Orlando Sentinel: Rep. Allen Boyd to test waters for 2010 US Senate run

WASHINGTON -- U.S. Rep. Allen Boyd is many things. A North Florida Democrat. A soon-to-be seven-term congressman. A leader of the Blue Dog Coalition, a collection of fiscally-conservative Democrats.

Now add possible contender for a 2010 run for U.S. Senate against incumbent Republican Sen. Mel Martinez.

This week, the veteran congressman appears to have begun surveying voters via telephone about his possible bid for Senate. The roughly 20-minute call included basics about voting (will you vote, how often), moved into issues (Iraq, abortion, Bush tax cuts) and then launched into roughly 10 minutes about Boyd and his possible match-ups in two years, with many of the usual cast of characters.

Oddly enough, the survey also included a few questions about whether voters wanted a Florida politician who did not hail from the southern part of the state. Perhaps Boyd already is considering a strategy that would distance himself from Miami Democrats to bolster his conservative Democrat image.

A spokeswoman in his office had little to say, other than: "What I can tell you is that every paper in the state has mentioned Cong. Boyd as a possible contender for Senate in 2010, so it’s fair to say that we’re looking at it."

Interview with BCREC Chairman candidate John Salak

What are the lessons you have learned from the 2008 campaign?

JS: There were a great number of lessons learned, however the number one
lesson is we found out that conservative values are still what the majority
of the American people want, and an overwhelming majority of voters in Bay
County proved that. On a national level we saw that a conservative candidate
like Gov. Sarah Palin can energize the Republican base in a way not seen since
Ronald Reagan.

Is there anything about the Bay Co. REC you would change?

JS: I think the Bay County REC did a tremendous job in this past election.
We implemented changes to get the REC in a pro-active mode to help our
candidates get elected with events like the Presidential Primary Rally on
the Park and a similar event for our local candidates. We started the idea
of having a public debate on the 1/2 cent school sales tax extension to make
sure the voters were informed with the facts before they made their
decision. Our biggest, and most successful effort was the McCain-Palin
campaign where the REC had the experienced leadership to willing to
essentially take on the entire campaign effort for Bay County with little or
no outside support. We delivered for Bay County and set the example for the
future. I would like to use our hard earned experience and leadership to
grow the REC precinct leader ranks and I think we have a good opportunity to
do that by drawing on the ranks of the great volunteers we had. I also want
to see the BCREC take a leadership role in the Congressional District (CD)
level organization and to push up our conservative ideas and positions to
the state party level.

Why did the GOP lose Florida? How much blame would you assign to RPOF
Chairman Greer?

JS: Having lost a couple of elections myself, I can tell you it always comes
back to the candidate and how effectively you articulated your vision of
what government is and why the voters should vote for you. We lost because
we had a candidate that could not credibly articulate a vision of government
that the voters wanted. We lost because we let the Democratic candidate get
away taking our message of making a better, stronger America. We let them
take the tax cut issue, even when we know its nothing more than a welfare
program. Add to that a poorly organized campaign effort, and the cause of
the loss needs to be placed where it belongs, on the candidate. That seems
to be the only rational explanation for how we could win overwhelming (60%+)
on so many conservative ballot issues and in so many races with a
conservative candidate. As to Chairman Greer, he did not lose Florida for
McCain/Palin, Sen. McCain did that.

How do you feel about Governor Crist? Would you encourage him to campaign
more in NW Florida?

JS: Governor Crist is not especially popular in Bay County, as was evidenced
by the welcome he got at the John Rich rally for Sen McCain when he was
introduced. A lot of that goes to Martin Lee Anderson case and the actions
taken by then Attorney General Crist, and later by his actions as governor.
I am not a fan of his populist approach to policy and what I like to call
trying to be 'Democrat Lite'. I am a conservative and I want a governor that
will implement policy based on those principles. I think Governor Crist's
brand of Republicanism is what Sen McCain was selling, as well as other
Governors, such as Arnold Schwarzenegger and that is a losing set of values,
especially in NW Florida.

RPOF allocated NO money to the 2nd Congressional District for an opponent to
Allen Boyd in 2008. This implies he cannot be beaten. Do you share this
view? Would you fight for this funding as Chairman?

JS: First, let me say I have a lot of heartburn with uncontested races where
the people are not given a choice to retain or reject an incumbent office
holder. At the state party level, especially for offices that cover multiple
counties like CD2, it is imperative that the state party provide the
leadership in helping candidates for those offices. Its not only a matter of
money, but starts with candidate recruiting and extends to organization,
advice, and broad spectrum support. If we run the right conservative
candidate that can articulate a vision and a platform the voters want, we
can beat Rep Boyd. This is a race where we need the all of the CD2 RECs to
coordinate efforts, hopefully with RPOF leadership, to make sure our
candidates talk to the voters and organizations that will get them elected.
As Chairman, I will lead the effort to get the CD2 RECs behind our
Republican candidate in a coordinated manner and push RPOF help fund those
efforts. If RPOF fails to follow through, I would push for the CD2 RECs to
set up a pooled fund to help CD level candidates.

What are your ideas about technology and how it can be used by the GOP?

JS: I love technology, its what I do everyday in trying to find ways to
solve problems in the endless quest to make things better, faster, cheaper.
I think the Obama campaign was a good example of using technology to raise
mass awareness and make individual connections with voters. Using Facebook,
Twitter, text messaging, BLOGs, podcasts, push emails, RoboCalls, and such
are just the way a new generation of voters wants to communicate. While us
'old' folks are comfortable with TV, radio, newspaper, and billboard ads as
derigueur, how do we connect with those that only listen to podcasts on
their iPODs or get their news and TV only from the internet? This is one
area RPOF could really be a help to the RECs and that is developing standard
templates of on-line services for local RECs to tailor and implement. The
state and national party has the resources (money) to do this effort and
help push it down to the local REC level. I will also push for campaign
tools that help the local RECs manage campaigns and advise local candidates
on how to run effective campaigns. We have the tools, we just are not
allowed to access them on our own (RPOF only).

Do we need a State GOP Convention here in Florida?

JS: We pretty much already have one in the bi-annual RPOF meeting for the
election of the party Chairman and officers. The next one takes place in Jan
09 and I hope it is a pitched battle between the conservatives who know what
we must become to win again and the populist who think the key to winning is
acting like a 'Lite' version of the Democrat party. I see my role as BCREC
Chairman to be a leader that carries the conservative fight to this
election.

Who did you support in the GOP primary and why?

JS: I was a Fred Thompson supporter and it had a lot to do with his
conservative views. I thought he had the whole package to win, however it
appears something was missing in the 'desire to be president' category. As I
said earlier, you can usually trace the cause of the loss right back to the
candidate himself.

If you wish, I encourage you to make a closing statement here as to why REC
members should support your candidacy.

JS: It has been an honor to serve as the BCREC Vice-Chairman for the last 2
years. In that time we have accomplished a great many things that resulted
in one of the best campaign efforts in the state for the 2008 elections. The
board leadership has worked well in the interest of the REC as a whole and I
want to continue that leadership as the next Chairman. Chairman Haney had
provided a great example to live up to, and I have learned a lot in not only
balancing interests, but providing the opportunity for members to take an
idea, run with it, and excel in the outcome. I know our best days are ahead
of us and I am really excited about getting the Republican party back to its
Reagan roots for the 2010 and 2012 elections. I would appreciate your vote of
confidence on 1 December.

Dan Estes announces run for BCREC Chairman

Dear Friend,

If you’re like me, you are concerned about the future of the Republican Party and our nation. More than ever, we need a grass roots conservative movement to get our party back on track! That’s why I am running for Chairman of the Bay County Republican Party. I can sit here and compose some political jargon to demonstrate my passion for my party and my country; now is not the time for that. As your Chairman my goals are simple.

1. Increase Party membership!
2. Keep the Republican Brand pure! Less Gov and low taxes.
3. Create a “Contract with Our County” and ask all Republican Candidates to sign and abide by it.
4. Recruit and support a candidate to beat Allan Boyd!
5. Work with the Committee Man and Woman to forward our message to the state and national party.
6. Support and elect conservative candidates to local, state and nation office.
7. Encourage local candidates to run for state and national office. Remember President Elect Obama was a State Rep three years ago!
8. Train Republican Executive Committee Members.


President Abraham Lincoln, Nov. 21, 1864 said, "I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me and causes me to tremble for the safety of my country.” He was speaking about the financial crisis. I too see a crisis that unnerves me; its call liberalism, the redistribution of wealth and big Government. We better take these people serious and work as a team to beat them in 2010 and 2012. In addition, we can not wait until election year we must begin now. If we don’t succeed we will wake up November 2012 having lost our democracy on a continent that our fathers conquered.

If you believe like I do and you want to help begin this conservative movement I humbly ask you for your vote December 1st. God Bless you and God Bless America !

Dan Estes

Post-election surveys from Gallup

"The Republican Party heads into the New Year with its brand tattered by the election after decisive losses in the 2008 presidential and congressional races. Such a defeat inevitably leads to introspection in party circles about its message going forward.

Gallup addressed this issue in the recent poll with a question asking, "Over the next few years, would you like to see the Republican Party and its candidates move in a more conservative direction, a less conservative direction, or stay about the same?"

Most rank-and-file Republicans (59%) want to see the party move in a more conservative direction and another 28% want it to remain about the same. Only 12% would prefer to see the Republican Party become less conservative.

Neither party can win the presidency or majority power in Congress without attracting substantial support from political independents. But right now, independents are not offering any clear guidance about what they want from Republicans. About a third of independent voters say the party should become more conservative, an equal percentage say it should become less conservative, and just under one-quarter say it should stay the same."

Rep. Ray Sansom (R-Destin) new Speaker of the Florida House

To the Honorable Ray Sansom;

I would like to formally congratulate you upon your election as Speaker of the House. As a fellow Northwest Florida resident, I am proud of the fact that you are from this part of the state and an FSU graduate. I hope that you find a leadership position for our Representative Jimmy Patronis. I think he has a bright future ahead of him in Florida politics and is a solid conservative. I wish you the best of luck in enacting your agenda in the House. Thank you for your continued service to the Republican Party and to our state.

Eric Wall
GOP Precinct 26 Committeeman
Bay County, Florida

The YR Network debuts

YRNetwork.com is a web-based network designed to empower young professionals and promote the next generation of Republican leadership.

We contribute to the national debate and raise awareness about issues affecting today's young professionals, small business owners, developing families, and student leadership. Through political activism, event participation, and fundraisers, we bring a world of online-friends to real-life causes in a fun, safe, and meaningful way.

Our network represents hard-working students and taxpayers, everywhere.

"We are the future of (R) Party."

Interview with Vice-Chairman candidate Dennis Dillenschneider

What are the lessons you learned from the 2008 campaign?

Locally, I learned many new party procedures during this past Presidential election by being more active in the headquarters and being proactive in my precinct. It is so great to a part of the grass roots of a political party because that is where the message is carried out to the voters by the foot soldiers. Bay County still has a very strong conservative populace. Plus I saw that without the dedication of the volunteers at the grass roots a candidate has little chance.

Nationally, our party’s lessons learned can vary from each individual personal perception. I personally learned that the party truly needs new shining stars that brighten the faces of people and give hope to a world that has truly been allowed to become too tolerant of everyone’s feelings.

Is there anything about the Bay County REC you would change?

Yes, I would implement organizational skills in our HQ and all phases of our duties, volunteers and officials. Plus I believe we can lead the other counties in the state in revitalizing the party by leading the way with new initiatives. I believe we can lead the way in our Congressional District (CD) and help other CD’s with a statewide alliance. Also, I would like it known that all of the current officers, REC members and volunteers did a wonderful job this past election.

Why did the GOP lose Florida? How much blame would you assign Chairman Greer?

The party in my opinion lost Florida and many other key states in the electoral process due to its leaders relying on our past accomplishments and who we had years ago. We are the party that Lincoln and Regan were part of; however, they have come and gone. We need new beacons of lights to follow and promote. Lincoln and Regan laid the foundation for us to build upon if we keep looking backwards in history we will never look forward.

I would not put the blame all on Chairman Greer. No one person failed the party. Candidates lose elections because they failed to get their message across to motivate the voters to believe in the them.

How do you feel about Governor Crist? Would you encourage him to campaign in NW Florida more?

I am not very happy with some of the decisions that Governor Crist has made. Especially his decision to monetarily award one family for the death of a son without due process of the law and flagrantly disregard the court ordered award against the state given to another family who’s child could not even purchase depends. Now this “Democrat friendly” Governor wants to cut the budgets again for the public schools. No one likes any new taxes but we are letting our greed get in the way of ensuring the future is in the care of well educated children today. He has also let Mental Health services go unfunded over the past two years. While working as the network engineer for Life Management Center I saw first hand how our society wants to just sweep this problem under the carpet. Tallahassee talk has started again about punishing those who smoke and drink with an increase on tax to pay for funding needed. I do not smoke or condone drinking in excess for the reason just to drink but I do not believe we need to punish a select few for needs of the many. We need a Governor that will walk tall, speak straight and have similar core values that the Republican party has been known for.


RPOF allocated NO money to the 2nd Congressional District for an opponent to Allen Boyd in 2008. This implies he cannot be beaten. Do you share this view? Would you fight for this funding as Chairman?

I can not give an honest intelligent answer to this question without more facts; there are always two sides to every story and I do not why RPOF failed to help a candidate as well mannered as Mr. Mulligan. However, I do feel that more money spent could have made a difference in the race.

As an elected official I will use as much persuasion as possible to gain more funding for a candidate.

What are your ideas about technology and how it can be used by the GOP?

Technology is growing by leaps and bounds each and every day. The GOP needs to be on the cutting edge of the technology sword and use the newest innovative ideas to reach the public. We need to form a technology committee that will research every new idea and see how it can be used to help our party get our message out. The younger generation uses text messaging to keep in touch with each other and share their thoughts rapidly. We need to use “You Tube”, personal blogs, chatrooms, podcasts, PDA’s, cell phones, emails and the “Blackberry Army”.

Do we need a State GOP Convention here in Florida?

I believe we need to enhance the RPOF meetings that are already in place. However, I think it would be more beneficial to the elected officials of each counties party by setting up smaller visits to the surrounding local REC’s. Networking with each other and building alliances can help foster a true party unity in Florida. Smaller groups can also be a greater forum for information to be spread about a candidate. Just like a wildfire it only takes a spark to get going.

Who did you support in the GOP primary and why?

I supported Mitt Romney in the GOP primary. I felt he was the best candidate for the party and had a fresh approach for the party. However, he felt he needed to drop out of the race prematurely.

If you wish, I encourage you to make a closing statement here as to why REC members should support your candidacy.

I would like your support in electing me for office within the REC. I believe that I will serve you with the kind of conservative core values that have laid the foundation for our party and lead us in the future with a fresh approach that will bring prosperity to the American dream for us and future generations. I believe in myself, I have a very good sense of what is right and wrong based on the core values our forefathers laid out in the Constitution. For more information on me and the initiatives I will bring to the party if elected, you can visit the URL http://www.dillenschneider.com/political.htm. Thank you and may God bless you in every aspect of your life.

Interview with GOP Party Secretary candidate Eric Wall

What are the lessons you learned from the 2008 campaign?

I learned that we have a lot of highly motivated, well-informed and enthusiastic volunteers, led by Teresa Eaton, Glen Leirer and Melissa Hagan, that really rose to the occasion when money was hard to come by in difficult economic times. They all deserve our profound thanks. I am proud to associate myself with these fellow Republicans that are genuinely nice people who care so deeply about the future of this great nation. We can achieve truly great things together.

Is there anything about the Bay County REC you would change?

Ted Haney did great things as Chairman. We merely need to build on our county-level success. I'm familiar with running campaigns with little money, so things that might seem small like T-shirt sales can be extremely important. The pancake breakfast was the kind of retail politics I love. Teresa and Vicki did an excellent job with that. As far as change goes one of my goals is outreach. I have done it before. Outreach is essentially engaging a diverse cross-section of voters that might be more resistant to Republicans in constructive dialogue about the issues. I'd like to form an Outreach subcommittee to work on these issues.

Why did the GOP lose Florida? How much blame would you assign Chairman Greer?

Democratic registrations were up statewide. Obama spent a lot of money here on advertising. I have done a lot of fieldwork in my time, and I have to say the Obama website and ground game were outstanding. They excelled at GOTV (get-out-the-vote efforts) like enlisting local churches and Gulf Coast to bus in voters. As far as blame, communication between the McCain national campaign, RPOF and the REC could have been better. Chairman Greer, as for me personally, I do not blame him, but I really wish he had not actively attempted to discourage Ron Paul supporters from participating in the Republican Party. He implied in a conference call attended by a Orlando-area source of mine that Ron Paul supporters were determined to take over the GOP and must be stopped. Here in Bay County Chairman Haney showed true leadership by agreeing to a meeting with me where we came to a mutual understanding to work together for the greater good of the Republican Party.

How do you feel about Governor Crist? Would you encourage him to campaign in NW Florida more?

Personally, he seems like a decent guy. We do have something in common. Both the Governor and I attended FSU and are Florida State football fans.
He received an A rating from the Cato Institute, which makes him the most fiscally conservative Governor in the nation. That means a lot to me. On the other hand, his message after the election indicated he is open to working with Democrats. There is a time to find common ground, and there is a time to stand your ground. As a party and as Americans we need to work together to solve some of the serious problems facing this nation, but not at the expense of our conservative principles.

There are rumors Gov. Crist will have a primary opponent. (Maybe Sen. Gaetz. Maybe Fmr. Speaker Bense. Maybe Fmr. Speaker Marco Rubio. Who knows?) Whether he does or not, he needs to meet with us here in Bay County to try and mend fences. When I was at the John Rich rally for Sen. McCain, I heard strong boos when the Governor was introduced. I get e-mails from RPOF inviting me to $1000.00 a plate dinners with the Governor. I'm still waiting for the one informing me he will be in Panama City.

RPOF allocated NO money to the 2nd Congressional District for an opponent to Allen Boyd in 2008. This implies he cannot be beaten. Do you share this
view? Would you fight for this funding as Secretary?

You bet I would fight for more funding. Boyd is mediocre at best. I'd pressure the RNCC and RPOF, trying to get as much money as possible to put the effort into beating Allen Boyd. Frankly I am embarrassed he is our Congressman, and he did very little campaigning in 2008 and still won. He failed to explain his bailout votes and he I cannot recall the last legislation he has introduced. As Communications Director for Mark Mulligan for Congress, I could not believe the complete lack of reporting on the corrupt dealings of Mr Boyd and the difficulty of getting any coverage whatsoever.

What are your ideas about technology and how it can be used by the GOP?

I want to use it as a tool to make our party more accessible to the rank-and-file Republicans and party activists. I want to make it easy to get involved, connect with other Republicans including the leadership, keep track of volunteers and build a voter database of e-mail addresses and cell phones for mass e-mail/text messages. I favor recording all of our REC meetings on video.

Do we need a State GOP Convention here in Florida?
Yes. It is a great opportunity to network with Republicans from across the state and compare notes. It would be more empowering to grassroots activists. They would feel like they are more a part of the process.

Who did you support in the GOP primary and why?

I was a regional field coordinator and county treasurer for Ron Paul 2008. We raised over $2000.00 locally. I was responsible for 8 counties (Bay, Washington, Jackson, Holmes, Calhoun, Wakulla, Liberty, and Gulf) and spent a lot of time on the road engaging voters on the issues.
I felt Ron Paul was as close to the traditional Taft/Goldwater/Reagan Republican philosophy as anyone running. He talked about the Constitution, the Federal Reserve and ending the IRS, all topics I have been interested in as a fiscal conservative for many years. People expressed concerns at the time about his desire to withdraw from Iraq. I strongly support our troops as an Army veteran but there will come a point where we will not be able to realistically afford either large-scale long-term military deployments or our vast network of bases overseas without large tax increases. We have to develop new foreign policy objectives based on the new political and economic realities of the multipolar world we live in.

If you wish, I encourage you to make a closing statement here as to why REC
members should support your candidacy.

I want to use my unique skill set to help the Republican Party any way I can, and I feel that I would make a great party Secretary. I am a grassroots organizer, online political operative, and a duly elected GOP Precinct 26 Committeeman. I ran for State Committeeman and gained nearly 6,000 votes without spending a single dollar on my campaign. I am involved in the #dontgo movement. I am currently the county eCampaign Director, which includes starting a blog and creating pages and groups on social networks such as Twitter, Myspace and Facebook. I also consider myself a strategist. I have sat in on a number of strategic discussions over the years. My political experience includes field operations, outreach, oppositional research, market research/polling and speech writing. I want to use what I have learned through experience to teach others and to work together with my fellow Republicans in a spirit of party unity on behalf of free-market economic solutions, maximizing personal freedom, our
shared conservative principles and the idea of a limited government provided for by the Constitution of these united States that I took an oath to protect and defend.

Thank you and please consider voting for me, Eric Wall, for Republican Party Secretary this December 1st.