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.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 11, 2009

CONTACT: William Westmiller, (866) 752-5423

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Republican Liberty Caucus Encourages Mark Sanford to Pursue Presidency
South Carolina Governor Would Restore American Commitment to Founding Principles

Thousand Oaks, CA — The National Board of the Republican Liberty Caucus has passed a resolution encouraging South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford to seek the Republican nomination for U.S. President in 2012.

“Governor Sanford had an outstanding record in Congress, often voting his conscience on tough issues rather than just following the party line,” said RLC National Chairman Dave Nalle. “In Washington, Sanford opposed pork barrel projects even when they benefited his own district and he honored his term limits pledge and stepped down in 2000. In his two terms as governor of South Carolina, Sanford has shown independence and creativity and acted as a vigilant guardian of taxpayer interests,” said Nalle.

Sanford was the first U.S. Governor to reject a portion of the federal stimulus money earmarked for his state last March. Sanford also worked out a compromise with state legislators to accept federal funds, provided that the politicians eliminated the state’s debts.

Mark Sanford has consistently been one of the strongest voices in the nation for fiscal and individual responsibility. At a Cato Institute event in 2008, Governor Sanford explained that “there’s a battle line in our society: with government on one side and liberty – the hallmark of the American experiment – on the other.”

He also earned the endorsement of the Republican Liberty Caucus when running for Congress and Governor. Consistently ranked at the top of the RLC’s “Liberty Index” – which began tracking votes in Congress on social and economic liberty in 1991 – Sanford’s overall rating was 82%.

“The nation needs a champion of fiscal responsibility and individual liberty now more than ever,” added National RLC Secretary Aaron Biterman, and “Sanford has demonstrated his commitment to those ideals and an ability to communicate them to voters.”

Although it is still early in the process and Governor Sanford has not yet announced his intentions for 2012, the Republican Liberty Caucus urges its members and other concerned citizens to encourage Governor Mark Sanford to seek the Republican nomination for U.S. President in 2012.

Founded in 1991, the Republican Liberty Caucus exists to promote individual rights, limited government, and free enterprise within the Republican Party by promoting those ideals among Party officials and its various organizations, identifying and supporting candidates sympathetic with them, and promoting Caucus membership among Republican Party registrants, officials, and officeholders.

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RLC SANFORD RESOLUTION

Adopted by the RLC National Committee on 6/8/2009

WHEREAS Washington is fundamentally broken;

WHEREAS wasteful government spending is out of control;

WHEREAS puppet politicians are promising to spend trillions of dollars we don’t have;

WHEREAS Americans continue to lose their freedoms as our nation creeps toward socialism;

WHEREAS the American people are looking for bold leadership to renew our republic; and

WHEREAS the Republican Liberty Caucus Statement of Principles should be implemented to solve these problems;

RESOLVE THAT the Republican Liberty Caucus Board of Directors encourages Governor Mark Sanford of South Carolina to run for President of these United States in 2012;

That Governor Sanford is a bold, independent leader who is able to fend off Washington’s culture of corruption;

That Governor Sanford has a vision that will protect America while safeguarding individual liberty and reducing government power;

That Governor Sanford has a stellar record as South Carolina Governor and a former member of Congress;

That Governor Sanford has not only embraced the label ‘libertarian’, but his actions logically follow his words; and

That Governor Sanford should be the choice of all Americans who want to return the country to its Founding principles.

South Carolina is a peculiar state. It’s managed to produce both Lindsey Graham and Mark Sanford, two politicians who come from the same place but are literally like oil and water.

Graham is the model of the kind of Republican who infiltrated the party after the Reagan era. He’s religiously conservative, completely irresponsible on budgetary issues, and has a record on civil liberties that can only be described as embarrassing.

Abe Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt and Barry Goldwater wouldn’t have recognized him as a Republican at all. He’s like an old-style southern Democrat but with less integrity.

Mark Sanford is almost his exact opposite. He’s fiscally conservative and a strong supporter of civil and individual liberty. He’s in the Goldwater tradition and willing to stick by his principles regardless of the cost.

Being from the same state, it’s inevitable that two such opposite politicians would clash. When Sanford held firm and opposed federal bailout money for the state, Graham tried to end-run him in the Congress and play havoc with states rights by giving legislatures federal authority to override governors to accept federal money.

Last weekend at the South Carolina Republican Convention, it’s not surprising that there were some fireworks.

On the floor, Graham made a speech arguing in favor of compromising Republican principles and moving to the center and was heckled by members of the audience who were Ron Paul supporters. In response he made a strong statement against libertarianism, saying:

“I am not a libertarian. If you are, you’re welcome to vote for me and help this party, but we’re not going to build a party around libertarian ideas. I am a Ronald Reagan, Strom Thurmond, Lindsey Graham, Carrol Campbell Republican.”

It was certainly not news to anyone that Graham isn’t a libertarian, and his self-identification with former Democrats, segregationists and pork barrel spendocrats tells the whole story about why so many in South Carolina aren’t happy with their senior Senator.

More interesting than Graham’s remarks was Governor Sanford’s reaction a few minutes later when RLC member Amanda Moore stopped him in the hallway and asked him what he thought about Graham’s comments on libertarianism. Sanford went on at length, and said:

“It’s funny it was almost a pejorative comment a moment ago. Senator Graham spoke and said ‘I’m not a libertarian’, and whatever, whatever, as if that’s an evil word. Liberty is the hallmark of the American experiment. That is the distinguishing characteristic of our republic and frankly, what’s made it great. In my comments last night I said that is the genius of America, of affording liberty so that in your pursuit of happiness versus my pursuit of happiness and the dreams that went with that you unleash individual initiative that can’t be there with central planning. People say, you know, ‘Mark, you’re kind of libertarian’ and they’ll say it as if it’s an evil word like ‘You’re a communist’ or something. I’m like ‘Throw me in that brier patch. I’m guilty. I love liberty’ and I think that ought to be a good thing and I don’t think that it should be something that people back away from. I’ve been accused of being a libertarian and I wear it as a badge of honor, because I believe in, love and support liberty.”

Sanford expressed a vision of the Republican Party which strongly contrasted with Graham’s concept of a party of appeasement and opportunism. Sanford offered a positive vision of a party which embraces rights and individual liberty and enterprise and initiative, a party like the GOP which freed the slaves and fought the monopolies and championed civil rights and won the cold war.

Sanford seems to understand that the arguments between conservatives and moderates in the party is meaningless and that the party needs to move on a course perpendicular to the old ideas of right and left, in the direction of liberty.

Lindsey Graham represents the worst of the failures of the post-Reagan GOP.

It’s not just that he doesn’t want to be a libertarian. He doesn’t want to be in a party which bases its policies on principles at all.

Sanford seems to understand that ideals and principles and doing the right thing matter. He represents hope for a better future for the party and a return to real Republican values.

According to The State, Rich Bolen, 42, won the two-year chairmanship of the Lexington County Republican Party over a GOP moderate.