Update from Chairman Dickey, August 2019

Posted 9.11.2019 - by RPT Staff

Dear Fellow Texas Republicans,

A lot of wonderful things happened in August. Sadly, though, Texans were faced with tragedy at the month’s beginning and end. On August 3rd in El Paso we were heartbroken by the heinous actions of an individual who took the lives of 22 and injured 24 others. On August 31st in Midland and Odessa 7 innocents were killed and 25 injured in another evil onslaught.

We all wish that there were a simple solution to such situations. There is not. Some things can be done on the margins, and some steps will undoubtedly be taken. We must be cautious to ensure that in our desire to take those steps we do not inadvertently make it harder, not easier, for innocent people to be protected.

May God comfort all those touched by these senseless acts – and the far too many each month harmed by other much less sensational acts of violence.

On the things within our control at the Republican Party of Texas (RPT), a lot of great positive things happened during the month of August. We travelled around the state, held our first Volunteer Engagement Project (VEP) board meeting, hired new staff, and much more!

Early in the month we announced that the RPT had over $1 million cash-on-hand for the first time in five years! We have been working hard to maintain healthy cash balances to build out our field and messaging operations for the 2020 election cycle. I am thankful to every donor who has invested with the Republican Party of Texas to help us reach this threshold once again.

Thanks to continued support and conservative management we were able to report that as of the last business day of the month we had over $1.25 million cash-on-hand for the first time on record! Of course the Party has simultaneously remained fully debt-free, as it has since all debt was paid off 9 years ago.

This solid financial base is vital as we head into a challenging 2020 cycle where Democrat supporters from around the country are clearly targeting Texas Republicans. While we are excited about our financial position, we know there is much work to do to defend Texas.

During the month of August, we held our first meeting of the Republican Party of Texas Volunteer Engagement Project (RPTVEP) working group I appointed to act as the Board of Directors for this crucial project. We were pleased to have Mitch Carney, Republican Party of Texas (RPT) Political Director, Steve Munisteri, former RPT Chairman, Karen Newton, President of the Texas Federation of Republican Women (TFRW), Jack Barcroft, Chairman of the Texas Republican County Chairmen’s Association (TRCCA), Kathaleen Wall, Chairwoman of the RPT Voter Registration group, Sarah Saiz, Political Director for Texans for Greg Abbott (TGA), Trey Trainor, RPT Assistant General Counsel, and myself in attendance. The Project also benefits from the pro-bono strategic advice of Karl Rove.

This project has become a model for other states around the nation to follow – as evidenced by the Republican National Committee (RNC) asking us to give a presentation on it during their quarterly meeting the last week of July in Charlotte, NC. Starting this project nearly 16 months ahead of the 2020 general election was absolutely critical for us to meet the challenges we face this election. There is still an incredible amount of work that must be done. We are committed to doing so and committed to supporting all of our candidates up and down the ballot.

National Committeeman from Texas, Dr. Robin Armstrong, held several engagement events in both Dallas and Houston. They focused on convention training as well as a 2020 campaign update!

I was honored to share our record-breaking progress at the Republican Party of Texas with those at Congressman Pete Olson’s Pastor Lunch which was led by Christian Collins, well known Houston businessman and Hurricane Harvey hero Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale, and Pastor Rafael Cruz. It is always inspiring to be with our faith leaders and we are always grateful for their prayers!

I met with several members in Collin County leadership. Pictured left to right are Collin County Republican Party Vice Chair Karl Voigtsberger, State Representative Jeff Leach, Republican Party of Texas Chairman James Dickey, State Representative Matt Shaheen, State Representative Candy Noble, and SREC Committeeman Chuck Branch.

You may have heard already, but we’re excited to announce a new calendar mapping feature on our website! We can now keep Republican events throughout the state of Texas in one easy place. Republican club, auxiliary, county party, or any and all officeholders not involved in a primary, are strongly encouraged to submit events for us to add to the calendar. That can be done by filling out the form found here!

Did you know that over 870,000 new Texas voters have been registered since the November 2018 general election? For years Democrats have been working to intentionally grow their registered base. Republicans in Texas had not. That all changed this year, and we’re spreading the message to every Republican club and county. As part of the work to promote our need to do that I became a Deputy Voter Registrar in 18 counties!

Bexar
Zapata
Hidalgo
Cameron
Willacy
Frio
Tarrant
Collin
Dallas
Williamson
Harris
Travis
Bell
Hays
Comal
McLennan
Denton
Burnet

I encourage you to get involved with the Volunteer Engagement Project to find out how you can help us register and engage Republican across the state of Texas.

During my trip to South Texas, I made a stop by the Eagle Pass-Piedras Negras International Bridge to discuss the importance of securing our border to keep Texans safe as well as the passage of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement which will ensure fairer deals for Texans, and all Americans. As has become the norm, Democrats have opted for obstruction on both accounts because they have put their dislike for the President ahead of the good of the country. Check out the video on this now and don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube page!