Texas Republican Party Chairman James Dickey’s Monthly Update – July, 2019

Dear Fellow Republican,

It’s the dog days of summer but RPT has been moving full steam ahead!

Before we discuss our progress and activity this month, we celebrate the life of one of our own whom we were devastated to lose too soon – Debbie Terry. A significant ally and leader, SD12 State Republican Executive Committeewoman, Debbie Terry, was elected to the SREC in 2016 and was an impactful and dynamic part of our RPT family. In addition to her leadership on the SREC, Debbie volunteered countless hours for the Republican Party and for the candidates she supported, was a Denton County Republican Party Precinct Chair and was the first President of Golden Corridor Republican Women where she was a founding member. Her loss will be felt greatly but her contributions to advancing our Party left an indelible impact. We continue to pray for Debbie’s family.

Candidate trainings have been happening all over the state with more than 1300 paying participants attending the Leadership Institute-led programs. Many thanks to Cat Parks for running point on making these trainings a success!

In addition, over 25 candidates, activists and potential campaign managers attended the sold-out biennial RPT campaign management school. For 20 plus years, the RPT has hosted these schools to pass on information from GOP experts to emerging campaign leaders and candidates. Over the two-and-a-half day school, participants were presented with information on multiple facets of running a successful campaign. Some of the foremost experts in the country presented on topics from time management, media, budgeting, data utilization and much more.

We continue to expand the RPT’s efforts to win in 2020. Chief among those efforts is RPT’s special Volunteer Engagement Project (VEP). The initial funds necessary have been raised to start the Project. The working group has retained the strategic consulting firm FP1 Strategies to assist in the development of the overall strategic plan, strategies for implementation and organization. FP1 Partner Steve Munisteri is handling the account on behalf of FP1. Munisteri serves as Senior Advisor to the project. In addition, the Project is receiving the pro-bono help of Karl Rove. Staff hiring, infrastructure and technology preparations all came together as planned for an on-time launch of the project.

The Executive Director of the VEP is Mitch Carney, who has managed and worked on some of the most competitive Republican campaigns across the country, including Congressman Will Hurd’s extensive voter contact and turnout effort in his successful re-election effort in the 23rd Congressional District of Texas in 2016. Carney also served as Deputy Political Director for Carly for America and Regional Political Director for The Republican Party of Texas’ southern region.

We’re thrilled to welcome Leslie Recine to the RPT team as our Special Projects Coordinator. Leslie has been active with the Republican Party since 1992 when she attended her Precinct Convention and presented a pro-life resolution. Since then, Leslie’s effort in support of the Party has included work as a State Representative’s District Director, experience in professional fundraising for a host of local, legislative and statewide candidates, years of volunteering with Texas Federation of Republican Women and serving as Senate District 10’s State Republican Executive Committeewoman from 2006-2014. She was elected as a delegate to the 2012 Republican National Convention and has received the honor of being recognized as a TFRW Tribute to Women Honoree.

To help fund our 2020 efforts Senator John Cornyn headlined a fundraiser for the RPT in Washington, DC. Senator Cornyn was joined by Senator Ted Cruz and members of the Texas delegation to the US House. This strong visible signal by our elected officials in support of the RPT underscores the urgency we all share to come together for an election fight next year the likes of which we haven’t seen in decades in Texas. We are all in sync when it comes to the commitment we have to not just retaining, but growing our majorities in Texas in 2020.

While in our nation’s capitol I also took the opportunity to meet with White House political staff to discuss the challenges in Texas and the ways that we can work together to meet those challenges.

I closed out the month in Charlotte, NC to attend the 3rd Quarterly meeting of the Republican National Committee (RNC). State Chairs, National Committeemen, and National Committeewomen from around the nation gathered to discuss how we will win in 2020. A crucial part of that winning strategy is voter registration. The RPT’s voter registration efforts have been recognized as a model for the rest of the country, so the RNC asked that Kyle Whatley, RPT Executive Director, share our Volunteer Engagement Project plans and preparations. RNC Political Director Chris Carr later reported, “The Texas delegation presented on some of the great voter registration efforts they are doing in the Lone Star State. Really appreciate them and their hard work.”