November 13, 2017

Dear Texas Republicans,

 

Filing season has begun! Saturday was the beginning of the month-long window during which candidates may file for a place on the Republican Primary ballot. RPT headquarters saw a steady stream of officeholders and candidates throughout the day, as did counties across the state of Texas.

 

I am eager to see as many Republicans as possible file for public office, and I am excited that the Republican Party of Texas is prepared to offer all of our candidates equal access to our first-class resources free of charge. Running for office is never a decision to be taken lightly. I am grateful for those who have considered the personal and financial cost and are willing to make the necessary sacrifices in order to serve.

People & Places

I was honored to address the Austin Republican Club on Tuesday. I spoke to them of the importance of being involved in theprocess — whether filing as a candidate for office, serving as a delegate to the Republican conventions, or volunteering their time in other ways. While there, I saw Jan Duncan and Fernando Trevino (SREC members from SD 14), Third Court of Appeals Justice David Puryear, and multiple candidates for the open Third Court of Appeals seat.

 

Vice President Mike Pence and his wife Karen visited Sutherland Springs on Wednesday for a prayer vigil remembering the victims of this tragic mass shooting. I offered him my heartfelt thanks for taking the time to visit our state while we grieve with the Sutherland Springs community.

 

It was my privilege to join Governor Abbott in honoring veterans on Saturday. Since the founding of our country, our military and their families have sacrificed much, being willing to lay down their lives for the hope of fighting for freedom for all Americans. Veterans’ Day is a yearly reminder of the honor we always want to show to those who have served.

 

I was also fortunate on Saturday to join the Republican Women of Yoakum Area to participate in recognizing the milestone of their 50th Anniversary. It was a pleasure to present them with a commemorative plaque and to congratulate them on their club’s success.

Report from the Field

Our regional field directors throughout Texas focused on personal visits last week in order to follow up with the many interested individuals they met while blockwalking. It is encouraging to see them expanding their reach by training and mentoring these active and engaged volunteers. The volunteer teams that our field staff are building will block walk, register new voters, and engage with current voters throughout the next year in order to secure Republican wins. The Republican Leadership Initiative trainings continue to remain a focus as we build to capacity for 2018.

Data Director Spencer Davis has been working directly with Republican candidates and is able to offer data access and personalized insight for their ground game. Blockwalking continues to be a critical tool in any campaign, and Spencer works hard to ensure that all of our candidates have access to the necessary data for this. Each candidate who files receives a packet that includes a data center application to be sure all candidates are aware that the GOP Data Center and the Advantage blockwalk app are free services provided to them by the RNC and RPT.

Party News

Our office staff has done an incredible job of preparing for filing season, and I could not have been more pleased with how smoothly our first day of filing ran. I’d like to give Organization Director Brandon Moore a special thank you for all the hours he dedicated to making it a success, along with Assistant Primary Administrator Joanna Kitchen, volunteer and former Tarrant County Chair Jennifer Hall, and the rest of our staff who each participated and filled their roles with excellence.

 

During the rest of the month, our office will be open M-F, 9am-5pm, with only a few exceptions. See detailed filing information at TexasGOP.org/candidate.

 

Pictured are some of those who worked at headquarters on Filing Day. See more pictures from the day here.

 

Our County Chairs across the state also deserve praise for the extraordinary amount of work they are doing during this month of filing. To all of you: thank you for making it possible for voters to elect Republicans.

 

Speaking of County Chairs – I appointed several highly-recommended individuals to fill vacant county chair spots this past week. Our new county chairs are Joni Clonts (Houston County), Alec Wallace (Crosby County), and Tammy Smith (Upton County).

 

The Officials Committee of the SREC met by telephone last Friday to begin our budget discussions for 2018. We focused on the core operating expenses. I’m grateful for the expertise we have on the Officials Committee, with small business owners, consultants, accountants, and others with helpful backgrounds. These capable individuals carry out their responsibilities with the effort and seriousness required.

In Case You Missed It . . .

News Articles:

 

Press releases:

Coming Up Next

Nov. 16: Officials Committee Meeting call to discuss 2018 budget

Nov. 18: Chairman Dickey at Republican Women of Arlington

Nov. 20: Chairman Dickey at New Braunfels Republican Women

Nov. 21: Officials Committee Meeting call to discuss 2018 budget

Dec. 1-2: 4th Quarterly SREC meeting — join the facebook event page here!

 

It’s not too late to decide to run for office! Filing period is open until December 11 at 6pm. For more information on candidacy and filing requirements, see our Candidate page: www.TexasGOP.org/Candidate

 

Sincerely,

James Dickey