summer to almost 200 members today. We are creating an identity for ourselves with a RLCMN e-mail address, permanent address, and a bank account (with a positive balance!).

I think this is all significant when you consider that only a handful of people have done this. Imagine where we could go if all 200 of our subscribers found a way to apply themselves. The Executive Committee will meet this month to consider where we should direct our energies next.

RLCMN has six standing committees and three special directors. Which of these should we focus on: website? local chapters? outreach? position papers? membership? coalition building? We are poised and planning for growth. What do you think we should do? I invite and encourage discussion on our direction.

If you have skills, talents or interests that you can offer, please direct them to rlcminn@gmail.com.

I’m excited for our organization. I look forward to reading your thoughts on our future.”