Full text of report delivered to Hawaii Republican Party State Committee December 6, 2014.
National Committeewoman’s Report
December 6, 2014
Dear Fellow Republicans,
As we conclude the 2014 campaign cycle, I would like to give special thanks to all of the volunteers who chaired committees, worked on the phone banks, walked door to door and who gave the large and small donations that helped our party provide support services for our candidates. I would also like to thank our Party Chairman Pat Saiki who came out of retirement to give hundreds of hours to this party in working with candidates, creating a Finance Committee, paying off our old debts and giving new credibility to the Republican brand in Hawaii. She continues to motivate and inspire us all to believe in ourselves and know that the job of electing Republicans can be done.
I would also like to thank our HRP staff under the direction of Blake Parsons, our Executive Director, who has done an outstanding job in serving as the E.D. and the Finance Director and directing our wonderful volunteer staff and field directors here at the headquarters.
We need to also thank RNC Chairman, Reince Priebus and the Republican National Committee who helped staff field operations with seven paid staffers and provided a state of the art VOIP internet phone system that allowed us to make hundreds of thousands of calls that would have been impossible without that technology. In the process, we appended our voter files with tens of thousands of new names, which will be invaluable in future elections. The RNC made an unprecedented financial investment in our party over the past year and we will be forever grateful.
I would also like to thank all of the candidates who put themselves on the line to run for election and represent the constituencies in their districts who have had no voice in so many of the policies that have been imposed on them by a one party system.
Congratulations to all of our incumbents who won re-election, to our two new Republican legislators Andria Tupola and Feki Pouha and a very special thank you to our congressional candidate Charles Djou who waged a very competitive campaign and lost by only 6,941 votes. We also owe a debt of gratitude to our gubernatorial candidate, Duke Aiona and Lt. Governor Candidate Elwin Ahu who ran hard fought statewide campaigns, which energized many new voters to become involved in the electoral process. Thank you to all of our candidates for articulating the issues that concern so many of our citizens and for making us all very proud to have you represent the Republican Party, our beliefs and principles.
While we fell short of victory in many of our local races, we need to as a party to recommit ourselves NOW to the grassroots effort to identify, register new voters, and to begin fundraising programs that will be necessary to produce victories two years from now and beyond. The RNC 365 Days Per Year Model for victory cannot be overlooked. We cannot relax after elections and expect to wait a year before preparing for elections. We need boots on the ground, community service projects and voter programs throughout the year.
The Linda Lingle path to victory, which began shortly after the 1998 gubernatorial loss and extended to 2002 when she was elected the First Republican Governor since statehood, has to be evaluated and emulated. Republicans can be elected in our state if we recruit district and precinct workers who are willing to put in the work in their districts and precincts that is needed to “out vote” the opposition. It was done in 2002 and 2006 and it can be done again. Many may forget that in 2006 our Republican Governor and Lt. Governor won every single district in our state.
NATIONAL NEWS
As we prepare to attend the Winter Meeting of the Republican National Committee in San Diego in January, we have much to celebrate nationally. This victory did not happen by accident. Republicans were charged with turning out voters who do not normally vote and we won in places that Obama won in 2012. The RNC proved that with fundraising, improving digital technology and focusing on the fundamentals, we could beat the Democrats at their own game. Click here to read the RNC memo - "HOW WE DID IT.”
1. Republicans took the majority in the U.S. Senate we are about to have 54 when the LA. Election is decided on December 6th
2. We expanded our Republican Majority in the House to 244 with three races still undecided.
3. We have 28 Republican Governors in the states and governors in the Territories of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands.
4. We elected Amata Radewagen, a Republican Representative to Congress from American Samoa.
5. We elected the first African American Republican woman to Congress
6. We now have a super majority of 69 in our state legislatures. This is the greatest majority since 1920 when we had 64.
7. Republicans have expanded our outreach in multi-ethnic communities to an unprecedented level.
8. We have narrowed the gender gap with women from 12 to 4 per cent
9. We have a deep bench of potential presidential candidates who are very qualified to serve and who love America and several are currently polling ahead of Hillary Clinton.
As many of you already know, our 2016 convention will be held in Cleveland, Ohio, the middle of the heartland of America in a state that is considered essential to any candidate running for President.
We have established a debate committee within the RNC who will limit the number of debates. Our convention date will be earlier than usual and most likely in July when we will be fully prepared to take back the White House in 2016.
If anyone is interested in attending the RNC meeting in San Diego January 15 and 16, please let me know and I will provide you with the information and agenda. It will be a great celebration of victory and a good training experience for all.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all!
Miriam
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Miriam Hellreich
mhellreich@gmail.com
PR: Committeewoman's Report