Congratulations to members of the Republican Liberty Caucus in Delaware and Massachusetts. Members in both states have come together over the last several months to meet, organize, approve Bylaws, elect officers, and formalize their state affiliates.

Delaware RLC members have elected Diane Hernandez of New Castle as Chair with Jason O’Neill and Joseph O’Leary serving in other officer positions. The Delaware RLC officers attended the RLC National Convention in Arlington, Virginia last February.

Massachusetts RLC members, who have their own website up at http://www.massrlc.com/index.php, have elected Kevin Martin Chairman and Kamal Jain as Treasurer. Shelly Ortelt and Keith Messina will serve as Vice-Chair and Secretary.

Massachusetts RLC members gathered in February for their first meeting.

Congratulations to the officers and members of these two new state affiliates. Members of the RLC in Colorado and South Carolina should get in touch with their state contacts soon because both states have members working to charter their affiliates.

Republican Liberty Caucus favorite Senator Rand Paul is contemplating his future, according to today’s Charleston Post & Courier newspaper. Quoth the paper:

U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., is visiting Charleston today talk about his possible presidential bid, how to reign in the national debt and the current military action in Libya.

Paul, a Tea Party favorite who won his Senate seat last fall, is visiting several early presidential voting states independently of his father, 2008 presidential contender and current U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas.

“The only decision I’ve made is I won’t run against my dad,” Rand Paul said, adding that he wants to see the Tea Party influence the 2012 GOP nominee. Paul is set to appear this afternoon before the College of Charleston’s bully pulpit series.

This evening, he will address the Charleston Meeting, a new invitation-only, center-right organization that invites prominent politicians to address its members off the record.

I previously opined that his father, RLC Advisory Board member Dr. Ron Paul, would likely pass on running for President for the third time. I mentioned that the status of Ron Paul’s son Rand may factor into his decision.

So which Paul, if either, will run for President in 2012?

I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

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?

ARLINGTON, VA — The Republican Liberty Caucus (RLC), a membership organization that exists to promote the principles of individual liberty and limited government, has six endorsed Congressional candidates who are on paths to victory this November as evidenced by poll numbers and leading experts in the field. The candidates include Justin Amash of Michigan, Mick Mulvaney of South Carolina, Doug Cloud and John Koster of Washington state, Chip Cravaack of Minnesota, and Steve Chabot of Ohio.

“With the exception of 1994, the Republican Liberty Caucus has never seen a slate of candidates who have the potential to knock of incumbents like this slate,” said RLC Chair Dave Nalle of Texas. “These candidates are principled and committed to the Republican Liberty Caucus vision of a free nation with limited, efficient government,” said Nalle. In addition to a full slate of endorsed Congressional candidates (including many not mentioned above), the RLC has also endorsed incumbent members of Congress Jeff Flake (AZ), Roscoe Bartlett (MD), Adrian Smith (NE), Scott Garrett (NJ), Jim Jordan (OH), John Duncan (TN), and a slate from the Texas Congressional Delegation.

According to RLC Vice Chair Aaron Biterman, “Justin Amash is a conservative Republican running in a right-leaning Grand Rapids district; Mick Mulvaney is polling even with incumbent John Spratt (D) in South Carolina 5; Steve Chabot is polling even or ahead of Steve Driehaus (D) in a suburban Cincinnati district. Spratt and Driehaus rubber-stamped the entire Obama Big Government agenda and will have to face the voters on November 2.”

Additionally, a Public Opinion Strategies poll from early October showed RLC endorsed candidate Chip Cravaack at 42 percent to incumbent Democrat Jim Oberstar’s 45 percent. RealClearPolitics ranks John Koster’s bid against incumbent Democrat Rick Larson a “toss up” after several polls showed them within 3 points of each other in Washington’s 2nd District. Finally, a Wenzel Strategies poll released last week shows Democrat incumbent Norm Dicks trailing RLC candidate Doug Cloud in Washington’s 6th District.

“If Doug Cloud and Justin Amash in particular advance to Congress, they will be RLC Advisory Board member Ron Paul’s foremost allies in Washington,” said Biterman, adding that, “If our other candidates — Mulvaney, Koster, Cravaack, and Chabot — also succeed, there will be a significantly larger coalition for limited government in Congress.” The Republican Liberty Caucus is urging its members to volunteer for and donate to these candidates in particular.

The Republican Liberty Caucus, founded in 1991, exists to promote individual liberty, limited government, and free enterprise within the Republican Party. The RLC will hold its 2011 Convention in Arlington, Virginia on February 12, 2011 and encourages media, liberty-minded citizens, and other interested parties to attend. Learn more about the organization at http://www.RLC.org/. A full list of endorsed candidates is available at http://www.rlc.org/endorsed-candidates-2010/.

###

Campaign strategist Dick Morris recently blogged about focusing support on ten key house races where he believes money and personal effort will make the most difference for Republicans in November.  While I agree with the concept of focusing support on key races, there is a fundamental problem with the list Morris has put together. Instead of focusing on the best candidates, it is a list almost entirely composed of establishment candidates. It focuses on winning seats and ignores the imperative to change the focus of the party and the Congress in November.

While Morris’ candidates may have a good chance of winning, they are mostly not the kinds of candidates who will move the GOP in a positive direction or take roles as principled leaders in Congress. They may end up being helpful votes as part of a future coalition, but they are not the right candidates to form the nucleus of a new and better Republican majority.

It’s much more important in this key election to put your money and support behind GOP candidates who are both able to win and also dedicated to Constitutional principles and restoring the core ideals of the GOP. To redo Morris’ work from the perspective of a pro-liberty activist rather than a political hack who used to call his pal Bill Clinton while he was in bed with a hooker and Clinton was playing hide the cigar with an intern, I offer my list of the ten house candidates who really deserve your help and your money. They are listed in order of my somewhat subjective assessment of their need and worthiness.

Mick Mulvaney (SC-5)

A principled constitutional conservative who is running in a tough blue-leaning district against an incumbent he has done the near impossible to come up tied at 46% to 46% with his opponent in the latest poll. He needs any support he can get in a critical race.

Find out more about his campaign at www.mulvaneyforcongress.com

Jason Levesque (ME-2)

Trailing in the polls, but working very hard to catch up. He’s a committed Liberty Republican and is trailing 7 points in the polls. It’s a deficit he can make up by November. He has the energy and needs your support.

Find out more about his campaign at www.levesqueforcongress.com

John Koster (WA-2)

A principled constitutional conservative who is leading by about 4 points in the latest poll. He needs to widen his lead to secure an important upset win.

Find out more about his campaign at www.kosterforcongress.com

Delia Lopez (OR-3)

A promising and hard working Liberty Republican who speaks out strongly for Constitutionally protected rights and civil liberties. She’s a real anti-establishment candidate who is running a very active campaign, but has an uphill battle.

Find out more about his campaign at: www.dlopezforcongress.com

David Ratowitz (IL-5)

One of my favorite Liberty Republicans running this year. On the right side of just about every issue. Strong on individual liberty and fiscal issues. He has a tough but winnable race, but needs help to pull off an upset.

Find out more about his campaign at: www.ratowitzforcongress.com

John Dennis (CA-8)

One of the most high profile Liberty Republican candidates in one of the most challenging races in the country, taking on Speaker Nancy Pelosi in San Francisco. Yes, he’s down by more than 20 points in the polls, but there are still enough undecided votes that he could win. He might be able to pull off a miracle with your help.

Help him beat Pelosi at: www.johndennis2010.com

Chip Cravaack (MN-8)

A strong fiscal conservative with integrity and a background as a navy pilot. The kind of principled leader we need in Congress. Not much polling information, but his fundraising is strong and he seems like a potential winner.

Find out more about his campaign at: www.chipcravack.com

Gary Clift (CA-10)

A strong Liberty Republican in a race that is under the radar in northern California. The incumbent was elected in a special election and did not beat Clift by wide margins in that race, so there is potential for an upset with your help.

Find out more about his campaign: www.cliftforcongress.com

B. J. Lawson (NC-4)

One of the most respected Liberty Republican candidates, he has surprised many by taking a small lead in the latest poll. He needs to widen that lead to secure the seat and put another principled spokesman for liberty in the House.

Find out more about his campaign at www.lawsonforcongress.com

Lee Byberg (MN-7)

Coming off a very strong primary win, but the race hasn’t gotten much media attention. Internal polling suggests that he can win with enough support and exposure. He’s a strong constitutional conservative with civil libertarian leanings.

Find out more about his campaign at: www.bybergforcongress.com

These are hardly the only deserving candidates, but Morris picked ten so I limited myself to that. I eliminated great candidates with races which were too hard to assess like Bill Gunn (MA-1), Dan Sebring (WI-4) and others. I also passed over candidates who are running away with their races like Justin Amash (MI-3) or some who just seem too far behind to be saved.

There will be many turnovers in the House this fall.  There’s not one candidate Morris and I agree on, but there’s room for his less inspiring candidates if we can put my 10 pro-liberty, pro-constitution Republicans in the House to show them the way.

Check out the websites of the candidates from both lists and think about which group of 10 you’d rather have shape the future of the Republican Party.

In the course of researching this article I found TPM’s new Political Tracker beta site very helpful.

A version of this article appeared previously on Blogcritics.

Republican Liberty Caucus endorsed candidates in Utah and South Carolina won their runoffs last night.

Congratulations to Mike Lee, who narrowly defeated Tim Bridgewater in the Utah U.S. Senate race. Lee will be a voice for common sense in the Senate after he wins in November. Until then, we have to make sure he is able to fend off his Democrat opponent.

In South Carolina, Nikki Haley won her run-off against bailout-supporting Congressman Gresham Barrett. Haley will be the first female Governor if she is elected. She will also be the 2nd southern Republican Governor of Indian origin currently serving. It’s good to see the Republican Party in a southern state embracing diversity and independent thinking.

In South Carolina’s 8th District, the votes were so close between RLC endorsed candidate Nancy Harrelson and her opponent that there will be a recount.

Congratulations to Mike Lee and Nikki Haley, their campaign teams, and Utah/South Carolina voters!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

It’s not a surprise, but in South Carolina Nikki Haley – the endorsed Republican Liberty Caucus candidate — advanced to a run-off with Congressman/bailout supporter Gresham Barrett. Haley came very close to gaining the 50% she needed to advance to the General Election.

In Maine, Paul LePage (pictured below) has won the Republican nomination for Governor. LePage was endorsed by the Republican Liberty Caucus of Maine. The RLC profiled LePage previously.

Congratulations to South Carolina and Maine voters!

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

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

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

On October 12, Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina was greeted with heckling by a crowd of Tea Party activists and libertarians at one of his Town Hall meetings. Graham was put on defensive about his voting record on issues like climate change and the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor. When he asserted that he is “not going to leave the Republican Party” but “grow it”, he was met with jeers and shouts of “Ron Paul!”

In response, Graham said, “I love this party; I’m not going to let it be hijacked by Ron Paul.”

The Republican Party isn’t where it is today because of party members like Ron Paul; rather, because of spineless partisans like Lindsey Graham. Lindsey Graham says “if you don’t like it, you can leave”.

This kind of “with us or against us” rhetoric is what turns people away and breaks coalition

Lindsey Graham needs to understand that I too love this party. Despite people like Lindsey Graham, I’m not going to leave the party and I’m not going to let the party be hijacked by Lindsey Graham. If you don’t like it, Lindsey, you can leave.

Kevin E. Deuwel, a RLC member, is a student at George Washington University and a native of Sacramento, California. He blogs at Free Libertas.