By Allen Weh
Last week I met with the state Republican Party Executive Committee for what I considered to be one of the most important briefings of my tenure as chairman of the New Mexico GOP.
The mainstream media and our Democrat opponents continue to taunt us for our 2008 losses, asking “how” and “when” the Republican Party can rebuild. That is why last week’s meeting with GOP leaders was so important.
I believe that in New Mexico there is nothing to rebuild. There is only that which we can, and must, continue to build upon!
I want to say up front that, while my time chairing the Republican Party has been tough in many ways, it was a challenge I would not have missed, and here’s why: New Mexico Republicans have worked together through two of the toughest election cycles to lay the groundwork for future success.
When I was asked to serve back in March 2004, we were only months away from re-electing President George W. Bush. The New Mexico Republican Party was essentially financially bankrupt. Our volunteers and activists were demoralized from a long fight between groups of people that just couldn’t get along. It seemed that, as a party, we couldn’t be in a worse circumstance.
Turning the ship around
It is no secret that I ruffled some feathers to turn the ship around, but we did turn the ship around.
In 2004 the Republican Party broke records and raised more than $1 million — money that was spent on state and local candidates. President Bush won re-election in New Mexico, along with both of our Republican congressional representatives.
In 2006, a tidal wave of anti-Iraq war sentiment and D.C. scandals (GOP congressmen who deserved to be run out of office!) swept Republicans out of power in Washington. Its coattails were felt across the country.
In New Mexico, however, we held our ground. Both Congressman Steve Pearce and Congresswoman Heather Wilson retained their seats in one of the most difficult elections for Republicans since Watergate. In the state Legislature, Republicans kept the same number of seats that we held in 2004. And we broke another fundraising record, bringing in over $1.3 million to spend on state and local races.
In the end, Republicans didn’t pick up any additional seats, but we didn’t lose any, either — a huge accomplishment in an exceptionally difficult environment.
2008: An entirely different animal
But 2008 was an entirely different animal. Democrats and progressive third-party groups were able to build upon their gains from 2006 to recapture the White House and flip many “red” districts and states to “blue.” A national mood for change, coupled with an international financial crisis, proved to be a recipe for defeat for many Republicans across the country.
Here in New Mexico, Republicans suffered the loss of Pete Domenici’s long-held Senate seat, along with our First and Second congressional districts. A huge number of straight-Democrat party voters turned out for Barack Obama and provided just enough fuel to shift three New Mexico House seats, and three Senate seats, back to the Democrat column.
That’s the bad news.
There’s good news, too
The good news, and the reason that I can say the last four years of heavy lifting and hard work have been worth it, is that we did not fight these battles with short-term views and short-sighted goals. The opposite is true. Since 2004, the Republican Party of New Mexico has been focused on winning elections and holding our own during tough years while building the foundation to win elections in future cycles.
Again in 2008, we broke another fundraising record, netting over $1.5 million for our state and local candidates. We ended the third election cycle of my tenure having grown not only the size of our donor base but the size of our individual contributions as well.
And we have done more than just improve the financial health of the N.M. GOP. We have continually focused our resources on registering Republican voters, the unseen but absolutely essential ground game that has also broken records and exceeded expectations and will keep us in the game for winning campaigns in 2010.
Our communications team has made great gains in securing an Internet presence and a reliable voice with the media, and those functions are in place as we head into 2009.
The grassroots effort that we launched in support of John McCain and all our federal candidates identified thousands of hard-working volunteers across the state, volunteers who are now the backbone of our party and our greatest asset as we continue to grow and move forward.
The foundation is in place
This is no time for whining.
We are Republicans, and as Republicans we need to continue the work of reaching out to voters. We are the party of smaller and more open government, keeping taxes low for everyone and ending corruption and scandals, both in government and in the financial sector. We value life and family, married couples and, oh, by the way, singles. We want good schools and good jobs for our young people and a secure retirement for our seniors. We want quality health care that is accessible and affordable. We demand a strong national defense and secure borders.
But most importantly we believe in the power and strength of the American people over the bureaucracy of a bloated and invasive federal government — a government that appears to be growing exponentially even before President-elect Barack Obama’s swearing in.
The new chairman, or chairwoman, of the Republican Party will have big tasks to fulfill. Recapturing two congressional seats, many legislative districts and the governor’s office will not be easy.
But the foundation is there, and it is solidly intact.
If I were a betting man, I wouldn’t bet against Republican victories in 2010, especially in New Mexico.
Weh is the outgoing chairman of the Republican Party of New Mexico.