Free Republic

Republican National Chairman Ken Mehlman went to Harrisburg, Pa., last week to raise money for a city councilman's re-election campaign -- an event he believes could help change the face of American politics for years to come. Mr. Mehlman's trip to the Pennsylvania state capital was largely overlooked by the news media, but not by savvy Democratic strategists, who saw the trip as having the potential seeds of their party's decline.

Opportunity. That was the key word in remarks by Ken Mehlman, chairman of the Republican National Committee, who was in Harrisburg yesterday. He appeared at a fund-raising rally for City Councilman Otto Banks, who is seeking re-election. A longtime Democrat, Banks recently switched to the GOP. Mehlman said his visit here was part of an ongoing effort to support minority candidates across the country, and to recruit minorities into the Republican party. Those objectives can be accomplished through "education reform, [supporting] small-businesses, home-ownership initiatives," Mehlman said. He said the Republican agenda is "designed to help working Americans." Mehlman said the...

THE WASHINGTON TIMES City Councilman Otto Banks, the biggest vote-getter in Harrisburg, Pa., held a campaign fundraiser in the Pennsylvania state capital Friday with the help of Republican National Chairman Ken Mehlman that sent new fears rippling through Democratic ranks. Mr. Banks, 33, a political newcomer, stunned Harrisburg's black community when he left the Democratic Party in March to become a Republican, starting what Mr. Mehlman and other Republican officials say they hope will become a realignment trend that will consign the Democrats to permanent minority status. Mr. Mehlman said Friday that he met with Mr. Banks before the party...

City Councilman Otto Banks, the biggest vote-getter in Harrisburg, Pa., held a campaign fundraiser in the Pennsylvania state capital Friday with the help of Republican National Chairman Ken Mehlman that sent new fears rippling through Democratic ranks.Mr. Banks, 33, a political newcomer, stunned Harrisburg's black community when he left the Democratic Party in March to become a Republican, starting what Mr. Mehlman and other Republican officials say they hope will become a realignment trend that will consign the Democrats to permanent minority status.Mr. Mehlman said Friday that he met with Mr. Banks before the party switch and promised that if...