Archive for the ‘Republicans’ Category

Ohio Republican Party – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Ohio Republican Party is the Ohio state affiliate of the United States Republican Party. It was founded in Columbus, Ohio on February 13, 1854.[1]

From the Civil War era, Ohio politics was dominated by the Republican Party, with Ohio Republicans playing key roles in the national party. As the National Republican party slowly began to change from a party affiliated with Northern States and into a socially conservative, neo-liberal economic party, so has the Ohio Republican Party.

Early Ohio Republicans such as Salmon P. Chase staffed many important national offices. Chase coined the phrase "Free Soil, Free Labor, Free Men".[2] Starting in the 1880s, Ohio's Marcus A. Hanna was a significant power in the back rooms of the national Republican party. In the 1890s, Hanna led the conservative wing of the party against Theodore Roosevelt's progressive movement.

In the 60 years from 1860 to 1920, Ohioans headed the Republican presidential ticket nine times, losing only twice. In 1912, Democrat candidate Woodrow Wilson won with 40.96 percent of the vote, the Republican ticket was split, with Teddy Roosevelt leaving to start the Bull-Moose Party. In the 1916 election, Wilson won again with 49.24 percent of the vote.

During the next three presidential elections, the Republican candidate won Ohio, until 1932 when Franklin D. Roosevelt won the state. FDR would win Ohio in 1932, 1936, and 1940.[3]

The national political upheaval that ushered in the New Deal era in the 1930s benefited the Ohio Democratic Party. Party politics in Ohio became very competitive, with Republicans and Democrats trading victories at all levels.

During this time Robert A. Taft, known as "Mr. Republican," became the leader of the conservative wing of the Republican party during a time when progressives controlled both major parties, and one of the most popular Senators in Ohio history.

From the 1930s to the 1970s, Republicans still won the majority of elective offices in Ohio. Starting in the 1960s Ohio Democrats began to win more elections with rulings from the United States Supreme Court that required district representation be based on population and not land sized. The equalization of legislative districts shifted power to Ohio's cities and away from rural farmers. By the mid-1980s, Ohio government at all levels was dominated by Democrats.

By 1990, the Republicans had won a majority on the Ohio Apportionment Board, which draws district lines for federal and state legislative seats. The 1992 adoption of term limits by referendum further strengthened the party's hand and 1992 marked the last victory by a Democrat (John Glenn) in a statewide race until 2006.

Redistricting after the 2000 census combined with Ohio's term limits laws had Republican officeholders at the federal and state levels struggling with each other to draw federal congressional districts to create safe seats, with the interests of incumbent US representatives clashing with the interests of state legislators facing term limits looking to Congress for their next jobs. About 43 percent of the voters voted for Democrats in 2000.

Joe Hallett wrote in the Columbus Dispatch (January 13, 2002):

Redistricting should be a happy process for Republicans.... But the task has hardly been gleeful. Contrarily, it has turned into an embarrassment for Republicans.... Eight-year term limits, more than the state budget, are to blame. These days, state lawmakers constantly are scouting their next jobs.... [V]isions of Congress dance in their heads. They want districts ready-made for their ascensions. Meanwhile, congressional incumbents constantly angle for districts they can't possibly lose.

Although term limits were pushed by conservative Republican activists in the 1980s, they forced the retirement of Republican Speaker Jo Ann Davidson (R-Columbus) from the House of Representatives in 2001 as well as the leader of the conservative wing of the party, Deputy Speaker William G. Batchelder (R-Medina).

In 2001, Republicans sought United States House of Representatives seats held by Democrats Sherrod Brown and Ted Strickland. The state legislature considered redrawing their districts. Critics allege the motivation was to aid in Republican victories. When Democrat Brown threatened to run for governor in 2002, if he lost his seat through redistricting, the legislature scrapped redistricting plans. Republican Governor Taft won re-election. Taft was challenged by Cuyahoga County commissioner Tim Hagan. Both Brown and Strickland held onto their congressional seats.

By 2004, Republicans held all six statewide executive offices (governor/lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state, auditor, and treasurer), a two-thirds majority in the state senate and house, a 5-2 majority on the Supreme Court, both seats in the US Senate, and 12 of Ohio's 18 seats in the US House of Representatives. In 2006, Democrats began to retake some statewide offices. These include all of the executive offices except State Auditor (including the governorship going to Ted Strickland over Republican challenger J. Kenneth Blackwell) and one of the seats in the US Senate (Sherrod Brown defeating incumbent Mike DeWine).

Ohio Republicans still held ten seats in the US House of Representatives, one seat in the U.S. Senate, and a majority in both houses of the Ohio General Assembly. Between the election of Robert Cupp in 2007, the death of Chief Justice Thomas Moyer, and the appointment of Democrat Eric Brown in 2010, Republicans had controlled all seven seats on the Ohio Supreme Court previously.

In 2008, Democrat Presidential Candidate Barack Obama defeated Republican Candidate John McCain in Ohio.

In 2010, Republicans regained all of the statewide elected executive offices, including the governorship with the election of John Kasich, and regained the majority in the state House of Representatives and retaining the state Senate. Republicans also retained their seat in the U.S. Senate with the election of Rob Portman and retained a majority of the seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. In addition, 8th District Representative John Boehner was elected Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, making him third in line of succession (and the highest ranking Republican) to the Presidency of the United States.

In November 2011, Gov. John Kasich's law that limits public worker's union bargain abilities was voted down by the people of Ohio.[4] This was a major blow to the platform that Gov. Kasich ran on in 2010.

The Taft Family has been one of the most powerful political families in US History. Robert Taft, Sr. was the first Taft to come to America, around the 1670s. The Ohio section of Taft's are descendants of Robert, Sr.

The start of the five generations of Taft's in politics was with Alphonso Taft. He was the founder of the Ohio political dynasty that is associated with the Republican Party. Alphonso was in President Ulysses S. Grant's Cabinet, first as Attorney General then as Secretary of War. He was later appointed US Ambassador to the Austria-Hungary Empire.[5]

Three of Alphonso's sons entered into politics also, former US Representative of Ohio's 1st District Charles Phelps Taft, former US President and Chief Justice of the United States William Howard Taft, and former Republican Party Delegate Henry Waters Taft.

Both of William H. Taft's sons entered into politics. Robert A. Taft was a former US Senator and his other son Charles Phelps Taft II was former Mayor of Cincinnati. Both men were seen as great politicians.

The next generation of Taft politicians came from two of Robert's children. Robert Taft, Jr. served in both houses of the US Congress. His brother William Howard Taft III was Ambassador to Ireland.

The current generation of Taft's in politics are former Ohio Governor Bob Taft, son of Robert Taft Jr. William Howard Taft IV, son of William H. Taft III, has been an Ambassador to NATO and United States Deputy Secretary of Defense.

In 2005, the Republican fundraiser and coin dealer Thomas Noe ran a rare coin fund that the State of Ohio had invested $50 million in.[6] Soon valuable coins came up missing and an investigation discovered Noe had taken around $13 million from the fund. He was convicted in 2006 and was sentenced to 18 years in state prison.[citation needed]

Noe was a top fundraiser for the George W. Bush campaign in Ohio in 2004, and the chairman for his campaign in Northwest Ohio. He was later convicted of making illegal contributions to the Bush campaign.[citation needed]

Noe had ties to then Governor Bob Taft. It was discovered through this scandal that the Governor and some of his top aides took improper gifts from Noe and other lobbyist.[citation needed] In 2005, Gov. Taft was charged with four misdemeanors related to these gifts.[citation needed]

This scandal had a negative effect on the Ohio Republican Party, who lost many seats in congress after 2006 and the Governorship went to Ted Strickland. In 2008, Barack Obama won Ohio's 20 electoral college votes on his way to the presidency.

Ohio Republicans use the same symbols used by the national Republican Party, such as the elephant. The Ohio Republican Party logo features a white elephant silhouette over the shape of Ohio in red, with blue outlining its northern border.

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Ohio Republican Party - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

CD2 Republicans – Home

For Immediate Release December 17, 2013

The Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board today levied a $100,000 civil penalty against the Minnesota DFL Senate Caucus for illegal campaign coordination with thirteen of their candidates in the 2012 election.

In its ruling, the Board indicated it also plans to fine each of the candidates campaigns, since properly reclassifying the expenditures means that the candidates illegally exceeded their campaign contribution and/or spending limits. A total of over $300,000 in illegal contributions were not reported by the campaigns.

Senate Democrats were so intent on winning at any cost and throwing huge money into the 2012 campaign that they played fast and loose in a big way, said Keith Downey, Chairman of the Republican Party of Minnesota. Even though it is over a year too late for the voters in these thirteen districts, and the ruling says nothing about the truthfulness of their ads, todays ruling does at least provide a much needed check on their campaign financing tactics.

Downey continued, Many of the Democratic Senators on this list won their elections by narrow margins. We will never know how this illegal coordination would have impacted the results in these races and ultimately control of the legislature. They cheated, they won, but at least they are being held accountable now.

We look forward to the Campaign Finance Boards continued investigation and expect them to thoroughly examine each of the thirteen campaigns to determine the full extent of this wrongdoing, Downey concluded.

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Republican Party of Florida – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Republican Party of Florida is the official organization for Republicans in the state of Florida.

Florida politics was largely dominated by the Democrats until Richard Nixon's Southern Strategy, which took advantage of white objections to the advances of the American Civil Rights Movement resulted in a regional political realignment for the south. After Nixon's victory in 1968, the state only voted Democratic in presidential elections in 1976 (Jimmy Carter) 1996 (Bill Clinton), 2008 and 2012 (Barack Obama). The presidential election in 2000 was decided by a margin of 537 votes out of approximately 6 million cast, giving George W. Bush the presidency over Al Gore.

The Florida Senate was dominated by Democrats until 1992, when a majority of Republicans was elected. The Florida House of Representatives turned Republican after the November 1996 election. Since then, the number of Democrats in both chambers have continued to drop. The Florida Legislature became the first legislature in any of the states of the former confederacy to come under complete Republican control when the Republicans gained control of the House and Senate in the 1996 election. However, in the 2006 election the Democrats actually gained seats in the State House, the first instance of this occurring since the early 1980s.

The most Republican region of the state is the northern third, which contains the large cities of Pensacola and Jacksonville. The Tampa Bay region is relatively Democratic, although it has become much more competitive in recent electoral cycles. While North Florida and the Panhandle have voted heavily Democratic at the local level, both are solid Republican strongholds in presidential elections.[clarification needed]

In the 2014 election, the Republican nominee for Governor was Governor of Florida Rick Scott. He defeated the Democratic nominee, who was the Former Governor of Florida Charlie Crist.

The current Chairman of the Republican Party of Florida is Blaise Ingoglia, a newly elected member to the Florida House of Representatives, who was elected by RPOF members in January 2015, ousting Scott-favorite and then-RPOF Chairwoman Leslie Dougher.[2]

The Republican National Committee (RNC) is responsible for promoting Republican campaign activities. It is responsible for developing and promoting the Republican political platform, as well as coordinating fundraising and election strategy. Senator Mel Martinez of Florida is the Republican Party's former General Chairman. Reince Priebus is the current Chairman of RNC. The chairman of the RNC is chosen by the President when the Republicans have the White House or otherwise by the Party's state committees. The RNC, under the direction of the party's presidential candidate, supervises the Republican National Convention, raises funds, and coordinates campaign strategy. On the local level there are similar state committees in every state and most large cities, counties and legislative districts, but they have far less money and influence than the national body.

The Republican House and Senate caucuses have separate fund raising and strategy committees. The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) assists in House races, and the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) in Senate races. They each raise over $100 million per election cycle, and play important roles in recruiting strong state candidates. The Republican Governors Association (RGA) is a discussion group that seldom funds state races.

The membership of the Republican Party is primarily made up of fiscal conservatives, social conservatives, neoconservatives, and members of the Religious Right.

The Republican Party is strong on defense and the more socially conservative and economically libertarian of the two major parties in the state of Florida. The party generally supports lower taxes and limited government in some economic areas, although it does support government intervention in other areas.

Most Republicans favor free-market policies supporting business, economic liberalism, and limited regulation as the best means of fostering economic prosperity. As such, most Republicans tend to ascribe to Reaganomics, an economic theory that was popularized by Ronald Reagan which holds that reduced income tax rates increase GDP growth and thereby generate more revenue for the government from the taxes on the extra growth. "A rising tide raises all boats". Opposition to the increases in the minimum wage stems from counterproduction on the economy- minimum wage increases unemployment and discourages business.

While most Republicans believe that the private sector is more effective in helping the poor than government, they nonetheless generally agree that there should be a "safety net" to assist the less fortunate. Rather than involve the government in the distribution of aid, however, many Republicans support giving government grants to faith-based and other private charitable organizations to supplant welfare spending. Additionally, most Republicans believe that limits on eligibility and benefits must be in place to ensure the safety net is not abused.

Members of the Republican party are generally opposed to a single-payer universal health care system, such as that found in Canada or in most of Europe, sometimes referring to it as "socialized medicine" and are in favor of the current personal or employer based system of insurance, supplemented by Medicare for the elderly and Medicaid, which covers approximately 40% of the poor.[3]

Republicans are generally opposed by labor unions and have supported various legislation on the state and federal levels, including right-to-work legislation and the Taft-Hartley Act which gives workers the right not to participate in unions, as opposed to a closed shop which prohibits workers from choosing not to join unions in workplaces.

Most of the GOP's national and state candidates oppose abortion on religious or moral grounds, oppose the legalization of same sex marriage, and favor faith-based initiatives. Most of the GOP's membership favors capital punishment and stricter punishments as a means to prevent crime. Republicans generally strongly support constitutionally protected gun ownership rights.

Most Republicans support school choice through charter schools and education vouchers for private schools; and many have denounced the performance of the public school system and the teachers' unions. The party has insisted on a system of greater accountability for public schools, most prominently in recent years with the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.

The social conservatives of the party tend to support voluntary organized prayer in public schools and the inclusion of teaching creationism or intelligent design alongside evolution. Although the GOP has voted for increases in government funding of scientific research, many members actively oppose the federal funding of embryonic stem cell research because it involves the harvesting and destruction of human embryos (which many consider ethically equivalent to abortion), while supporting for applying research money into adult stem cell or amniotic stem cell research.

In April 2010, the party began investigating $1.3 million in questionable expenses incurred by a former party staffer, Melanie Phister. From 2006 to 2009, the party gave her an American Express credit card on which she charged the expenses for herself and her colleagues. The expenses included: $40,000 at a London, England hotel; $20,000 for plane tickets for indicted former Florida House Speaker Ray Sansom, his wife and children; $19,000 for the Water Club restaurant in New York; $15,000 for a one-month's stay at a Miami Beach hotel, and, $66,000 for chartered flights. The Republican Party of Florida has hired the accounting firm Alston + Bird LLP to investigate the party's finances, including the questionable credit card expenses.[4][5]

The party issued a September 2009 press release about Obama's planned TV presentation to schoolchildren: "Schoolchildren across the nation will be forced to watch the president justify his plans for government-run health care, banks, and automobile companies, increasing taxes on those who create jobs, and racking up more debt than any other president." Politifact said, "There remains no evidence that Obama intends to discuss the controversial policy issues of health care, banking, the automotive industry, taxes or the national debt during his address to students." [6]

In an October 2008 mailing, the party alleged ""Barack Obama has consistently voted against tougher penalties for criminals." Politifact found that the party had taken selective votes or positions to prop up sensational headlines that are belied by a fuller examination of Obama's record, and found the ad's claim false.[7]

In May 2008, the party claimed in an email that Cuban leader Fidel Castro endorsed Obama. Politifact found that to be false, and added it "comes off less like a joke and more like an intentional smear."[8]

The mascot symbol, historically, is the elephant. A political cartoon by Thomas Nast, published in Harper's Weekly on November 7, 1874, is considered the first important use of the symbol.[9] In the early 20th century, the usual symbol of the Republican Party in Midwestern states such as Indiana and Ohio was the eagle, as opposed to the Democratic rooster. This symbol still appears on Indiana ballots.

After the 2000 election, the color red became associated with the GOP although it has not been officially adopted by the party. On election night 2000, for the first time ever, all major broadcast networks utilized the same color scheme for the electoral map: red states for George W. Bush (Republican nominee) and blue states for Al Gore (Democratic nominee). Although the color red is unofficial and informal, it is widely recognized by the media and the public to represent the GOP. Partisan supporters now often use the color red for promotional materials and campaign merchandise.

Lincoln Day, Reagan Day, or Lincoln-Reagan Day, is the primary annual fundraising celebration held by many state and county organizations of the Republican Party. The events are named after Republican Presidents Abraham Lincoln and Ronald Reagan.

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Republican Party of Florida - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sussex County Delaware Republican GOP Committee

Sussex County Republican Committee Announces

Presidential PrimaryStraw Poll

With all the talk about the Presidential candidates, do you want to have a say too?

Sussex County GOP will hold a three day mock election "straw poll" fromMarch 29 through March 31, to let Sussex Republicans have their voices heard before the Presidential Primary onApril 26.

All registered Republican voters in Sussex County are invited and encouraged to cast a ballot.Party Change required?For those who are not Republicans, but would like to vote in this mock election and the Presidential Primary, the deadline to change your party affiliation isFebruary 26.Not registered?The deadline for registering for the Presidential Primary isApril 2.

To participate, voters must come to the Sussex GOPHeadquarters at 131 East Market Street in Georgetown between9 a.m. and 5 p.m.on one of the Mock Election days.Participants must provide a Voter Registration Card or other identification to verify their registration.Votes from this mock election will be counted onFriday, 1 April, and the results will be announced that afternoon at the GOP headquarters.

Come out and show your support for your favorite Republican candidate and enjoy the opportunity to be part of the patriotic fun.

For more information on this mock election, contact Sally Duveneck at302 531-5967.

On January 22, 1973 the Supreme Court announced its controversial Roe v Wade decision. However, instead of settling the issue, the decision launched over 40 years of controversy.

Indeed,this yearsMarchForLife on Friday,onJanuary 22ndresulted in hundreds of thousands of protestors being stranded by the recent blizzard, Jonas. Besides the250,000 marchers who were coming to hearthe featured speaker,Carly Fiorina, there were satellite marches held throughout the United States.

Critics state that people who continuetheir 40+ years of opposition to Planned Parenthoodis merely anexercise in futility. They state that if Roe v. Wade is reversed the result will simply be a throwbacktoa time whenwomenwerebeing subjected to unsanitary procedures,in back alley facilities. They have ranted that women will riskbeing maimed and left sterile from botched procedures,and ultimately, will include the death of many women.

The critics were right. Carly Fiorina and the men andwomenwhocontinued to protest the Roe v Wade decisionsaw the worst nightmare come true here in Delaware in 2011. In that yearDelawareanslearned that clinics that received referrals from Planned Parenthood of Delaware were indeed worse than anything that existed before Roe v Wade.

Planned Parenthood of Delaware, despite denials, referred women to clinics out of state that featured operating rooms that had feral cats roaming freely, unlicensed medical students and nurses performing abortions, unsanitary anduncaring personnel,etc, etc.Several nurses, unlicensed Doctors, and one Physicianareserving time in prison.

We resent the use of our tax dollars being used to perpetuate such a horror.

The Sussex County Republican Committee therefore is on record with the attached Resolution regarding funding Planned Parenthood.

Please Click here for Resolution >> SUSSEX COUNTY 2016 PROPOSED PLANNED PARENTHOOD Resolution

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Sussex County Delaware Republican GOP Committee

Republicans tighten 2016 presidential primary process …

WASHINGTON

Republican leaders, forced to regroup after losing another race for the White House, voted to significantly shortening the lengthy, bruising state-by-state process that will select the party's presidential nominee for the 2016 election.

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The Republican National Committee voted to ban CNN and NBC from the 2016 presidential primary debates if the networks move forward with plans to ...

The Republican National Committee approved Friday a plan that aims to create an easier path to the White House for its next nominee, roughly a year before campaigning begins in earnest for the next presidential contest. While Obama's second term began just one year ago, prospective Republican candidates already have begun visiting early-voting states like Iowa and New Hampshire that hold outsize influence because of their prized positions on the primary calendar.

Republicans have now lost the popular vote in five of the last six presidential elections. Party leaders emerged from Obama's re-election last November vowing that Republicans must rethink their strategies as the United States becomes a more diverse country, and the voting power of the party's base - traditionally white, older conservatives - begins to wane.

The latest U.S. census data and polling from The Associated Press predict a monumental change on the horizon for the U.S.: non-Hispanic whites will lose their majority in the next generation, somewhere around the year 2043.

Non-white Americans voted overwhelmingly last November for Obama, the first black president.

Meanwhile, conservative grassroots Republicans who dominate the primary process never embraced Romney with much enthusiasm, making him a vulnerable target to other more conservative primary candidates like Newt Gingrich, the former House of Representatives speaker. Obama used many of the same attack lines on Romney - that he was an out-of-touch wealthy tycoon - that had been used by other Republicans in the primaries.

The party's shift comes during the winter meeting of the Republican National Committee, a collection of party leaders and activists from every state that controls the party's national infrastructure. The group expects to finalize additional changes, including setting a new date for its 2016 national convention, later in the year. Among other changes, the RNC intends to dramatically reduce the number of presidential debates and have more control over the moderators.

"This is a historic day for our party," RNC chairman Reince Preibus declared.

He said the changes would not allow Republicans to "slice and dice" each other for six months or participate in "a circus of debates." Republican candidates participated in 27 debates for the 2012 nomination.

Not everyone was pleased with the changes, which were approved by a 153-to-9 vote.

"I think we're going too far in shortening this process," Republican committeeman Morton Blackwell of Virginia said. "We need an adequate amount of time in order for presidential candidates to be tested."

Committee members gathered in Washington also began considering the location of its 2016 national convention.

Representatives from four contending cities - Las Vegas, Denver, Kansas City, Missouri, and Columbus, Ohio - offered gifts and parties to help secure an early advantage. Las Vegas' bid, fueled in part by Republican mega-donor Sheldon Adelson, gave party officials complimentary wireless Internet access and goodie bags with fleece jackets and leather binders. The RNC is expected to select its next convention location this summer at the earliest.

New Hampshire, Iowa, South Carolina and Nevada are expected to host the first four contests in February 2016 under the new schedule, while the remainder of the nation's 46 states and territories would vote between early March and mid-May. The party's national convention is expected in late June or early July, roughly two months sooner than has become the norm.

Officials from early voting states praised the plan, which establishes strict penalties for states that jump out of order, as Florida did in 2012.

One potential Republican candidate, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, has seen his prospects of a 2016 presidential run complicated by scandal, as U.S. federal prosecutors have escalated their criminal investigation into allegations aides created traffic jams as political payback, subpoenaing his re-election campaign and the state Republican leadership. That has tainted the image Christie has cultivated as a bipartisan political player with broad appeal.

The subpoenas, disclosed Thursday, seek documents related to the closure of traffic lanes near the George Washington Bridge, which connects New Jersey and upper Manhattan, according to Mark Sheridan, a lawyer representing Christie for Governor and the Republican State Committee.

The traffic lanes were closed for four days in September, creating traffic gridlock in Fort Lee, the New Jersey town at the base of the bridge, one of the world's busiest. Some of Christie's aides initially said the closures were part of a traffic study, but emails and text messages turned over to legislators suggest it may have been a message to the town's Democratic mayor for not endorsing Christie.

2014 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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