Grassroots Impact on RNC Chairman’s Race

WASHINGTON-(Business Wire)-January 26, 2009 - Lieutenant Governor Michael Steele, candidate for RNC Chairman, unveiled his blueprint for grassroots success, today, “Forging Republican Strength through Grassroots.” The plan builds upon Steele’s track record of capitalizing on the success of grassroots operations on all levels.

“Our Party is built on a belief in the amazing capacity of the individual to reach new heights and to accomplish long held goals. Nowhere has the power of individual actors been more inspiring than in our grassroots operations,” states Steele. “By updating and developing a grassroots play book that emphasizes discourse over sound bites and neighbor-to-neighbor advocacy over the advertising-only approach, we commit to the common sense and deeply personal approaches that have guided our most successful campaigns.”

Under Steele’s plan, he cites the need to reorganize the RNC to effectively match the energy and dedication of grassroots individuals and groups with the support they need and deserve. Steele will begin by offering his own resources. Since launching the campaign, Steele has been contacted by thousands of grassroots activists asking to help. This has led to the building of a grassroots list that is 42,000 strong and includes people from all 50 states. Steele will give this growing list of names from each state to the state parties emphasizing that politics is a team sport and the team starts at the local level. Steele will also be making the complete list of people who have donated to his campaign available to the full committee.

Additionally, the plan calls for a recruitment of 50,000 new volunteers within the next year whose energy, commitment and fresh perspectives will transform grassroots organizations. He also ensures home grown talent from the states will be hired to reap the benefits of newly energized local operations and strategies. Under Steele’s leadership, the RNC will co-sponsor annual training at the state level to ensure that practical and relevant knowledge is shared across the grassroots network. Steele will also coordinate with state parties to register 2 million new Republican voters by Election Day 2010.

Grassroots Support Overwhelming for Steele

“The Republican Party is fundamentally a ‘bottom-up’ party. We take our cues from the grassroots,” said Reince Priebus, Chairman of the Republican Party of Wisconsin. “In Wisconsin, we found the same thing that other states and national websites are finding – overwhelming support for Michael Steele. As an RNC Member, Michael Steele demonstrated a proven ability to capture the enthusiasm of the grassroots and translate it into success on a local and national level.”

Among the numerous grassroots polls available, Steele comes out on top:

Wisconsin GOP: 72 percent
The Next Right: 74 percent
Newsbusters: 57 percent
Rebuild the Party: 43 percent

As Chairman of the Prince George’s Republican Central Committee, Steele built a grassroots campaign that earned 52 percent of the vote in a county that was 4 to 1 Democrat. As GOPAC Chairman, Steele organized the GOPAC State and Local Summit, which was attended by more than 150 candidates, state party operatives, elected officials and supporters. Under Steele’s leadership, GOPAC has trained more than 5,000 local candidates and political activists.

“As a former Chairman of the Maryland GOP, I had the opportunity to work with Michael Steele when he was a County Chairman and also when he succeeded me as the Chairman of the State Party,” said Joyce Lyons Terhes, Maryland Republican National Committeewoman. “I know his commitment to grassroots organization and, in fact, we would not have made the gains we did in the State House and the courthouses had it not been for his emphasis on grassroots individuals and groups.”

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