Making Illinois Next!

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Illinois 72-Hour Deployment, October 29 – November 2 Report.

By: Jack Dusik, YRNF Campaign Chairman, Illinois Native, Virginia Transplant. 

Home to President Obama and a host of other powerful Democratic leaders, Illinois has long been one of the highest performing States for the Democrats.

Facing this reality, the Young Republican National Federation (YRNF), through its highly successful GOTV program, deployed to Illinois to make it the next state to turn from blue to red.

On Friday, October 29, 2010, Young Republicans from Illinois, Virginia, Georgia and Washington, DC, began the final push for victory in Illinois as part of the YRNF “Operation Regaining the Majority,” with a robust 5 day effort in DuPage, Kendall, and Will Counties.

·         In DuPage County, Young Republican volunteers made 3,725 phone calls and knocked on 400 doors.

·         In Kendall County, Young Republican Volunteers made 6,339 phone calls.

·         In Will County, Young Republican Volunteers made 5,477 door knocks and 1,555 phone calls.

Additionally, YR volunteers participated in the Lincoln Way Tea Party GOTV rally with Governors Barbour (MS), Jindal (LA), and McDonnell (VA).  They were also strongly represented at the Kinzinger GOTV rally with House Republican Whip, Eric Cantor.  

In Kendall County, YRs organized a Halloween parade / demonstration in support of our hard-working candidates, especially Randy Hultgren.  By all accounts it was a well organized visibility effort on a somewhat difficult day to campaign.

YR volunteers also distributed thousands of pieces of literature at train stations throughout the Western Suburbs.  Finally, YR volunteers delivered or blitzed over 1,000 yard signs and several 4X4 signs for candidates around the collar counties.

The YRNF “Operation Regaining the Majority” 72-Hour push in Illinois was a huge success.   In addition to numerous county and state candidates, YRs were especially glad to help the House campaigns of Judy Biggert (IL-13), Randy Hultgren (IL-14), Adam Kinzinger (IL-11), the Senate campaign of Mark Kirk (R-IL), and the Bill Brady for Governor campaign. 

In all, 17,496 voter contacts were made in the 3 counties over a 5 day period, or just over 1 percent of the approximately 1,500,000 voter contacts made in Illinois in the final 72-hours!  

In an election that saw the GOP pick up 4 House seats, hold its most competitive open seat, and critically, pick up the US Senate seat that disgraced and convicted governor, Rod Blagojevich attempted to sell in the wake of President Obama’s vacancy, the Young Republican National Federation is proud to have made a difference in Illinois in 2010.

Special thanks go to Amy Senjost Kovacevic, immediate past Chair of the DuPage County YRs, who worked tirelessly to coordinate between the YRNF and the FIYR organizations.  Without her hard work, none of this would have been possible.

Additional thanks goes out to John Noak, Mayor of Romeoville and Illinois Senate Minority Leader, Christine Radogno, who provided the location and funding of our volunteer thank you dinner at Limestone Brewery, owned and operated by friendly Republican supporters, where we were able to convince Halloween revelers of all types to support Mark Kirk for US Senate.

And to everyone else, thank you, thank you, thank you!  Everyone worked tirelessly to bring home the big wins on Election Day.  It is only through your efforts that our best laid plans come to fruition.

ILLINOIS HONOR ROLL

Jerry Bannister, Sal Barocio, Larry Berry, Gianno Caldwell, Dennis Cook, Karen Clementi, Mario DeCicco, Jack Dusik, Jim Eiden, Gretchen Fritz, Joe Gillespie, Sharon Giorno, Robert Gryder, Scott Gryder, Aimee Gornik, State Rep Kay Hatcher, Phillips Hinch, Seth Jansen, Molly Jennings, Mary Pauline Jones, Dan Koukol, Amy Sejnost Kovacevic, John Kovacevic, Kara Larson, Jim McFarland, Mia Murphy, Steve Orlando, Allison O'Donnell, Ashley Penick, Steve Phillips, Janelle Pitula, Matthew Prochaska, Lisa Radogno, Adam Samuel Roth, Brian Russell, Scott Sadler , Maggie Sadowska , Andy Salemi, Allen Scheffer, Brandon Walsh,Sarah Walsh, Rick Veenstra, and Gary Vicia.

A State of Independence

Pennsylvania Deployment

October 22-24, 2010
By: Dan Garcia

Seems like nowadays, every state is becoming the “swing state” in this 2010 election however, only one state is the true canary in the mine for the Democrats in Congress…and that is right here in Pennsylvania.  While the fat lady has yet to flash her pipes, I have heard that she is now in the building ready for her Election Day debut.  

Pennsylvania has been plagued by Democrats for many years now.  Governor Ed Rendell has used Harrisburg as his own personal purse, spending Pennsylvanians into a very large and economically dangerous hole.  Our Congressmen and women have latched on to the big government, big spending, liberal philosophies of both Obama and Rendell with little to no opposition from Republicans…that is until now.   The Republican Party here in Pennsylvania has finally fielded an incredible group of candidates and we Young Republicans are very proud to support them.  

Polling here in Pennsylvania started strong for the GOP, but thanks to a targeted fundraising effort by the Democrats, those polls have become razor-thin and, in some cases, show a worst case scenario.  Pennsylvania has become critical.  In the east, candidates like Mike Fitzpatrick in the 8^th District, Pat Meehan in the 7^th District, and Lou Barletta in the 11^th District have organized strong campaign and fundraising teams moving their races from leaning Democrat into the tossup column.  Here in Western Pennsylvania, candidates Keith Rothfus in the 4^th District, Tim Burns in the 12^th District, and  Mike Kelly in the 3^rd District have also made some solid runs in their respective districts.  On the state level, Tom Corbett has built a lead over Democrat Dan Onorato but this lead is no reason to sit back and wait for 8pm on Election Day.  As with most elections, the biggest gains and falls can happen in the final week leading up to Election Day.  In the Senate race, Pat Toomey offers a tried and true alternative to Democratic Congressman Joe Sestak.  In no single race are the differences between two candidates so obvious as in this Senate race.  Despite the difference, there is a very narrow margin between the two candidates and some polling is showing Joe Sestak actually ahead by 3 percentage points.

This brings me to this weekend.  Our fearless leader and YRNF Chairman, Lisa Stickan, offered a hand to help us here in Pennsylvania to turn this tide of Democrat money and polling.  She put out a call to all YRs to come into our great state and help my YR groups push for Pat Toomey and Tom Corbett.  Several YRs heard the call and responded.  From Andrew Torella in Indiana to Andy Ballard in Ohio, and the Jersey Boys from, well, Jersey, we had an All-Star Team of YRs eager to knock on doors and show their excitement for our Republican candidates.  

The day started a little late, but as with most campaign work, that was to be expected.  These gave us a chance to gameplan and throw the football around in the parking lot.  Once we had our teams together, we all set out to the beautiful suburbs of Pittsburgh known as Mt. Lebanon, Upper St. Clair, and Bethel Park.  If you have ever seen the movie Father of the Bride, think about the neighborhood Steve Martin lived in.  The leaves brightened up this overcast day with a deluge of reds, yellows, orange glows.  Children were running around with their neighbors, families were watching football games, dads were raking leaves, young couples were walking their dogs…it was a typical Saturday in the ‘Burgh.

And then there were hills.

 It’s one thing to drive a district; it’s entirely something else to walk it.  As a fat guy, walking door to door took a whole lot out of me.  So much, that Lisa and I had to make a trip to the Chick-fil-a for a mid-morning snack, after all, I have to keep my body looking round and healthy.  Our walk was far from uneventful.  Between houses…and between heavy breathing due to my allergies, we met some very interesting characters.  One such character was a very sweet lady and her Bichon Frise.  She was very happy to see the Young Republicans were alive and well here in Allegheny and gave us the names and addresses of people in her neighborhood who were friendly to our cause.  We even took a picture together as we chatted in the middle of her street.  Lisa and I also met a couple of interesting characters…WILD TURKEYS! I had just pulled into a parking spot in our new neighborhood when we spotted two very large turkeys milling around a couple of Pine trees.  We assumed they were working for the Democrat candidate, as they were smelly, scared of us, and well, they were turkeys. 

Then the fun started

Once all of our YR teams were done with their doors, we all headed back to the Victory Center in Greentree to start making phone calls.  The phone banking center was buzzing.  In fact, every phone was covered by the very dedicated team of College Republicans from the University of Pittsburgh.  These students were working tirelessly all day, every day, to beat Delaware County in voter contacts.  Some of these YRs and CRs were even using two phones to get the job done.  It was a well-oiled machine.  Little did we know that this night would be a record setting night for the Pennsylvania GOP.  Our YRs and CRs teamed up to contact….wait for it….wait for it….12, 927 voters…in ONE DAY.  That’s right, one day.  Twelve Thousand Nine Hundred and Twenty Seven.  

I could not be prouder of the work our visiting YRs did this weekend.  They were dedicated machines working hard to help us elect Pat Toomey and Tom Corbett.  This was a huge weekend for our candidates and I think this may have tipped the balance here in Western Pennsylvania. 

Celebrate

That night, after the call center was shut down, the Allegheny County YRs took the visiting YRs out to a Pittsburgh staple, Primani Bros!  We had a great time that night getting to know our fellow YRs and I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship with our friends to the east and west. 

Just A Day At The Beach

Virginia Deployment

October 22-24, 2010

By: Michael Hardy, VA Young Republican Chairman

With 10 days prior to Election Day in Virginia, the Young Republican Federation of Virginia, joined by the DC Young Republicans headed down to Virginia Beach where Republican candidate Scott Rigell was battling Freshman Democratic Congressman Glen Nye in the 2^nd District. The 2^nd Congressional District in VA was the second most competitive district in Virginia and one of the top 50 targeted seats by the NRCC.

 

Nearly 100 DC YR’s, VA YR’s and VA CR’s met Saturday morning at 9 am at the Republican County Headquarters where volunteers were greeted and welcomed by myself and campaign staff. Shortly thereafter we hit the streets knocking on doors, helped build yard signs and made phone calls to undecided voters. After a brief lunch, we hit the pavement again for the remainder of the afternoon and into the evening. Volunteers were then treated to a barbecue dinner with Scott Rigell himself who spent most of the evening with all of the volunteers and thanked us tremendously for all of the work on his behalf.

 

Sunday was much of the same and when all was said and done, the YRFV along with the tremendous help of the DC YR’s reached out to nearly 10,000 voters in the 2^nd Congressional District and it made the difference as this January the constituents of the 2^nd Congressional District will be sending Scott Rigell to the United State Congress. Voters overwhelmingly rejected the liberal Democrat and it was great that the Young Republicans were able to make a difference along the way (and also have some fun in Va Beach while at it).

 

A special thanks goes out to Brittny McKinney with the DC YR’s and National YR Chairman Lisa Stickan. Without the help of those two wonderful ladies, the weekend would not have been as successful.

 

Restoring the Constitution State

Connecticut Deployment

October 22 – October 24

 

By: Laura Chambers

It all started one evening in Ohio. 

As our leadership team surveyed the mob of blue-clad volunteers making dials in the Victory office just outside of Cleveland, we shared a moment as more than 40 volunteers cranked out calls and others organized the day’s walk books (there were, after all, more volunteers than phones).   

“What an awesome trip, team,” Rich Counts, Chairman of the DC Young Republicans complimented the small crowd of his executive board, Victory Rep’s and Ohio YR’s huddled around, “I can’t believe how well all this came together.” 

“Lisa really did a phenomenal job making arrangements and taking care of us,” Brittny McKinney, DCYR Executive Vice-Chair acknowledged. “And you guys were so well prepared for us!” she said turning her attention to the Victory office field Director. 

“If only we could do more deployments in these last few weekends,” another girl piped up. “I know we already have a trip on the schedule, but you think we could do two deployments one weekend?  Let me make a few calls and we’ll see if we can get at least a couple carloads to Connecticut…”

***

Fast forward two weeks.

There was sheer electricity in the air as not one, but two buses idled outside the Republican National Committee at 8 pm on Friday, ready to deploy more than 100 volunteers for the weekend!  Friends greeted one another with high fives and hugs, waving Fire Pelosi signs wildly in anticipation.  Election Committee Chairs Brittny McKinney and Janelle Hervig directed traffic and checked members of the energy-infused crowd off the list.  The last minute addition to the deployment schedule had evolved into a 52-person operation, thanks to some heavy lifting and swift action from the DCYR Exec Board, the YRNF leadership and our friends up in the Great State of Connecticut.   Spirits remained high as the buses pulled off in opposite directions along the East Coast. 

Saturday morning volunteers were given VIP reception from Linda McMahon for Senate and Dan Debicella for Congress staff members.  The looks on their faces were priceless as they gawked at the hoard of volunteers pouring into the room by fives and tens. 

“I mean, I know you said you were bringing 50, but man --- that’s a lot of people,” one campaign manager exclaimed, eyes wide with excitement. “You guys are serious!”

Future Congressman Dan Debicella also caught the bug of excitement upon entering the room full of YR’s.  A former YR himself, Dan is currently now pitted against liberal incumbent Jim Himes in CT-4, one of the most hotly contested races in a year of nail-biters.  After circling the room to greet workers and pose for pictures, Dan delivered sincere words of thanks, praise and motivation to the small army before him.  Mere moments after his departure, former WWE- businesswoman-turned-Senate-candidate Linda McMahon arrived on the scene to continue the rally of the troops, smile for the camera, and autograph a few photos before hitting the road. 

It was just the boost we needed before gearing up with plenty of candidate and Fire Pelosi gear and hitting the ‘hoods to knock doors.  The Connecticut Campaign Crew dispersed into walk groups and descended upon the streets of Connecticut’s 4^th District with a vengeance.  Operation Take Back the Majority:  Connecticut was in full swing. 

After a long day of door-to-door the crew filtered wearily back to HQ one carload at a time, still in good spirits.  Some had braved large dogs and security gates, others climbed steep hills, fished dropped keys out of the sewer (Thank you, Finch Fulton!), and somehow managed to suffer the long walks through picturesque New England neighborhoods at the height of the fall foliage season.  And even after a late start volunteers managed to hit more than 5,000 doors on Saturday alone.

After a satisfying meal, the troops rallied and gathered to celebrate a good day’s work at a local watering hole.  Norwalk, all I can say is: You’re Welcome.  While Katie Barth won the locals’ hearts with her baseball fanaticism, Andres Escobar schooled everyone with his hip-hop moves, and Ken Lynch celebrated his 24^th birthday.  The Connecticut Campaign Crew did so much more than knock our way through some doors; we just might have danced a few holes into the floors! 

Sunday morning and it was back to all business for our hard-working crew.  By the time we gathered back at the hotel for lunch it was almost time to say goodbye to our newfound Northeastern friends.  After much fanfare and expression of gratitude, we once again piled on the bus to make our way back home to the good ol’ D of C. 

At the weekend’s close, our efforts resulted in more than 8,000 voter contacts, countless new friends and memories, and the ultimate satisfaction of a job well done.  The exhausted crew caught a few moments of hard-earned sleep on the road.  For many of us, it all started back again on Monday. 

Just a few more days, folks.  But we’re not done yet and we’re not content to simply get there – we want to sprint full-force across that finish line.  Then perhaps we can put our deployment squad to better use moving Mrs. Pelosi’s things out of the Speaker’s office. 

And after that, on to 2012.  Who’s with me?