CHAIRMAN'S REPORT

Fellow Republicans,        November 26, 2104

We have much to be thankful for this holiday season. On behalf of the entire Hawaii Republican Party, I want to extend my most sincere mahalo for the generous volunteer and financial support you provided over the 2014 Election.

Though we were not as successful as we would have preferred, especially on a statewide level, we have much to celebrate as the Hawaii Republican Party has a strong foundation moving into 2015.

Here is a look back at some of the accomplishments and services to candidates we provided over the 2014 Election.

• Over 255,000 voter contact calls made at our Victory offices around the State using our state-of-the-art phone banks.
• Candidate and auxiliary organizations printed over 153,000 mailers, walk pieces, event flyers and other materials using our low-cost printer, saving countless dollars.
• Seven full-time staffers, including two on neighbor islands, provided weekly data updates and campaign support to candidates, creating everything from targeted voter lists to walk-books and maps.
• For the first time in four years, the Party paid off all outstanding debt with vendors from previous administrations and currently has zero accounts payable.
• Completely renovated the HRP HQ with the generous support of local small businesses and volunteer support - at no cost to the Party.
• Launched a new website - www.gophawaii.com - with the generous support of a local design company - at no cost to the Party.
• Provided formal training to candidates and volunteers by local and national experts on database management, voter ID and campaign mechanics. 
• Added tens of thousands of identified candidate and Party supporters to the database, including updated contact information. The Kauai County Republican Party alone tripled the amount of identified Party supporters - by several thousand - in the 2014 election.
• And much more...

Furthermore, with Republicans winning the majority in the United States Senate and increasing seats in the majority of the United States House, along with wins in key Governorships across the country, the next two years give us much to look forward to.

Please take a moment to congratulate our two newest members of our State Legislative delegation:

Also, congratulations to our incumbents who handily won reelection:

Over the past few weeks, I have been in touch with our many stakeholders, including concerned Party members, donors and candidates who are all searching for answers as to why strong candidates like Duke Aiona, Elwin Ahu, Charles Djou and many of our strong legislative candidates were not successful.

We’ve discussed how to improve everything from messaging to ground game to Party unity and more. At the heart of our discussions is the idea that we must develop an identity which reflects the thinking and concerns of the people – messaging that’s meaningful. If our purpose is to change things by winning elections, we must have a dialogue – not debate – with voters and respect differing opinions.

We all agree that building and implementing our organizational structure – our State Committee – is step one, because it will reach voters in their neighborhoods and connect faces with ideas. It will humanize our policies, which will do so much to benefit people of all walks of life. 

Another key point in our discussions is the idea that we need to prepare earlier for campaigns, which includes moving up time tables on candidate recruitment, training and get-out-the-vote efforts. Infusing these strategies with improved technology, database management and the utilization of communication channels like social media is a recipe for success.

When I assumed the Chairmanship in March 2014 and implemented the back-to-the-basics approach at our May convention, it is now obvious that it was still not enough time to building the organization to win statewide campaigns. As you may know, many of the strategies that helped our national Republican counterparts be successful this year were implemented even months before major losses during the 2012 election – it took steadfast determination over several years.

After losing the 2012 Presidential election, RNC Chairman Reince Priebus commissioned a comprehensive self-analysis of the Party’s efforts or as they wrote, “an honest review of the 2012 election cycle and a path forward for the Republican Party to ensure success in winning more elections.” The report, known as the Growth and Opportunity Project, was released publicly and can be viewed by clicking here or on the image below.

To turn our conversations over the past few weeks into action, I have commissioned a similar report for our own State Party written by key stake holders. This will help lay a path to victory in 2016.

I need your input. I will be sending you a survey in the next few days. Please take ample time to complete the survey and think critically and proactively about our Party and future efforts.

Let’s look forward and plan for 2016. Our Finance Committee, chaired by John Henry Felix, has already begun planning for the New Year. Many of our candidates have expressed interest in running again, and some have already begun campaigning.

We have much determination and excitement in our Party – let’s capitalize on the success of our national counterparts and further build our Party.

Aloha and again “HAPPY HOLIDAYS”,

PAT SAIKI

State Chair

Hawaii Republican Party

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