January 22, 2008
Staunton GOP Straw Poll
At its regular monthly meeting on January 15, 2008, the Staunton Republican Committee conducted an informal straw poll of its members to find out which presidential candidates they favor. The poll has no official bearing, but was simply an effort to gauge local Republican party sentiment in anticipation of the Virginia primary election, which is to be held on February 12. Former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson came out ahead, but fell short of a majority. The results, as shown below, suggest that support is spread among several candidates, which is consistent with national polls. It is important to note that these results reflect the personal preferences of local Republicans, not necessarily which candidates they believe would have the best chance of winning in the November general election. Also, some members did not express an opinion on all candidates, which is why the row-by-row subtotals are not all equal.
Staunton Republican Committee Straw Poll, January 2008
Please indicate your degree of support for each of the presidential candidates listed below.
| Candidate | HE'S MY FAVORITE |
Solid support |
Moderate support |
Weak (if any) support |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fred Thompson | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| Mitt Romney | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| Mike Huckabee | 2 | 1 | 7 | 0 |
| Duncan Hunter | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Rudy Giuliani | 1 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| John McCain | 1 | 2 | 5 | 0 |
| Ron Paul | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 |
by Andrew Clem
February 21, 2008
Thank you, soldiers, for a job well done!
Soldiers from the Stonewall Brigade at the welcome-home ceremonies at the Staunton National Guard Armory, just prior to being dismissed.
Photo by Andrew Clem
February 21, 2008
OFFICIAL CALL
Mass Meeting of Staunton Republican Committee
of the Republican Party of Virginia
As Chairman of the Staunton Committee of the Republican Party, and pursuant to the Plan of Organization and as recommended and directed by the Committee, I, Anne M. Taetzsch, do hereby issue this call for a Mass Meeting to be held at City Hall, at 10:00 am local time on March 29, 2008 for the following purposes:
a) Electing a Unit Chairman;
b) Electing members of the Unit Committee as follows:
Ward 1: 6
Ward 2: 10
Ward 3: 8
Ward 4: 6
Ward 5: 4
At-Large: 11
c) Electing up to 90 Delegates and 90 Alternates to cast 18 votes at the Sixth Congressional District Convention, to be held on May 3, 2008 at the Virginia Horse Center in Lexington, beginning at 10:00 am. Each unit is entitled to one (1) Delegate Vote per 500 Republican votes for Governor and President at their last election.
d) electing up to 180 Delegates and 180 Alternates to cast 36 votes at the Republican Party of Virginia State Convention, to be held on May 30 and 31, 2008 at the Greater Richmond Convention Center, 403 North Third Street, Richmond, Virginia, starting at 2:00 p.m. on May 30. Each unit is entitled to one (1) Delegate Vote at the State Convention per 250 Republican votes for Governor and President at their last election.
e) and for the transaction of such other business as may properly come before the meeting.
The purposes of the Sixth District Convention are to elect a District Chairman; elect three members of the State Central Committee; nominate a Presidential Elector; and elect three Delegates and three Alternates to the Republican National Convention.
The purposes of the State Convention are to nominate a Republican candidate for United States Senate; elect a State Chairman; nominate a National Committeeman and Committeewoman; nominate two At-Large Presidential Electors; and elect 27 Delegates and 27 Alternates to the Republican National Convention to be held beginning on September 1, 2008 at the Xcel Energy Center, Minneapolis-St. Paul, or its alternate site, for the purpose of nominating candidates for President and Vice President of the United States.
Qualifications for Participation
All legal and qualified voters under the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia, regardless of race, religion, national origin or sex, who are in accord with the principles of the Republican Party, and who, if requested, express in open meeting either orally or in writing as may be required their intent to support all of its nominees for public office in the ensuing election may participate as members of the Republican Party of Virginia in its mass meetings, party canvasses, conventions, or primaries encompassing their respective election districts.
In addition to the foregoing, to be in accord with the principles of the Republican Party, unless otherwise stipulated by the appropriate Official Committee, a person otherwise qualified hereunder shall not have participated in Virginia in the nomination process of a party other than the Republican Party after March 1, 2004, or in the last five years, whichever is more recent.
A single exception to this shall be approved for a voter that renounces affiliation with any other party in writing, and who expresses in writing that he/she is in accord with the principles of the Republican Party and intends, at the time of the writing, to support the nominees of the Republican Party in the future. Any voter that utilizes the foregoing exception, and thereafter participates in the nomination process of a party other than the Republican Party, shall not have the benefit of the exception thereafter.
Filing Requirements
Candidates for election for Chair of the Staunton Republican Committee must file a written statement by mail or in person, with Alex Davis, 748 Opie St , Staunton, VA 24401, which must be received not later than 5:00 pm on March 10, 2008. Anyone seeking to be elected to membership on the Staunton Republican Committee, or as a Delegate to any of the Republican conventions, must file a written statement by mail or in person, on a form prescribed by the Staunton Republican Committee, with Alex Davis at the above address. Forms must be received no later than 10:00 am on March 29, 2008. Postmarks shall not govern. Forms will be available from Alex Davis or any member of Staunton Republican Committee. There will be no nominations from the floor of the mass meeting.
Registration Fee
There will be a voluntary fee of $5 to participate in this mass meeting. Voluntary fees of $35 (State Convention) and $20 (Sixth District Convention) are requested for those filing for election as Delegate. Registration fees should accompany the prefiling form.
Paid for and authorized by the Staunton Unit of the Republican Party of Virginia.
April 7, 2008
Staunton Republican mass meeting, 2008
More than eighty residents of Staunton, along with a large number of guests from around the Commonwealth, attended the 2008 Staunton Republican mass meeting on March 29, 2008, in the City Council chambers. Because of the overflow crowd, the meeting got started about 15 minutes late. Bath County Republican Chairman Andy Jones was nominated by Bruce Grover to chair the mass meeting, and after he was elected by the assembled group, he appointed Kelly Keech to serve as Temporary Secretary.
A series of brief speeches on behalf of various party and government candidates ensued. Chris Green spoke on behalf of Jim Gilmore, who is running for the U.S. Senate. Sixth District Congressman Bob Goodlatte spoke on his own behalf, reminding everyone that he will face a Democratic challenger this fall, emphasizing the importance of party unity. Mike Brown then spoke for John Hager, who is running for reelection as RPV Chairman. Matthew Kandrach spoke for Jeff Frederick, who is challenging Hager's position. Next, Lynn Mitchell, who is running for reelection to the RPV Central Committee, spoke on her own behalf. Sixth District GOP Chairman Fred Anderson also spoke on his own behalf, as did the man who is challenging him, Jim Crosby. Trixie Averill then spoke for Bob McDonnell, who is running for Governor in 2009, and Melissa Bussie spoke for Bill Bolling, who is running for reelection as Lt. Governor. Finally, Steve Waters spoke on behalf of Bob Marshall, who is running for Governor. Other notable guests who were present included State Senator Emmett Hanger and Scott Sayre, who ran against Hanger in last year's primary campaign.
Next, the Rules Committee, the Credentials Committee, and the Nominations Committee each submitted their respective reports, which were accepted with minor modifications after some discussion. Then the two candidates for Staunton Republican chairman spoke to the audience for three minutes each. Andrew Clem spoke first, followed by the incumbent chairwoman, Anne Taetzsch. The registered participants were then polled one at a time by Temporary Secretary Keech and cast secret ballots. The ballot box was then brought to the podium, and the ballots were counted with both candidates present as witnesses. The results were: 58 votes for Taetzsch, and 20 votes for Clem. Ms. Taetzsch was then declared the winner, and the two candidates shook hands with each other, pledging to cooperate in the fall campaign.
The final order of business was electing Staunton Republican Committee members for the 2008-2010 term, electing delegates to the Sixth Congressional District Convention (to be held in Lexington on May 3), and electing delegates to the Republican Party of Virginia State Convention (to be held in Richmond on May 30 and 31). The slates of delegates to the Sixth District and RPV conventions were approved without objection. After some discussion regarding committee membership, the Nominations Committee, chaired by Alex Davis, reconvened and later reported back a revised slate of committee member nominees that was approved by the mass meeting. After approximately two and a half hours, the meeting was adjourned.
by Andrew Clem