Steve Stepanek was overwhelming elected (300-81) to be the NH GOP Chair by the assembled NH GOP Committee members during their annual convention (held at Pinkerton Academy in Derry, NH). Even as he was trying to leave the auditorium for a meeting (just elected – already with the meetings!), he graciously took a few moments with GraniteGrok.
I am quite sure that we’ll be speaking with Steve again. A lot, over the next couple of years.
Note: I had done a interview with Pam Tucker who was also elected Vice-Chair (223-198) at the 603 Alliance “Thank YOU!” event a week ago. While not a Republican, I am a Conservatarian and at the moment, the Republican Party is the only game in town that COULD take on the Democrat as they slide (and at an ever increasingly faster pace) towards the Socialism that has all but destroyed the richest country in South America (Venezuela). And that should scare the heck out of you as it does me.Steve and Pam have taken on an enormous task – only time will tell if they will be successful.
If you listen to this interview and then go back and listen to Pam’s, one thing is clear – they both understand that outreach is imperative and that past NH GOP administrations haven’t done that. They’ve concentrated on the top races and not the grassroots and those the NH Republican Party’s “little people”. In essence, they deemed them “not important” – the old “just vote for us and then SHUT UP” syndrome.
IF (and that will be a big IF) this new duo actually put their words into action, and then have their actions bring results, the next election may turn out to be a big deal. The last few elections that the NH GOP won, IMHO, were “won” by outside groups acting outside of the NH GOP (e.g., first TEA Party supporters and aligned advocacy group from all over the spectrum of interests organized by TEA Party enthusiasts and then Trump supporters). Let’s see if this new leadership can actually have an NH GOP led win instead of being dragged across the line by others.
Time is already ticking – let’s see if they can manage both the ramp up at the top for the FITN campaigns AND revitalize the ignored-for-years grassroots participants and groups in a way that would be more sustainable and longer term.
And then if those folks and groups, after having given their votes, be invited in as full partners moving forward. For me, that will be the secret for a long term matchup with the Democrat Party.
