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?          

North Carolina Deployment October 15-17, 2010 Report

TAKING BACK THE OLD NORTH STATE....
By:  Jonathan R. Bandy; YRNF Political Director, NCFYR Chairman
Follow me on Twitter:  @JonathanBandy

North Carolina has quickly become one of the nation’s “swing states.  Obama won the state by a small percentage and solidified the state as a liberal haven with the Governor, 7 of 9 members of the Council of State, 1 of 2 US Senators, 8 of 13 US Congressman, 68 of 52 seats in the North Carolina House of Representatives,  and 30 of 50 in the State Senate as elected democrats.  North Carolina has become a trye BLUE state.. 

Historically, North Carolina was a Republican state in National Elections.  This changed slowly after the General Assembly gerrymandered the districts in North Carolina to a more liberal audience thus squashing the Conservative viewpoint for being exposed to its citizens.  10 years later North Carolina is at a crossroads with the GOP making a strong case for its stance against total government takeover and outrageous spending and bloated budgets.  Nevertheless, the challenge to have a red state is not a small hill, it is a large mountain since the Republican Party has had control only once of the state house in the 1990s, only 2 Republican Governors, and has never held the majority in the NC Senate since Reconstruction.

Polling in NC has been very strong for the Red Team.  The Young Republican National Federation saw an opportunity to change NC back to Red on both the state and federal levels and deployed Young.

So the Young Republican National Federation decided to deploy its largest organized Deployment to date in the Old North State to initiate “Operation Regaining the Majority.” Young Republicans from the DC Young Republicans and from Northern Virginia traveled throughout the night on Friday, October 15, 2010 to help in this effort.  The bus from DC rolled in around 2AM on with a boisterous group of about 50 young women and men ready to FIRE PELOSI. 

Young Republicans from Washington, DC and Northern Virginia, and North Carolina with Dr. BJ Lawson (Congressional Candidate NC-4), Tom Murry (NC-41 House Candidate), and Don Frantz (NC-35 House Candidate)

Saturday morning everyone was woken with a 7AM drill call.  Somnolent but excited to hit the streets, the YRs traveled to the Wake GOP Victory Center in Cary, NC, which was about 15 minutes from the hotel for a breakfast and an early morning meeting with GOTV coordinators.  YRNF Political Director, North Carolina Federation of Young Professional Republicans Chairman, and Wake County Young Professional Republicans Chairman Jonathan Bandy helped coordinate the walks with other party leaders in Wake County.   The walking lists and material seemed daunting at first to the volunteers, but after the group was able to hear from some of the GOP targeted House Candidates Tom Murry (NC-41), Don Frantz (NC-35) and even Congressional Candidate Dr. BJ Lawson (NC-4) they became energized before hitting the streets all wearing their DCYR’s On Tour Shirts.

The door-to-door walks were targeted in NC House District 35 and 41.  The group had lunch at a Sports Grill and hit the streets until 6:30 – 7:00 PM that night.   Exhausted from walking 8-12 miles, the YRs had a good ole Southern dinner with Pork BBQ from a local favorite at the North Carolina Republican Party Victory Headquarters.  The YRs after refueling rocked the phones until 9:00 PM that night.  The group was hit with a surprise visit from Senator Richard Burr (R-NC) who is seeking re-election this cycle. 

The group had a social at the Flying Saucer with appetizers from the Wake County Young Professional Republicans and then some who still had enough energy hit-up the nightlife in Raleigh.

On Sunday, October 17^th the group was awoke by a 8AM wake-up call and traveled back to the Wake County GOP Cary Headquarters.  With a light breakfast the volunteers walked door-to-door until 2PM.  The YRs had lunch and then sadly rolled off into the distance on their bus back to the Washington, DC Metro.  The North Carolina Federation of Young Professional Republicans and the Wake County Young Professional Republicans thanks the Young Republican National Federation in organizing and helping finance the deployment and the Washington, DC Young Republicans for taking time to come North Carolina and make a huge impact on our elections.

The total numbers of voter contacts was absolutely astounding:

§  Over 6000 doors in Wake County were knocked on.

§  Over 3500 calls were made for the North Carolina GOP Team.

§  Over 6000 pieces of literature were dropped (Wake County Republican candidates)

§  Meaning over 20,000 voter contacts were made…

…in a day-and-a-half

Candidates assisted included:

Senator Richard Burr (Senate), BJ Lawson (NC-4 Congress), Senator Richard Stevens (NC-17 Senate), Michael Beazley (NC-16 Senate), Tom Murry (NC-41 House), Don Frantz (NC-35 House), Judge Barbara Jackson (NC Supreme Court), Judge Ann Marie Calabria (NC Court of Appeals), Judge Rick Elmore (NC Court of Appeals), Steven Walker (NC Court of Appeals), Judge Sanford Steelman (NC Court of Appeals), Dean Poirier (NC Court of Appeals), Tony Gurley (Wake Co. Commissioner), Joe Bryan (Wake Co. Commissioner), Phil Matthews (Wake Co. Commissioner), Paul Coble (Wake Co. Commissioner), Donnie Harrison (Sheriff), Brad Sahl (Wake Co. District Court), Michael Denning (Wake County District Court), Ned Mangum (Wake Co. District Court), Woofer Davidian (Wake Co. District Court) Kris Bailey (Wake Co. District Court), Dan Nagle (Wake County District Court), and Janet Pueschel (Clerk of Wake Co. Superior Court).   

The “Operation Regaining the Majority” was a huge success in North Carolina!  It would not have been possible without the help from the DCYRs especially Campaign Chairman Brittny McKinney, the Young Republican National Federation, and all the wonderful volunteers in North Carolina. 

OHIO DEPLOYMENT OCTOBER 8 - 10, 2010 REPORT

OH-IO! Blog on the Buckeye State- YRNF Deployment- Cleveland, Ohio 10/9-10/10

By: Lisa Stickan, YRNF Chairman and Cleveland Native

Follow me on Twitter: @ChairmanLisa

Being on the ground in Ohio during an election year is always exciting. Especially with this election, Ohio can swing back to being a “red” state! With competitive elections for Governor, U.S. Senate, Congress, and local races at stake- Ohio is a political bellwether for the nation.

Given the excitement in the Buckeye state, it was only natural that we kick-off the Young Republican National Federation “Operation: Regain the Majority” Deployment plan with a weekend in the Cleveland area. I really enjoyed having Young Republicans from the DCYRs and VA in my home county- Cuyahoga. The YRs were in Ohio October 9-11^th to knock doors for the Ohio GOP team. The YRs rocked Cleveland with over 10,000 voter contacts!

In hosting this Ohio weekend and in planning our other campaign weekends, the YRNF received generous support and sponsorships to make these deployments realities. Seeing senior party leaders rally around the YRs really motivated our volunteers to give their all for a GOP landslide this November.

The bus from DC rolled in around 4AM on Saturday October 9^th. The travel weary volunteers, were able to crash briefly before meeting at our first victory center at 10AM that morning. But despite the lack of sleep, the group was excited to hit the ground running when they reached the Brecksville, Ohio victory center. Our Victory Captain, Tanya Renicker, patiently doled out the walk books and the YRs hit the streets of southern suburban Cleveland. After a long day walking in the uncharacteristically warm  Cleveland weather, the volunteers rocked the phones- smiling and dialing voters from 7PM-almost 9PM that night. The group was able to take in the local scene at a nearby watering hole that featured one of Cleveland’s best 70s cover bands!

On Sunday, October 10^th the group was invited to a local GOP pancake breakfast that embodied true “grassroots” Ohio politics! Everyone enjoyed meeting members of the Ohio GOP statewide ticket as well as the local house and county candidates. After the pancakes- the group then joined in a campaign tailgate at Cleveland Browns’ stadium downtown before the game. U.S. Senate Candidate Rob Portman was down before the game sharing his plans for “Jobs for Ohio” with the crowd! The YRs enjoyed being able to hear from Rob Portman and meet with him before campaigning.

Once the game started, the YRs piled back onto the bus and headed straight for the Fairview Victory Center. The Captain at this center is our own YRNF Parliamentarian Dan Tierney. Dan was well prepared for the volunteers- and had walk books ready as the volunteers rolled into the center. Soon the Westside of the County was flush with YRs knocking doors for the GOP! This is an important part of Cuyahoga to GOTV- we need to make sure the republican registered voters come out to vote on election day! After knocking, our volunteers called until 9PM.

The total numbers of voter contacts was absolutely mind-blowing:

* We knocked over 4445 doors in Western and Southern Cuyahoga county.

* We made over 5071 calls for the Ohio GOP Team.

* And we distributed 1125 pieces of literature and flyers on doors (Portman and Kasich campaigns).

All together, the YRNF Deployment Effort yielded over 10641 voter contacts!

The victory centers we worked out of were the number ones in the State on those days. And our work ensured Cuyahoga County was number one in voter contacts that weekend.

Candidates assisted included: John Kasich (Governor), Rob Portman (Senate), Tom Ganley (Congress), Peter Corrigan (Congress), Mike Dovilla (State Rep), Nan Baker (State Rep), Matt Dolan (Cuyahoga County Executive) and the County GOP slate cards.

The weekend was a great success, and I want to extend “thanks” to the DCYRs and the DCYR Campaign Chair- Brittny McKinney. It was great to excited the volunteers here in Ohio with this infusion of new blood. With the YRs efforts on the ground- we can ensure a “Red November”.