Free Republic

January 17, 2004 Dear Republican Family: President George W. Bush’s inauguration on Thursday makes this a very special week for Republicans in Texas – and across the nation. Your hard work and commitment to principled leadership and conservative values is what re-elected the President and increased the number of Republicans in office up and down the ballot in our great state. Before I take off for the Republican National Committee meeting and the Inauguration in Washington, I want to give you a two brief updates – on the State Legislature and the Election Reform contest that is coming up at...

Conservatives plan all right moves GOP-backed social policies top legislators' agenda for January 11:32 PM CST on Thursday, December 9, 2004By CHRISTY HOPPE / The Dallas Morning News AUSTIN – The first bill assigned a priority number in the House isn't about public education or child abuse protection. It's a constitutional ban on gay marriage. Social conservatives have a firm grip on the levers of Texas government and are determined to steer the legislative session that begins Jan. 11. Conservatives in and out of the Legislature say the time has come for school vouchers and has passed for quickie divorces....

Dear Republican Family, Congratulations and a heart-felt thank you for all of your hard work during our recent victories from the Texas court houses to the U.S. White House! What a pleasure it has been to serve with you in such a successful battle for the heart and soul of America. Last week, Republicans won impressive victories at every level of government. In Texas, Republicans won 87% of all races from District Attorney and up. With the world watching, we helped re-elect our own President George W. Bush, wh • Became the first presidential candidate to win more than 50%...

The Party Line: June 18, 2004 Extending a hand of bipartisan friendship, today Texas GOP Chairman Tina Benkiser issued a tongue-in-cheek endorsement of incumbent Texas Democrat Party Chairman Charles Soechting. "Mr. Soechting is one of the Republican Party’s greatest assets," said Benkiser. "There is no doubt he will play a critical role in our November victories." Benkiser cited several of Soechting’s accomplishments since being installed as chairman by the trial lawyers in October 2003 as the reason for her endorsement: Spreading false rumors about the Governor and his family and refusing to apologize when caught Refusing to apologize after his...

Hello, my name is Derrill Swick and I am the Sergeant-At-Arms for the 2004 Republican Party of Texas Convention. This promises to be an exciting year for Republicans at the state and national level. I am thrilled about the prospect of another four years of great leadership under President Bush. As most of you probably already know, Texas holds one of the largest conventions in the nation. This year promises to be no different. Texans know how to do it big and the city of San Antonio is proud to be the host city for this year's convention on June...

Dear Texas Republican, I hope you plan on joining me at the State Republican Convention in San Antonio this June. My staff and I are working around the clock to ensure that this convention is the best ever. Our State Convention will serve as a critically important springboard from which Texas Republicans will launch yet another exciting and victorious campaign. But we need your help to make sure our convention is a success! We need pictures of grassroots Republicans in action. Please email me your pictures of local Republicans on the campaign trail, block walking, handing out literature, putting up...

Seeking to identify possible unethical media leaks and wasted taxpayer dollars, Republican Party of Texas Chairman Tina Benkiser filed an open records request with the Travis County District Attorney’s office. Benkiser said she was requesting this information "because it is widely believed that Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle is engaging in a baseless, partisan witch hunt apparently designed solely to score political points by generating negative media coverage of Republicans." "Taxpayers deserve to know how much of their money Mr. Earle is wasting on this frivolous investigation and whether he is unfairly leaking information to the media," said Benkiser....

Texas GOP split on Hutchison, Perry Poll on hypothetical matchups has two officials neck and neck09:27 PM CST on Tuesday, December 9, 2003 By WAYNE SLATER / The Dallas Morning News AUSTIN – If voters went to the polls today, Gov. Rick Perry would face a tough task winning re-election against Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, according to the latest Texas Poll. Texas Republicans are evenly divided when asked whether they would give the governor another term or replace him with Ms. Hutchison, the survey said. According to the poll, 45 percent of registered Republicans favor Ms. Hutchison and 41...

Nov. 28, 2003, 3:14PM Houston activist's court date draws attention By EDWARD HEGSTROM Copyright 2003 Houston Chronicle Well-known immigrant-rights activist Maria Jimenez goes to court Monday, accused of assaulting the executive director of the Harris County Republican Party. Jimenez, the head of the mayor's office of immigrant affairs, seems to be taking the matter in stride. When a police officer informed her of the misdemeanor assault charge during a protest at Harris County Republican Party headquarters Oct. 27, she responded: "Great! We couldn't have planned it better than this." Jimenez is accused of shoving a box of protest letters into...

Tina Benkiser was overwhelmingly elected Chairman of the Republican Party of Texas today at a special meeting of the State Republican Executive Committee in Austin. She will serve the remainder of former Chairman Susan Weddington’s term, who recently resigned and was appointed President of Governor Rick Perry’s OneStar Foundation. Benkiser will seek reelection at the State Convention next June in San Antonio.

GOP takes the reins in Austin New House Speaker Craddick warns of budget challenges 01/15/2003 By PETE SLOVER / The Dallas Morning News AUSTIN - Democratic domination of the Texas House died peacefully Tuesday as the new Legislature convened in an upbeat and bipartisan ceremony - with renewed warnings of a fiscal hurricane just offshore. Representatives nearly unanimously elected Midland Republican Tom Craddick to run the GOP-controlled House, that party's first speaker since the Civil War era. The chamber's senior member - who was among only eight Republican House members when he first took office in 1969 - now...

Craddick poised for 'greatest day' House speakership set for GOP stalwart; foes fear lobbyist leanings 01/11/2003 By PETE SLOVER / The Dallas Morning News MIDLAND - After Rep. Tom Craddick officially announced his decision to run for Texas House speaker in July, he opted for a novel public-relations strategy: He clammed up. His disciplined public silence over the ensuing months kept a lid on deal-making that forged a bipartisan, multiethnic coalition. That virtually ensures the Midland Republican of the crown jewel of his 34-year political career, the helm of the House when it convenes Tuesday. "That will probably be...

Top state GOP officials didn't OK fund-raiser letter Perry, others plan to attend, but organizers admit misusing names 01/04/2003 By ROBERT T. GARRETT / The Dallas Morning News AUSTIN - The state's top elected officials distanced themselves Friday from an aggressive fund-raising appeal by a conservative think tank closely tied to one of their major campaign donors. Gov. Rick Perry, Lt. Gov.-elect David Dewhurst and House Speaker-apparent Tom Craddick, all Republicans, said they plan to attend the event, but each said he did not agree to have his name used in a fund-raising letter the Texas Public Policy Foundation...

GOP prepares to take control State lawmakers file bills on lawsuit limits, abortion, prayer 11/13/2002 By CHRISTY HOPPE / The Dallas Morning News AUSTIN - Republican state lawmakers dusted off their long-stymied agendas on lawsuit limits, abortion and school prayer and presented them with revitalized hope on Tuesday, the first day bills could be filed for the session that begins Jan. 14. GOP legislators, who now control the House and Senate for the first time in 130 years, showed their exuberance by ensuring that some of the first bills filed were those that have for years been left languishing...

THERE IS A SIMPLISTIC answer that explains why Republican primary voters rejected Xavier Rodriguez for the Texas Supreme Court. The X and Z in his name. Though he had backing from state Republican leaders, endorsements from all major newspapers and a $700,000 war chest, Rodriguez lost to a little-known lawyer with the name of an Anglo Everyman -- Steven Wayne Smith. Steve Smith sounds safe. Xavier Rodriguez sounds, well, foreign. Does that mean Republicans wouldn't vote for a Hispanic? That's the theory some Democrats are pushing in light of Rodriguez's loss. Being incumbent meant little Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry...