OKGOP calls for get-out-the-vote volunteers this weekend

The Oklahoma Republican Party is calling for volunteers to help with get out the vote efforts in school board and municipal elections this weekend. Below is a release from OKGOP Vice Chairman Shane Jemison:

Attention all Republicans,  

In 74 of 77 counties early voting begins TODAY for local school board and city council races all across Oklahoma. It is vital for the future of our nation and communities all across Oklahoma that we show up and support conservatives with cause.

3 communities across the state are in dire need of your help preserving liberty, supporting our law enforcement, and promoting locally controlled parental rights in education.  

Today, tomorrow, Saturday, and Monday. We are calling all conservatives to action in the following  communities. These races will solely be decided by turnout. Every door knocked and phone call made will get them closer to being successful.

Please go to one of the following locations to knock doors and pass out literature. Today, tomorrow, Saturday, and Monday:

OKGOP Convention Update

Sorry for the lack of updates since the state convention; I've been away from a computer ever since my last post.

First of all, Gary Jones won the state chair race by an overwhelming percentage. I neglected to write down the exact figures, but Michael Bates put them up on his Twitter account. Gary Jones received 73.5% of the vote (1282.4 - apportioned vote), and Cheryl Williams got 26.5% (461.6 - apportioned vote). I expected Gary Jones to win, but not in such a blowout.

What I was especially surprised with was the outcome of the caucus resolution. Coming into the convention, I thought that it might pass, but after Sen. Coburn ripped the caucus, things went downhill in a hurry for it.

Questions asked were not sufficiently answered by the Pro-Caucus folks, and some were blatantly ignored. The crowd sentiment against the caucus began to grow, and culminated when the debate started. Tom Roach spoke for the caucus, and focused not on defending or arguing for the resolution, but on slamming the opponents of the caucus (and calling out specific names). Very unprofessional, and his speaking hurt his cause, and sealed the deal.

The pro-caucus caucus (had to say that) saw the fiery crash coming, and tried to table the amendment indefinitely, thereby saving it for a future convention. However, convention chairman State Rep. John Wright ruled that the convention now 'owned' the resolution, and a tabling motion was out of order. The caucus then proceeded to fail miserably.

State Sen. Randy Brogdon officially announced his intention to run for governor just before the chair vote, and the convention hall erupted (especially when compared to the warm reception Mary Fallin received).

On a different note, the convention chair was superb. I heard many people say that they've never been to a convention that was handled as well as John Wright did. I have tremendous respect for Wright, and this merely confirmed why I do. Jon Wright follows the rules to the T, and is fair to all sides, as was evident at the convention. A better convention chair could not have been found.

All in all, it was a good convention. Over 1200 delegates attended, and the future looks bright for the Republican Party in Oklahoma.

State GOP Convention Saturday

The 2009 Oklahoma Republican Convention takes places on Saturday, and I will likely be unable to post until the conclusion. However, I have a few things to say.

One, I fully and enthusiastically endorse GARY JONES for state chair, and Angie LaPlante for Vice Chair. These are both solid, conservatives individuals that I have had the privilege of knowing, and I can think of no better team for the Republican Party. Under Gary's leadership, the state party has flourished, and made tremendous gains in every area.

Also, I oppose the Caucus, for reasons laid out in my post previously.

For now,

The Muskogee Politico

OKGOP Chair Debate Videos

Here are the debate videos mentioned in this post. If you've got the time to watch them all, enjoy!

First video:



Second video:



Third video:



Fourth video:



Fifth video:



Sixth video:



Seventh video:



Eighth video:

OKGOP Chair Debate

At the Second District Republican Party meeting Saturday (March 28th), there was a debate between OKGOP Chair candidates Gary Jones (the current chairman) and Cheryl Williams (the current vice-chairwoman). I videotaped the debate, minus a few minutes at the most heated section to change batteries (what wonderful timing...).

Due to time limits on YouTube, and time limits on my part (burning videos can take a long time), the debate is broken up into 8, approximately 10-minute videos.

You can visit my YouTube channel to view the videos, specifically, my OKGOP Chair Race playlist. I'll also post them in a seperate post to follow this one.

Cheryl Williams Announces Vice-Chair Pick

Cheryl Williams officially announced her pick for Vice Chairman (and no, it's not Richard Engle) today. Here's the press release.

Don Smitherman announces GOP Vice-Chair candidacy

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Cheryl Williams

405/818-8481 or cherylgop@cox.net

Former congressional field representative and Norman attorney L. Don Smitherman has announced that he will seek the Vice-Chairman slot for the Oklahoma Republican Party at the Republican State Convention on Saturday, April 18, 2009.

Party rules require the Chair and Vice Chair to be of different gender. Smitherman will team with current State Vice-Chair Cheryl Williams in her campaign for Oklahoma GOP Chairmanship.

“I am honored to join with Cheryl to lead the Oklahoma Republican Party into the very important 2010 election cycle. I believe, as Cheryl does, that to be successful, the Republican Party must be unified, organized, well-funded and welcoming,” Smitherman said. “We simply must focus on our core purpose of electing Republicans to office while embracing the “big tent” party philosophy of our founder, Abraham Lincoln.”

Smitherman received his Bachelor of Business Administration Degree in Finance from the University of Oklahoma in 1989 and his Juris Doctorate from the OU College of Law in 1992. He served as field representative and staff counsel for Congressman J.C. Watts from 1995 to 1998. He has been a practicing attorney since leaving Watts’ office in 1998. Throughout his legal career, Don has also served as an Oklahoma Merit Protection Commissioner and as an adjunct professor at Rose State College. Finally, he played both football and baseball for OU from 1985 – 1989.

“As a lifelong athlete, I know what it means to be a member of a team and know the importance of unity and focus to the success of that team,” Smitherman continued. “I also know that members of a team don’t play the same positions, don’t look the same and often don’t agree with the play called in the huddle. Yet, the truly successful teams put those differences to work for them and unify under a common goal. I look forward to helping the Oklahoma Republican Party build the unity and focus that we must have to win in 2010,”

“I am thrilled that Don has agreed to be a candidate for Vice Chairman. He is a bright, young and energetic leader who brings much to the Oklahoma GOP table. Don Smitherman truly epitomizes the future of the Republican Party and I am honored that he has joined our team,” Williams concluded.

According to party insiders, this could be a signal that J.C. Watts is seriously considering a run for Governor. Sources say that Smitherman would not do something like this without consulting Watts first. It would be advantageous for a potential Watts campaign to have Smitherman as Vice Chair.

This also indicates to me that Cheryl Williams realizes that she cannot win with a Vice Chair candidate more along her style (like a Richard Engle or a Charlie Meadows). She has to pick someone more appealing to the party in general.

If these speculations are true, I would not be surprised to see J.C. Watts announce for Governor at the State Convention, with the distinct possibility of Watts endorsing and/or introducing Cheryl Williams during the State Chair vote.

This could get interesting. Gary Jones and Cheryl Williams will be debating at the 2nd District GOP meeting in Muskogee tomorrow from 1pm to 4pm (at the Library).

Democrat Forum Wants Williams as OKGOP Chair

On the Oklahoma Democrat forum DemoOkie, several of the main posters (and active Democrats) have been talking about the OKGOP Chair race.

2/07:

"I endorse [Cheryl] Williams for GOP Chair"

2/22 (emphasis mine):

"[Gary] Jones is challenging Vice Chairwoman Cheryl Williams, who represents the more libertarian wing of the party.

Williams would seem to have her work cut out for her. Under Jones, who has served two non-consecutive terms, the state party has prospered. In 2008, when most of the country turned Democratic, Oklahoma gave two-thirds of its presidential vote to the Republican nominee, John McCain, and strengthened the GOP's hold on the Legislature and the state's congressional delegation."

"Here's hoping Williams wins. The wackier the better at the Grand Old Party."

2/25 (emphasis mine):

"I am glad this organiztion [sic; referring to OCPAC] is growing and I believe pretty soon they will take out my friend Gary Jones as ORP Chair. Gary is a very competent and able person doing the job as the Repubs chair."

I always find it interesting to see what the other party thinks of our internal affairs. It can give a good perspective on the issues. For example, if they hate the party chair, we're probably doing pretty good. If they want the chair to stay the same, it's probably a sign that change is needed.

Report: Cheryl Williams Finds Running Mate

According to reports* received by this blog, OKGOP Chair candidate (and current vice-chair) Cheryl Williams has tapped Richard Engle for her running mate. Engle will be running against current Chairman and candidate Gary Jones' pick, Angie LaPlante, for Vice Chair at the 2009 Oklahoma Republican Party State Convention on April 18th.

Williams and Engle are closely affiliated with the libertarian wing of the party, mainly supporters of former presidential candidate and Texas Congressman Ron Paul, who are disgruntled with the status quo in the party, whereas Jones and LaPlante are considered to be part of the 'establishment', and more in line with the larger social conservative wing of the party.

In my opinion, Williams' choosing Engle to be her running mate is a poor decision, bad strategy, and will backfire on her at the state convention.

Engle was one of the main spokesmen for the 'Liberty Values Coalition' at the 2008 ORP State Convention (the LVC was, again, mainly supporters of Ron Paul). His tone, manner, and argumentative interruptions of the convention made him the most annoying, irritating and aggravating person present. By the time the convention was over, I had a headache from listening to the man. He turned off many of the delegates who might have otherwise voted with his coalition. The same thing will happen with Cheryl Williams.

But, I'm fine with that, since I'm supporting Gary Jones.

* - unverified as of yet

Gary Jones Announces OKGOP Team

Official press release from OKGOP Chairman Gary Jones:

(EDIT: That didn't work... try this instead)

This will make for an interesting state chair race. This blog is fully behind Gary Jones; the OKGOP has flourished under his lead like it has for no other.

Angie LaPlante Announces for OKGOP Vice Chair

Today, Angie LaPlante, former Oklahoma County chairman and current Legislative Assistant for State Rep. Ken Miller, announced her candidacy for Oklahoma Republican Party Vice Chair. The announcement was made in the following email obtained by the Muskogee Politico:

Greetings all,

I am running for the State GOP Vice-Chair position! It is imperative that we keep our Republican party in tact and strong. I can bring many great things to the table. I am a strong grassroots activist, proven solid leader, work extremely well as a team player and believe that those who work from the bottom up get more accomplish and succeed. It's about the party and our values. I am going to be quite honest and frank with you all... if you don't want to see our party taken over by the Libertarian agenda, we need to make sure we elect those who do not have a personal agenda to destroy our party.

If you missed your precinct meeting (due to weather - which many did) it is not too late to participate in the upcoming conventions. Just contact your county chairman and you can be included in the upcoming process.

The OK County Convention is Saturday, Feb 28 at 8:30am at the Christian Heritage Academy in Del City. Our county chairman is Pam Pollard. She can be reached at 820-8154 or pampollardgop@aol.com. The state convention will be held Saturday, April 18 at 8:30am at the Clarion Meridian in OKC. In order to voice you vote you must be able to attend these conventions. If you are in another county, just check with the state HQ at 528-3501 and Jay Mandraccia can assist you.

I hope I can count on your voice and vote in the upcoming conventions. It's about our party and keeping our conservative values. Please spread the word!

Thank you
Angie LaPlante

Thus far, LaPlante is the only publicly announced candidate for Vice Chair. Candidates for the Chairmanship are current Chairman Gary Jones and current Vice Chair Cheryl Williams.

Gary Jones Endorsed by Tom Coburn

From The McCarville Report Online:

Oklahoma Republican Party Chairman Gary Jones said today he'll seek reelection.

Jones has been chairman during the GOP's historic increase in power, winning control of the State Senate and solidfying its control of the House. In 2008, Oklahoma was the only state in the nation where every county went red for the McCain-Palin presidential ticket, helping Oklahoma down ballot candidates, Jones said. McCain's 65.4% share of the vote in Oklahoma was the highest in the nation.

Senator Tom Coburn applauded the announcement by Jones: "Chairman Jones has put together a good team at the Oklahoma Republican Party that is proven and ready to lead us in the critical 2010 elections. Our statewide wins in 2008 helped take the majority in the Oklahoma Senate for the first time in state history, and we will need this type of leadership going into the 2010 election cycle. I wholeheartedly support Chairman Jones in his re-election," Coburn said.

Jones was instrumental in publicizing campaign finance irregularities in the campaigns of former Auditor & Inspector Jeff McMahan, who subsequently was convicted on multiple felonies in federal court and now faces nine years in prison. Jones opposed McMahan in the 2002 and 2006 general elections.

This confirms our report that Jones was in, with Vice-Chair Cheryl Williams his only opponent, thus far. And this article from the Norman Transcript confirms our source that said Jones would not run for Auditor.

OKGOP Chair Update: Gary Jones In

The Oklahoma Republican Party Race for Chairman

As things currently stand... a follow-up on our previous post that Cheryl Williams, the current Vice-Chair of the Oklahoma Republican Party, announced her candidacy for Chair.

It has long been suspected that Cheryl Williams was planning on running for chairman. Word had been that she would declare her intentions after the January 2009 precinct meetings, but she announced on her blog on January 24th.

From comments on Williams' Facebook page and blog, it seems that part of her platform includes utilizing technology, new media, and improved communications with the grassroots. It also appears that she is either counting on the possibility that her most likely only opponent, Gary Jones, will run for State Auditor again, or fanning rumors to that end.


It has been confirmed that she will be running against Gary Jones, the current Oklahoma GOP Chairman. Jones has been elected as chairman twice, resigning midway through his first term to run unsuccessfully for State Auditor against the now-imprisoned Jeff McMahan. If Jones wins, this will be his third term as OKGOP Chairman.

Gary Jones has been very successful as State Chairman. Under his guidance, the Oklahoma Republican Party has gained control of both the State House, for the second time ever, and State Senate for the first time in state history. The OKGOP has also swept the Corporation Commission, and U.S. Senate seats during his tenure.

Chairman Jones announced on his Facebook that he is "running for re-election for OKGOP Chairman," and "will be making a formal announcement next week after returning from the RNC winter meeting in Washington."

There has been some concern that Gary Jones would resign midterm to run again for Auditor, if re-elected; however, sources say that Jones has decided to not run for Auditor again.

In my opinion, Gary Jones is by far the most qualified, experienced choice for chairman. He has been extremely successful in his tenure, and should be kept at his position.

Cheryl Williams to run for OKGOP Chair

Oklahoma Republican Party Vice-Chairwoman Cheryl Williams has declared her candidacy for the State Chair position, currently held by Gary Jones.

Williams announced on her blog this morning. Williams has been the vice-chair since 2007. Cheryl Williams has close ties to the "Ron Paul" wing of the Republican Party.

It is not currently known whether Gary Jones will be running for re-election, but if he does, as is expected by some, the Muskogee Politico will be wholeheartedly supporting him.