Top 5 Issues Facing New GOP Chairman

Top 5 Issues Facing New GOP Chairman

Ken McKay was selected by the Rhode Island Republican party to lead it over the next two years and he faces considerable challenges. I’ve decided to list the top five issues he’ll need to address:

Issue 1: Making Republicans relevant

The toughest obstacle facing McKay is making the party relevant again. There’s no question that on a case by case basis Rhode Islanders will elect statewide Republican candidates. Carcieri won in 2002 and 2006 with Governor Almond preceding him. However in 2010, the most favorable Republican political climate in years yielded no statewide gains.

GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST

As noted before, one of the most viable candidates for future elections, Catherine Taylor, joined the Chafee administration. Nonetheless, the GOP made gains in 2010 not just at the same level as the rest of the country so McKay will need to put together a game plan to make significant gains in 2012 and put some panache behind being a Republican. That will be his most difficult challenge but also be an area where any gains he makes will reverberate within the state.

Issue 2: Combining the forces of young and old

It’s clear to me that the Young Republicans have decided that the state will not be lost on our watch. As a board member of the Young Republicans I can tell you that there is zeal, exuberance, and with each passing year increased experience at this thing we call local politics. From Travis Rowley on down through the ranks, Young Republicans in Rhode Island have been making noise the last several years. On Saturday, two YR’s were elected to posts on the RI GOP Executive Committee and a third, Pat Sweeney, was within a stone’s throw of becoming chair before gracefully bowing out to two standing ovations.

While all this is great for the future of the party there are still a significant number of longtime, hardworking elder statesmen of the RI GOP. McKay will need to be able to harness the zeal of the young people and combine that with the experience of the old without disaffecting either. This is critical for the long-term success of the party. The Ryan Lund’s and Brian Buongiavanni’s of the world are great but the party also needs the Joe Trillo’s and Patricia Morgan’s to be successful in the immediate future and beyond.

Issue 3: To be or not to be conservative, that isn’t the question

Another prickly issue facing McKay is the divide between traditional conservatives – conservative fiscally and socially – and other Republicans who are more moderate on social issues. In 2006, Rhode Island experienced the ramifications of what this civil war can do to the state – namely give us Sheldon Whitehouse as a U.S. Senator. All Republicans agree that they do not want this in 2012, and, as evidenced by the lack of discord at Saturday’s convention, I’m guardedly optimistic. Still, McKay will need to ensure that the conservative and liberal wings within the party stay on the same page focusing on what binds them rather than issues pulling them apart. If they don’t, say hello to continued irrelevancy and another six more years of Sheldon Whitehouse.

Issue 4: General Assembly or bust!

The RI Clean Slate campaign of 2010 was a well-intentioned failure. McKay certainly must come up with a strategy to gain as many seats as possible in 2012 and he already has a leg up because of three significant wins:

• Steve Frias is 1st Vice-Chair – Frias has been instrumental to many campaigns, most notably the Fung campaign throughout the year’s with extensive knowledge of which precincts must be won in order to win an election. He’s a no-frills straight-shooter who should be able to dissect the political landscape in 2012 and help McKay target GA races that Republicans can win.
• Brian Buongiavanni is 2nd Vice-Chair – Brian gained valuable experience working on the Robitaille campaign and McKay’s experience running campaigns coupled with Buongiavanni’s youth and field coordination expertise will also be critical for 2012.
• Ryan Lund is Recording Secretary – I like to use one word in describing Lund: crazy. And sometimes crazy is good, really really good as is the case with Lund who is crazy enough to think that Republicans can win back this state. He’s got a slew of radical ideas and technical savvy that will bring the RI GOP from the 20th century to the 21st in terms of leveraging technology to help candidates win.

These three will be key in assisting McKay come up with a solid General Assembly strategy in 2012 because as we all know, the General Assembly is the place of true power in the state where Democrats have dominated for decades. Without a significant Republican gain in those races in 2012, you’d have to say McKay’s term would be a failure, in this writer’s opinion.

Issue 5: Don’t listen to pundits

Yeah, yeah I’ve spent the last few paragraphs telling McKay what his biggest challenges are from my perspective and now my last one says not to listen to pundits like me. What’s up with that? Well, my point is that Ken McKay will need to trust his instincts. He was able to take a no-name candidate and help him win the state’s biggest prize in 2002 and 2006. He has also served time at the national GOP headquarters. So, he obviously knows something about politics and is good at it.

He’ll be getting advice, criticism, and the like from everyone including yours truly. McKay must be able to recall his victories and shut out the pundits when the days get tough and rest assured, there will be some difficult days. He’ll need to be able to stay a course as well as change course when situations dictate. But, if his track record is any indication he should be fine.

McKay discusses his top priorities

Speaking of not listening to pundits, I was able to get a hold of McKay who told me his goal is to make the Republican party relevant again. In regards to other issues I cited McKay stated, “I don’t worry about these things” and said he instead believes that becoming relevant is of utmost importance. Here are his 7 keys to doing that, paraphrased:

1. Fundraise. Enough said.
2. Communicate the difference between Republicans and Democrats. Illustrate the Democrat vision and the differences with the Republican vision for the state.
3. Combat years of Democrats defining the question. People always talk about Republicans negatively, but no one asks, “What’s wrong with the Democrats?”
4. Build trust with conservative coalitions such as OSPRI and the RI Tea Party.
5. Use the state party leadership as an organizing tool between the state and city and town committees. Help cities and towns coordinate their ground efforts during the election cycle.
6. Forget about the past.
7. Believe in ourselves.

Indeed, the task facing McKay isn’t easy and won’t come without bumps and bruises. But, and I can’t believe I’m saying this, I am the most optimistic about the Republican party as I ever have been during my 16 years in Rhode Island. I’m almost pinching myself thinking about the heights McKay and his new team could achieve if they make the right moves. McKay seems focused on doing something special and has a track record of success you don’t usually see in a Rhode Island Republican Chairman.

Only time will tell if McKay’s vision will permeate throughout the GOP and state at-large, but Democrats you have been put on notice.

If you valued this article, please LIKE GoLocalProv.com on Facebook by clicking HERE.