February 8, 2023
It was so exciting to hear from many of our fellow grassroots over the last few weeks with keen interest in the RNC Chairman Race and expressing support for a change in leadership of our national party. Like many of you, I was disappointed that Harmeet Dhillon was not elected as the RNC Chairman on Friday afternoon. (Of the votes cast Ronna McDaniel received 111 votes, Harmeet Dhillon received 51 votes and Mike Lindell received 4 votes.) For several watching from the sidelines and via live feeds while engaging in Signal Chats, it was a first-time exposure to the inner workings and business operations of the RNC. And it was certainly an eye opener with a few take-a-ways that may ease the disappointment and discouragement. For the first time, the status quo was publicly challenged. I do believe that our voices were heard by some that were willing to listen like our National Committeeman Jason Thompson who publicly endorsed Harmeet. Even though Ronna was reelected as Chairman, I remain hopeful that many changes will be made that are based on the criticism and feedback from the grassroots. Following her interview with Maria Bartiromo, Harmeet stated on Twitter “After the leadership election, we must unite. I am committed to working with the @GOPChairwoman and the RNC to win in 2024 and beyond. We must focus on the mechanics of all forms of early voting. Americans are counting on us!” I could not agree more.
As Georgia Republicans, we have an opportunity to vote for our leadership by precinct, county, congressional district and state wide via our convention cycle over the next six months. As I said to many privately as the RNC Chairman race was unfolding, this is why our convention cycle is so important and why everyone should get involved. We need to vote in the party leaders that we trust to be our voice as well as those who share our vision and have our values. Start that journey by joining us at the DeKalb GOP Precinct Caucus – or your precinct caucus on February 11th. Get elected as a Precinct Chair, Precinct Secretary and as a GOP County Delegate. Join us at the DeKalb County GOP Convention on March 11th to elect our Executive Committee and to vote in what we stand for via Rules and Resolutions. Go onwards to the Congressional District Convention on April 15th or April 22nd. Then join us at the GAGOP Convention on June 9-10 in in Columbus, Georgia as we elect our state party leaders and pass our platform.
Speaking of voting and elections. Despite the Democrats’ and media’s hysterical claims of voter suppression and the Election Integrity Act, did you see the AJC/UGA poll that revealed from the center of the political universe and voting rights debate more than 90% of respondents said voting was pretty easy this cycle? And:
- 75% of respondents said they waited less than 10 minutes in line.
- The 2021 election law made 42% feel more confident about the state’s election system and 25% said that it diminished their confidence.
- 99% of Georgia voters saw no issues in 2022.
While great strides have been made to ensure FITness – Faith, Integrity and Trust in our elections, those on front lines of the election integrity know that there is more to be done to include voter roll clean-up and consistency statewide of early voting time periods. For example, in DeKalb County during the U.S. Senate run-off elections, residents were voting early the Wednesday before Thanksgiving but in other parts of rural Georgia early voting started on the Monday after Thanksgiving. Voters regardless of zip code should have the same access and voting timeframes. I encourage you to get involved with the Election Integrity Network to tackle these issues and more!
It is hard to believe that tomorrow is February 1st which kicks off Black History Month. We hope that you will join us at the DeKalb GOP Breakfast on February 18th where we will hear from Lucretia Hughes, Shelley Wynter, Melvin Everson, Terry Fye and Paulette Smith! It is an all-star line-up that promises to be a great morning!
Please check out all the upcoming events and meetings listed below. I look forward to seeing all of you soon. Thank you.
Warmest Regards,
Marci McCarthy, Chairman
DeKalb County Republican Party
chairman@dekalbgop.org