November 6, 2017

Dear Texas Republicans,

 

Our hearts are broken for the families whose loved ones were so tragically and ruthlessly murdered yesterday while they were in the middle of peaceful worship in the heart of one of Texas’ many wonderful small towns. The RPT has many friends and supporters in Sutherland Springs and Wilson county Chair Ruby Manen has already confirmed that some of those dear friends are facing devastating losses as a result of this senseless act. We have reached out to see what else we can do and while we wait on that we are deep in prayer for all those impacted. We will take time this evening to do so together as our Chaplain, Corey Tabor, leads us in community prayer. To participate in the prayer session,  register here and then join join the call via phone or computer at 6:30 pm Central.

 

There is much else that has happened over the last week and much that we must do moving forward. Nothing is more important than the people closest to us, though. Please take each opportunity this week to tell someone you love how much they mean to you.

 

Two key election-related events take place this week:

 

First, Election Day is tomorrow, November 7. Tuesday is your last chance to vote on seven propositions for constitutional amendments in addition to various local items such as bonds. See your County elections site for your poll locations.

 

Second, Candidate Filing opens this Saturday, November 11, and it is the first day for those who wish to run for office to declare candidacy by filing for a place on the March primary ballot. Read all about that below in Party News.

People & Places


Last week I had the pleasure of meeting and speaking to the Greater San Antonio Council Republican Women. It wasexciting to be with them following such a successful TFRW Convention in Dallas. I discussed our plans for next year’s State Convention in the Alamo City and to share with them how they can be an integral part of the platform process as convention delegates. This year is a significant one for San Antonio Republicans: it is our party’s 150th anniversary and San Antonio’s 300th anniversary. At the event, I was fortunate to visit with Texas Representative Kyle Biederman and SREC member Marian Stanko (SD 26), Atascosa County Chair Marian Knowlton, Bexar County Chair Robert Stovall and Wilson County Chair Ruby Manen, in addition to the many wonderful Bexar county area Republican Women’s Club Presidents and representatives in attendance.

 

A fruitful trip to Houston on Friday afternoon combined meeting with Party donors and attending the Texas Right to Life banquet. It was a pleasure at that event to see so many of our supporters and to connect with SREC members Melanie Flowers (SD 13) and Gail Stanart (SD 15), Fort Bend County Chair Jacey Jetton, and RPT National Committeeman Robin Armstrong. I was also able to see and spend time with numerous Texas elected officials including Lt. Governor Dan Patrick, Supreme Court Justice John Devine, Senators Don Huffines, Joan Huffman and Bryan Hughes, and Representatives Kyle Biederman, Greg Bonnen, Briscoe Cain, Wayne Faircloth, Cole Hefner, Tom Oliverson, Phil Stephenson and Valoree Swanson.

Saturday morning I joined Harris County Chair Paul Simpson and RPT field staff for the Houston Republican Leadership Initiative training as part of the Republican Party’s National Day of Action. Saturday afternoon I met with Hispanic Engagement Director Bianca Gracia to work on next steps in the evolution of our vision and plan for continued growth in the Hispanic community.

 

An unexpected final bonus was running into SREC member Jan Duncan (SD 14) in Giddings, TX as we were both returning to the Austin area!

Report from the Field

Not only did Houston get in on the Republican Party’s National Day of Action — so did Corpus Christi, San Marcos, and Dallas. Last week, our field team kicked off Republican Leadership Initiative (RLI) training with workshops in all four of these cities. RLI is a project of the RNC to help grassroots volunteers learn to use the latest campaign technology for field organizing, develop strong leadership skills within their communities, and connect with a network of activists in order to build a team of volunteers and organizers. (See more info or to sign up for additional trainings)

 

 

At our RLI events last week, over 50 brand new volunteers who have never before been active in blockwalking received training and then hit the streets. These new grassroots activists knocked on a thousand doors Saturday afternoon! I’m proud of our team’s investment and excited about expanding our reach through even more dedicated volunteers.

 

 

 

This achievement is in addition to our field team reaching the milestone of knocking on 10,000 doors of registered voters in Texas this year already with a simple message: let’s keep Texas prosperous and free. And this is just the beginning. We’re still hiring more field staff to keep engaging with new voters and new volunteers and spreading the Republican message to all communities across the state of Texas. It is not too early to be thinking about 2018 and even 2020, and I feel strongly that having such a strong ground game this early will ensure us victorious election cycles with Republican wins up and down the ballot.

 

Party News

CANDIDATE FILING

***Candidate Filing opens November 11th, making this Saturday the first day for those who wish to declare their candidacy to file for a place on the March 6th, 2018 Republican primary ballot.***

 

  • Candidates whose districts cover more than one county will file at RPT Headquarters in Austin. The office will be open this Saturday, November 11th, from 10am-2pm to receive filings, and weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Monday, December 11th, with the following exceptions:
    • Wednesday, November 22nd, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. (noon)
    • Thursday and Friday, November 23rd and 24th, closed
    • Monday, December 11th, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
    • Contact Joanna Kitchen, jkitchen@texasgop.org or Brandon Moore, bmoore@texasgop.org, or 512-879-4070 for more info.
  • Candidates whose districts cover all or part of only one county will file with their local county party (see listing of county parties and contact information here). Check with your local office to determine the days and hours they will be open to receive filings, as times may vary.
  • Learn more about running for office on our Candidate page: texasgop.org/candidate.

 

I will be at the office to personally receive first-day filings between 10am and 1pm this Saturday and look forward to the official kickoff of election season!

 

CONVENTION UPDATE

On Tuesday RPT Executive Director Kyle Whatley led a visit to the San Antonio Convention Center located right on the famed Riverwalk – the site of the 2018 State Convention. They continued preparing and solidifying logistics for this mammoth event.

 

UPCOMING SREC MEETINGS

Last week, I announced to the SREC the planned dates for our 2018 quarterly meetings:

 

 

  • 1st Quarterly Meeting: January 26-27
  • 2nd Quarterly Meeting: April 6-7

 

  • 3rd Quarterly Meeting: September (exact dates TBD soon)
  • 4th Quarterly Meeting: December (exact dates TBD soon)

 

These dates avoid conflicts with election and convention dates and allow the SREC substantial meeting time in order to make convention decisions.

 

As a reminder, the final SREC meeting of 2017 is December 1-2. We’re under four weeks away and hope to see you there. Join the facebook event page to stay up-to-date on our planned agenda.

 

All SREC meetings are held in Austin.

In Case You Missed It . . .

News and Articles:

 

Press releases:

Coming Up Next

Nov. 6, 6:30pm: Prayer call (register here)

Nov. 6, 8pm: Advancement Committee telephone meeting (guests are welcome and will be invited to speak at the end; register here)

Nov. 7: Election Day

Nov. 7: Chairman Dickey at Republican Club of Austin

Nov. 10: Officials Committee Meeting call to discuss 2018 budget

Nov. 11: Candidate Filing Period Begins – RPT HQ is open 10am-2pm

Nov. 11: Chairman Dickey at Republican Women of Yoakum Area 50th Anniversary Fundraiser

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

Nov. 18: Chairman Dickey at Republican Women of Arlington

 

So please remember to vote tomorrow, join us in prayer today and on the call tonight, and spend some extra time with those you love. May God bless you and keep you.

 

Sincerely,

James Dickey