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Grand New Party

It began in a little schoolhouse in Ripon, Wisconsin, in 1854. A small group of dedicated abolitionists gathered to fight the expansion of slavery, and they gave birth to a Party dedicated to freedom and equal opportunity.

The name Republican was chosen, alluding to Thomas Jeffersons Democratic-Republican Party and conveying a commitment to the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

The Party was formally organized in July 1854 by thousands of anti-slavery activists at a convention in Jackson, Michigan. And it was no accident that two years later, in 1856, the first Republican National Convention took place in Philadelphia, where the Constitution was written.

Party of Freedom

Though popularized in a Thomas Nast cartoon, the GOPs elephant symbol originated during the 1860 campaign, as a symbol of Republican strength. Republicans envisioned free soil, free speech, free labor.

Under the leadership of President Abraham Lincoln, the GOP became the Party of the Union as well. President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, but it was the entire Republican Party who freed the slaves. The 1864 Republican National Convention called for the abolition of slavery, and Congressional Republicans passed the 13th Amendment unanimously, with only a few Democrat votes.

The early womens rights movement was solidly Republican, as it was a continuation of abolitionism. They were careful not to be overly partisan, but as did Susan B. Anthony, most suffragists favored the GOP. The 19th Amendment was written by a Republican senator and garnered greater support from Republicans than from Democrats.

Party of Prosperity

Low taxes, sound money, regulatory restraint: these were among the commonsense economic policies established by the GOP that brought about decades of prosperity after the Civil War. Republicans encouraged innovation and rule of law. Buttressed by Republican control in Congress, the McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt and Taft administrations cleared away obstacles to economic growth.

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Republican Party - Ballotpedia

Gov. Bruce Rauner's hand-picked state Republican chairman is looking to put Democratic Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle in a political trick bag on property taxes.

Republican Commissioner Timothy Schneider of Streamwood intends to ask colleagues at Wednesday's board meeting to record their opposition to a property tax increase. The symbolic measure would not have the force of law but could tie Preckwinkle's hands as she tries to fashion a 2016 budget with significantly higher costs from rising debt payments, increased employee salaries and possibly bigger pension contributions.

Preckwinkle, who has maintained all options are on the table for balancing next year's budget including the "last resort" of a property tax hike called Schneider's move "ill-conceived and irresponsible."

"This is exactly the type of political stunt that bond rating agencies have raised concern over in recent years," Preckwinkle said in a statement. "If passed, this resolution could have a negative impact on how the county is viewed by rating agencies and bond markets, making it more expensive to borrow money and jeopardizing the long-term financial stability we have worked so hard over the past five years to create."

The county has not increased property taxes since 1994, when an ordinance was passed requiring a two-thirds vote of the 17-member board to increase taxes by more than 5 percent or the rate of inflation, whichever was lower. But other local governments, including the city of Chicago and Chicago Public Schools, repeatedly have raised property tax collections in the last 20 years.

Schneider, the Illinois Republican Party chairman who has given Preckwinkle kudos for lowering the overall county tax burden, on Tuesday turned Preckwinkle's own language on her and said he believes even considering a property tax "at this point is irresponsible and ill-conceived. ... We can't always look to taxes to balance our budgets. We need to continue to streamline county government and reduce (employee) head count."

Schneider said he has the support of Commissioners John Fritchey, D-Chicago, Luis Arroyo Jr., D-Chicago, and the other three Republicans on the board.

Schneider will need three more votes to get his resolution passed, which may be difficult given Preckwinkle's opposition. Democratic Commissioner Stanley Moore of Chicago already has withdrawn his name as a sponsor. Arroyo said Preckwinkle has been asking him to peel off, but added: "I'm going to stay firm. That has to be off the table."

Freezing property taxes is an idea championed by Rauner, though he also wants to reduce the amount of income taxes the state provides local governments.

Also Wednesday, Fritchey is sponsoring another measure that bucks Rauner's agenda, a symbolic resolution to put the county on record as opposing so-called right-to-work zones.

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Rauner ally tries to tie Preckwinkle's hands on property taxes

The Republican Party must nearly double its share of the non-white vote to win the White House in 2016, an adviser to likely candidate Marco Rubio said Tuesday.

At a breakfast hosted by the Christian Science Monitor, longtime GOP pollster Whit Ayres said victory in the general election would require the partys nominee to win 30% of the non-white vote compared to the 17% Mitt Romney won in 2012.

The nominee would also have to carry the same percentage of the white vote Mr. Romney captured 59%. To attain 30% of non-white support, the Republican would have to win almost a majority of the Hispanic vote, Mr. Ayres added. In recent cycles, partys support among Hispanic voters peaked in 2004 at 40% for President George W. Bush.

If the Republican nominee fails to improve on Mr. Romneys standing among non-whites, he or she would need to win 65% of the white votea level reached only once, by Ronald Reagan in his re-election bid in 1984, Mr. Ayres said.

The challenge for Republicans is that the percentage of the electorate made up of white voters has declined consistently in every presidential election since 1996, Mr. Ayres said. That renders insufficient the formula Mr. Bush used to win re-election in 2004 58% of the white vote plus 26% of non-whites.

Republican presidential hopefuls have already begun making overtures to Hispanic voters.

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, a fluent Spanish speaker, earlier this year released a video discussing his potential campaign in both English and Spanish.Mr. Bush, who is open to allowing illegal immigrants a path to citizenship,has defended his stance on immigration against criticism from others in his party.

The Cuban-American Mr. Rubio also fluent in Spanish would be the first Hispanic president,though since his push for a Senate bill overhauling the immigration system failed in 2013 he has walked back his support for such a change.

Still, Republicans face steep odds in winning over Hispanic voters, nearly three-quarters of whom in 2012 cast ballots for President Barack Obama.

Hillary Clinton, the presumed frontrunner for the Democratic nomination in 2016, has also been making efforts to secure her partys hold on the Hispanic vote, including tapping Hispanics for important campaign roles.

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Pollster: GOP Must Nearly Double Share of Non-White Vote to Win White House

Chelmsford Republican Debate 2015
The town of Chelmsford Republican Debate: School Committee and Selectmen. Record March 19, 2015.

By: Chelmsford TV

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Chelmsford Republican Debate 2015 - Video

Republican Senator Ted Cruz to announce US presidency bid
Senator Ted Cruz is to set out on Monday his plans to run for the US presidency in 2016, according to advisers. The 44-year-old Texan is expected to announce his bid to seek the Republican...

By: RighteousReport

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Republican Senator Ted Cruz to announce US presidency bid - Video