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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!

On a Saturday in mid-May, the Republican Liberty Caucus of Utah held its annual Convention in Draper. A special thanks to RLC members Rob Alexander, Bryan Livingston, and Lowell Nelson for coordinating the convention and to all of the new officers and Convention speakers.

The Convention’s first speaker was Utah Representative John Dougall, who made a passionate speech in favor of persuasion instead of the use force. Dougall’s plan for maximizing liberty includes the importance of self-reliance in skills and education and the avoidance of debt. As more and more people become dependent, the more likely will be the calls for government to solve a problem that it cannot solve. He also stressed the importance of charity to help others achieve self-reliance.

Former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson (pictured addressing Delegates) was the featured speaker. He was elected on his promises and he kept them and was subsequently re-elected. He prevented billions in new spending by vetoing 750 bills, as well as thousands of line item vetoes. He was one of the most outspoken governors regarding bringing freedom of choice and competition to the educational system. He also discussed how much of law enforcement dollars are spent on the war on drugs. Johnson explained that much of the violence that occurs along the US-Mexican border is directly related to the prohibitive aspect of drug use. He says the “drug treatment model” does not work. He would have vetoed recent immigration legislation in Arizona had he been governor there, because he believes it could lead to racial profiling.

Johnson also discussed how we have to slash government spending by at least 43%, because 43 cents of every dollar America spends is borrowed. The Fed inflates (prints) money to cover our drunken binge. In the next 4-10 years, a dollar today will be worth only 50 cents then. Johnson believes that what’s happening in Greece is what is going to happen here. Many U.S. state pension funds are “under water”, with California being likely the one that will first fail.

Johnson believes the root of nearly all our problems is that the federal government is too large. He does not believe that attacking Iraq was warranted because we have the technology to know that Iraq didn’t have Weapons of Mass Destruction. Says Johnson, attacking Afghanistan was initially warranted, but the target, Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda, is not there anymore. America makes up 5% of the world’s population, but we spend 50% of the world total on military armaments.

Cherilyn Eagar, former Candidate or US Senate from Utah spoke for just a moment. She said that the campaign was exhilarating and she achieved some remarkable friends. She appreciates the successes of the Republican Liberty Caucus. Several other candidates for public office spoke, including Utah RLC members like Rob Alexander and DJ Schanz.

Mike Lee (pictured addressing Delegates), candidate for U.S. Senate from Utah, considers Cherilyn Eagar a patriot and a friend. Lee talked about how America is exceptional because of our tradition of liberty. He said that whenever government acts, it acts at the expense of liberty. He said we must therefore be mindful of what we allow the government to do. He remembers watching the 1994 election returns, thinking that it would be a happy change, but it didn’t turn out that way, even with a Republican president later elected. The Republican revolution in 1994 failed and has since died. But Lee believes we have a greater opportunity now in 2010, and we can’t mess it up this time. He says this time we must anchor it in something that is solid and time-tested–the Constitution. If we had done this in 1994, that revolution would still be vibrant today.

Here are a few photos from the Convention:

Lowell Nelson, Convention Chair.

Utah RLC members.

Utah RLC members.

The Utah RLC also elected its new officers:

Chair: Julian Babbitt, Cottonwood Heights
Vice Chair: Chris Lovato, West Valley City
Secretary: Bryan Livingston, Lehi
Treasurer: David Garber, Provo

Board Members:
Jeremy Hurren, Pleasant Grove
James Williams, South Jordan
Frank Staheli, Santaquin
Lowell Nelson, Highland
Clint Lord, Sandy
Jordan Gunderson, West Provo

Advisery Board:
Rob Alexander
D.J. Schanz
Rep. John Dougall
Rep. Craig Frank

In addition, the Utah RLC approved the following 2010 candidate endorsements:

US Senate:
Mike Lee

Utah Senate:
Daniel Thatcher, District 12

Utah House:
Rob Alexander, District 35
Chuck Bateman, District 5
John Dougall, District 27
Craig Frank, District 57
Ken Ivory, District 47
DJ Schanz, District 20

Before closing the convention, the floor was opened to an informal roundtable discussion of issues and ideas, including:

* Senator Howard Stephenson is sponsoring a bill that would implement Preferential (Ranked) Voting in General Elections in Utah;
* Representative John Dougall is sponsoring a constitutional coinage bill that would legalize and protect gold and silver in Utah;
* General support of an RLC “Liberty Index” was expressed, and the Board may publish its first such index of Utah candidates in 2011;
* Officers and board members will have a conference call monthly, and a face-to-face meeting quarterly. Events will be on a Google Calendar.
* Members are encouraged to help DJ and/or Mike Lee in their respective primary races.

Thanks to everyone who made the Convention a success!

Republican Liberty Caucus of Utah Endorses Candidates at Statewide Convention
Caucus Advocates Change in Direction of Republican Party to Favor Limited Government

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 5/19/10
CONTACT: Julian Babbitt

Draper, Utah – The Republican Liberty Caucus of Utah, an affiliate of the national Republican Liberty Caucus, met over the weekend at its Annual Convention and endorsed the following candidates for public office:

* Mike Lee for U.S. Senate
* Morgan Philpot U.S. Congress, District 2
* Daniel Thatcher for State Senate, District 12
* John Dougall for State Representative, District 27
* Rob Alexander for State Representative, District 35
* Chuck Bateman for State Representative, District 5
* Ken Ivory for State Representative, District 47
* DJ Schanz for State Representative, District 20
* Craig Frank for State Representative, District 57
* Curt Oda for State Representative, District 14

Said the newly elected chair, Julian Babbitt, “Small government and personal liberty advocates have been increasingly frustrated with the Republican Party, best exhibited by the recent showing by Senator Bennett at our State GOP Convention, which gained national headlines. Our slate of candidates offers hope for the cause of liberty and for all Utahns who believe in a sharply limited government.”

All of the endorsed candidates share common goals of dramatically reducing spending, cutting taxes and an overall sense that government needs to return to its proper role and and exercise only those powers enumerated in the Constitution. With the Obama Administration’s trampling of states’ rights and personal freedom, the time is now for change at both the federal and state level.

The Republican Liberty Caucus of Utah is a grassroots network of concerned citizens dedicated to upholding individual liberty, limited government, and free enterprise within the Republican Party. The RLC’s mission is to recruit and endorse candidates who support its agenda, elect limited-government Republicans to political office, and change the direction of the Republican Party to reflect members’ vision of peace and prosperity. Learn more about the Caucus at http://www.RLC.org. A specific report on the event is found at the Utah RLC blog.

- 30 –

Three U.S. Senate candidates who have been endorsed by the Republican Liberty Caucus are well on their way to securing victories in November.

First, Pat Toomey won an easy victory last night in his race and will face Congressman Joe Sestak in November. Toomey, while more of a social conservative generally, has a proven record of voting for less government. His new opponent, Sestek, is telegenic and has a heavy populist streak, so Toomey will have to energize his base while also reaching out to independents and moderates to win in the swing state of Pennsylvania.

Mike Lee is now in a run-off with Tim Bridgewater in the Republican U.S. Senate primary in Utah, which will be decided by Utah Republican Party voters on June 22. Lee’s opponent Tim Bridgewater is someone that has been running for various positions locally for quite some time. Like Lee, he is concerned about too much government interference, but his policy solutions are different. Specifically, Mr. Bridgewater believes in more U.S. intervention abroad and much more federal involvement in immigration. After looking at the issue pages of their websites again, I have no doubt that Mike Lee is the solution-focused leader that Utah needs in the Senate. Which is why the Republican Liberty Caucus endorsed him, along with his commitment to limited government.

Most importantly, Rand Paul is the Republican nominee in Kentucky. Dr. Paul gained nearly 60% of the vote in his primary yesterday. He will face Attorney General Jack Conway in November. While watching the fair and balanced news last night, I already saw various left-wing pundits excited that Rand Paul was the victor so they could start attacking his views.  Will the Tea Party and the Liberty Movement have the power to take Rand to the finish line?

These candidates, while not perfect, are our best hope to achieve liberty in the coming years. With these three committed small government advocates in the Senate, our country will be much better off.  Work tirelessly to support them in the coming months.

Three chartered affiliates and one group of members from an unchartered state are gathering from January through April for Republican Liberty Caucus state conventions or organizing meetings.

Arizona RLC Organizing Meeting: January 30

The Republican Liberty Caucus of Arizona will hold its organizing convention at the Wheeler Taft Abbett Sr. Library from 12:00 to 4:00 pm on Saturday, January 30. Please come a little early to expedite the credentials process.

If you wish to make a motion to propose changes to the bylaws from the floor, please bring your typed motion with sufficient copies for our members to review prior to holding the debate and the vote. If you would like a copy of the proposed bylaws, contact Ken.

We hope you can attend this important event. Members have been hard at work to put this organizing convention together and to finally get Arizona chartered by the national RLC.  You can also RSVP to attend the event on Facebook.

California RLC Convention: March 13

The 2010 Regular Convention of the Republican Liberty Caucus of California will be held in 60 days, on the evening of Saturday March 13 in Santa Clara, California. The exact time and place of the Convention will be announced later. The convention will be held at or near the location of the simultaneous convention of the California Republican Party.

Any Regular RLCCA Member whose dues are paid may run for any of the 7 seats. Any Regular RLCCA Member whose dues are paid 30 days prior to the convention may vote in the elections. Nominations are now open. Nominations for Regional and At-Large Directors are now open. Nominations, which must be seconded, should be submitted via email or mail to the Secretary at secretary@rlcca.org. Nominations close 14 days before the Convention. You can RSVP to attend the event on Facebook.

Michigan RLC Convention: February 27

The Michigan chapter of the Republican Liberty Caucus will hold its annual convention at Andiamo Italian Restaurant in Novi on February 27 from 4:30 to 6:00pm. In addition to hearing remarks from Governor Gary Johnson, the RLC will also hold its annual business meeting to elect officers for 2010-2012. Hors d’oeuvres will be served.

We are asking for a small $10 entry fee for non-RLC members. In order to vote or run for an officer position, you must be a dues-paying member of the RLC ($30 annually; $20 for students). You can RSVP to attend the event on Facebook.  Contact Tyler for additional details.

Utah RLC Convention: April 17

On Saturday, April 17, the Republican Liberty Caucus of Utah will be having its 2010 convention. We will be electing state officers and endorsing candidates for public office.

Former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson will be our keynote speaker. Possible public office endorsees who have been invited to speak include U.S. Senate candidates Mike Lee and James Williams, U.S. Congressional candidate Morgan Philpot, State Representatives John Dougall (confirmed) and Craig Frank, and State Representative candidate Rob Alexander (confirmed). You can RSVP to attend the event on Facebook.  Contact Rob for additional details.

For the second year in a row, the Republican Liberty Caucus of Utah endorsed a slate at the state GOP Convention.  Below is a Utah RLC flyer handed out at the state GOP Convention this past weekend promoting the RLC-endorsed candidates.

Of the endorsed RLC candidates, only one — former State Representative Morgan Philpot — was victorious.  Philpot challenged the incumbent Vice-Chair of the Utah GOP and was successful in his bid for the office.  In the photo below, RLC members rally around Philpot (center) to help his candidacy:

At it’s annual Convention earlier in the month, Charity Davis of Highland was elected Utah RLC Chair.  At the Convention State Senator Howard Stephenson and State Representative Craig Franks addressed the Utah RLC.  In the below photo, outgoing RLC Chair Lowell Nelson is presiding over the business meeting.

RLC members across the country are engaged in the political process and many have run or are running for leadership within their state or local Republican Parties. In Tennessee, for example, RLC Tennessee Secretary Matt Collins* was elected Davidson County Republican Party Vice-Chair earlier in the month.

A week ago Saturday, four of six Republican Liberty Caucus members running for District and State GOP Committee At-Large seats were elected. (The remaining two remain in contention for three Wake County seats yet to be determined due to the loss of a quorum.) A slate called “Republicans for Principled Change” was run.  Of those, the following RLC members were elected to party positions:

Durham County: Jeff Palmer*
Wake County: B.J. Lawson, John Underwood*, Andrea Walker

Five of eight candidates for the remaining three seats — Will Adkins, John Lahtinen, and several others — were also “Liberty Slate” members. These seats will be filled by appointment by the new District Committee.

Overall, the liberty slate secured 12 of the 17 at-large seats filled thus far, and only one liberty slate candidate lost to a non-liberty slate opponent. Many of those elected who were not liberty slate members are, nonetheless, responsible and fair GOP stalwarts with whom we look forward to working. Among them is District Chairman Zan Bunn who was reelected — soundly defeating a challenge by a vitriolic B. J. Lawson opponent with 68% of the county-weighted vote. A pro-state sovereignty resolution was also unanimously passed.

In Utah, the Salt Lake County Republican Party 2009 Organizing Convention took place last Saturday. RLC member Kurtis Constantine* was elected Secretary of the Salt Lake County GOP. He was also selected to serve on the Utah GOP State Central Committee. Joining him on the SCC will be RLC-endorsed candidates Nancy Lord and Merrill Cook.  This is the second year in a row that the RLC has run a slate of candidates for party positions in Utah.

According to Interim RLC Utah Chairman Rob Alexander, “At the convention on Saturday I spoke briefly with Mark Maxon, a K-TALK AM 630 Radio Host who is also a County and State GOP Delegate. Mark was impressed with our slate and said that he plans to dissolve his Defenders of Liberty organization and to encourage his radio listeners and the 40-50 people who have been attending the Defenders of Liberty meetings to get involved with the Republican Liberty Caucus (a 527 electioneering-focused organization) and Campaign for Liberty (a 501c4 issues-focused organization).”

If you haven’t already, mark your calendar for Saturday, May 16, when the Republican Liberty Caucus of Utah will hold its 2009 convention at the Tyler Library in Salt Lake County from 12 noon to 4 PM (recent minor time change). For more details and to RSVP whether you will be attending, maybe attending, or not attending, you can go online to http://tr.im/RLCUT2009.

These successes are a testament to the RLC’s mission of working within the GOP to promote liberty-related ideas and individuals. Our challenge now is to sustain these efforts as members of the GOP State Committee and as delegates at the upcoming GOP State Convention.

___________________________________________________________

RLC member Kurtis Constantine was elected Secretary
of the Salt Lake County Republican Party.
___________________________________________________________

* Denotes a state RLC Officer.

According to the Utah RLC blog, the state RLC Convention will take place on Saturday, May 16 from 10:30am to 3pm (including a break for lunch) at the Tyler Library (8041 Wood St.) in Midvale.

Former State Representative Morgan Philpot, who many Utah RLC’ers are supporting for Vice-Chair of the Republican Party of Utah, will be one of the featured speakers. According to his Facebook campaign page, Representative Philpot has received endorsements from Congressman Jason Chaffetz, a solid conservative, and Senator Howard Stephenson, who runs the Utah Taxpayers Association.

Other speakers will include Representative John Dougall and Representative Craig Frank. The RLC is also trying to secure Congressman Jason Chaffetz to speak. Former Salt Lake County Council Chair Steve Harmsen will also be addressing attendees.

Please confirm your attendance at the RLC Utah 2009 Convention today.

Don Guymon (photo at left), a RLC activist, is running for Davis County GOP Chair in Utah. Guymon’s is running to:

(1) promote the GOP party platform. Republicans should stand for our core values of limiting government and protecting our rights (including our most fundamnental right; the right to life);
(2) Grow the party. As we promote our principles we draw people into the party;
(3) Make every person in the party feel important. Whether you attend your precinct caucus for the first time or are an elected official for years, every person has an important role to play. Every individual in the party should feel that they are important; and
(4) Ensure the party is run in the proper manner.

Mr. Guymon served as Davis County Rules Chair from 2006 to 2008 and as Davis County Elections Chair in 2001. He has been a member of the Utah GOP State Central Committee since 1999, was Vice-Chair of the Utah GOP Constitution and Bylaws Committee from 2001 to 2002, and served on the Utah GOP Rules Committee in 2000, 2001, and 2002.

In Tennessee, the Vice-Chair of the newly chartered RLC affiliate is running for Chair of the Davidson County GOP, according to The Nashville Examiner.  According to the article, “Matt Collins, a sound engineer and producer at Supertalk 99.7 WTN, said the 2008 presidential election showed in rather stark terms that the GOP needs to start embracing a ‘younger, more philosophically-motivated’ brand of ‘limited-government conservatism’ of the sort Ron Paul aroused during his primary run last year.”

Collins is waging an uphill, but necessary, battle. An email from TNGOP chief of staff Mark Winslow that circulated around Tennessee Republican circles last month said the Old Guard of the Party “can do without the zealous peace and freedom-purists that Rep. Paul’s campaign so emboldened,” according to the paper.

The article continues: “Outgoing Davidson County GOP chairman Tom Lawless told Examiner.com he won’t officially endorse a favorite in the race to succeed him. But Lawless said he’s long believed expanding the party base to include new voters and new demographics will require new leaders with new visions. Collins appears to fit the mold, said Lawless.”

“Continued Lawless, ‘(Starnes) is clearly a status-quo candidate, and she’d be the pick of the older generation that currently has the reins of power. But you’ve got to pass those reins at some point. I recognized very early in Matt the strength of his energies and of his traditional conservative beliefs that go back, not just to the ideas of Ronald Reagan, but to the ideas of the Founding Fathers. Matt has exhibited to me some extremely good leadership qualities in a very, very short period of time’,” concluded the outgoing Chair.