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The contenders thus far
By punch bowl | February 20, 2008
On Monday, we asked for names of who would make good candidates to be the next chair of the CRNC. The list of nominations so far includes:
National office:
Dan Carlson, Secretary
Esther Clark, Treasurer
Blake Harris, Political Director
Justin Smith, Midwest Vice-Chairman
John Swanson, Finance Director
State chairs:
Ryan Bilodeau, Rhode Island
Adam Bitely, Virginia
Jonathan Bryant, Tennessee
Bethany Dorobiala, Minnesota
Tyson Grinstead, North Carolina
Brian Gwozdz, Massachusetts
Ben Johnson, Iowa
Dan Lipian, Ohio
Nate Walton, Maine
Justin Zatkoff, Michigan
Dark horses (unknowns?):
Kyle Bristow
Travis Mount
Next week, CR Nation will post a poll of the top candidates. Who should be in the poll? Who should not? Who should be added to the list?
Who would make a good national chair? Why?
Topics: CRNC Elections |
February 21st, 2008 at 1:00 am
Weren’t Mount and Bitely joke nominations?
February 21st, 2008 at 9:36 am
As far as dark horse candidates how about someone outside of the CR sludge? Steve Bierfeldt, the Field Director at the Leadership Institute.
February 21st, 2008 at 10:28 am
Travis Mount is the Hawaii chair
February 21st, 2008 at 11:21 am
I believe your forgetting a few:
Reece Hrizuk, Oregon ($$$$ chip off the old block from Swanny)
Hunter Hill(if he wanted it)
Megan Szynzlowski, Illinois(have heard promising things about)
February 21st, 2008 at 12:09 pm
What is embarrassing about this is that it was compiled by a group of people who purport to have some knowledge of political tactics or strategy.
Why don’t you knock off anyone from that list that can’t raise the $50,000 it takes to run for CRNC chairman (thats two thirds right there), and then take off all the people who have higher negatives then they do positives-Walton, Carlson, and Bilodeau-, and then toss anyone who would have their own state fight against them: Bryant, and Zatkoff, then drop anyone who hasn’t been a state chair (because we all know that the egos that be aren’t going to let that fly) and you are basically down to Harris, Swanson, and Clark.
That would be a good poll.
February 21st, 2008 at 12:25 pm
Nate Walton shouldn’t be in the poll considering that he wouldn’t even have the support of his own State chapter.
February 21st, 2008 at 1:12 pm
It will likely take more than $50,000 to run in 2009. That number is far less than the number tossed around as necessary base funding for the last race in 2007, which was closer to the six digit range and above. Remember that if there is an actual campaign, a race between at least two factions and candidates, the costs are going to shoot up even higher. This is a national campaign, where something like charter plane rentals and national whistle stop tours, not to mention a huge CPAC kickoff and lavish reception for delegates to the CRNC Convention are all important elements, none of them cheap. Aside from the money angle being a very prohibitive cost to some, there is also the fact that many states still have to elect Chairmen for 2008. There are potentially 25 or more new names that would be sitting Chairmen come this fall when the race actually begins to get serious. No one mentioned West Virginia’s Brian Dayton, either, in the earlier post, and he has done a good a job as any in growing CRs in his home state. No one is longer-tenured on the National Board but Nate Walton, and by most accounts, Dayton is slightly better received.
February 21st, 2008 at 3:32 pm
Don’t forget about TJ Shope, the State Chair of Arizona. He’s proven his abilities to kick ass and rev up AZ for the 08 fight. Not Presidential as this point, but taking back some of the congressional and state legislature seats they lost in 06.
If he doesn’t run for National Chair then it is because he’s running for elected office in Arizona.
February 21st, 2008 at 4:33 pm
Bilodeau and Bitely are top contenders.
February 21st, 2008 at 5:36 pm
“charter plane rentals and national whistle stop tours”…
You have got to be kidding me! This is College Republicans! A charter plane rental? Whistle stop tours? I’m pretty sure a car and couple of Southwest tickets would work just fine. This kid has to be a moron saying crap like that.
PS- Anyone that uses their full name in posting needs to get a life… or maybe a real hobby
February 21st, 2008 at 5:41 pm
What about current Chapter Chairs that could potentially run for State Chair at their conventions this spring. They would have seen their state through the 08 election. No one seems to be mentioning them and they are the future while everyone on the list above is basically the past.
February 21st, 2008 at 6:14 pm
Bitely is not to well known yet but he will be. He is a good organizer and is good at getting good people in good positions. You will be hearing more about him as he gets further into his administration.
February 22nd, 2008 at 1:40 am
It seems a little premature to be speculating on the 2009 race. Nate Walton would be a strong candidate, and would definitely have strong support from Maine. Whoever wrote that before is obviously not from our state.
February 22nd, 2008 at 2:46 am
Meghan from IL? You are kidding right? CRs look too much to what people say they will do opposed to what they do do. she has only been in office for a few weeks lets give her time.
February 22nd, 2008 at 7:33 am
I think Chris Stark, the state chair in NJ should run!
February 22nd, 2008 at 12:31 pm
Definitely not Brewster
February 22nd, 2008 at 1:51 pm
You don’t mean Punky Brewster, do you?
February 22nd, 2008 at 2:00 pm
Punky Brewster?
February 22nd, 2008 at 2:08 pm
Bitely for Chairman!
February 22nd, 2008 at 4:03 pm
Gwozdz has run the MACR like a business, the way feds should be run. He and his board have measured everything they have accomplished in order to improve at what they are doing. I am quite pleased with their performance.
Other state chairs to follow his lead.
February 22nd, 2008 at 5:11 pm
Dennis Lennox really gets things done, though he’s focused on real politics and not CR stuff.
February 22nd, 2008 at 6:19 pm
Why do you still list Harris as the political director? Didn’t he quit to do McCain stuff?
February 22nd, 2008 at 9:54 pm
I like Esther Clark. Every person I know in CRs across the nation respects her and she has real business experience she can bring to the table. Very few CRs can say that.
February 23rd, 2008 at 7:17 am
Only thing good about Esther is that she’s hot…
February 23rd, 2008 at 1:29 pm
Zach Howell has the talent and track record to be a contender too.
February 24th, 2008 at 10:31 pm
I think the vice chair in CT, Jenielle, is positioning herself very well.
February 24th, 2008 at 11:50 pm
Dennis Lennox is a dumbutt. That little leprechaun with his psuedo-homosexual haircut is a joke. He’s exactly what’s wrong with conservative youth activism. He’s not into “real politics,” whatever the heck that is supposed to be. He’s a loser activist like his buddy Kyle Bristow.
Shoving a camera in a professor’s face and claiming he has no right to run for Congress does not make you into someone important.
That kid needs to focus on getting a good education and stop playing lame activist.
February 25th, 2008 at 10:45 am
Somebody has some hostility.
What have you accomplished, Adam?
Lennox has wrote a constitutional amendment that Michigan voters will decide on the ‘08 ballot, he’s led a campaign against a Democrat, ran for local office, been elected to RNC Convention, represented the GOP abroad with sister parties … what can you claim?
February 26th, 2008 at 1:00 am
Was this post supposed to be about the upcoming co-chair vacancy? Kinda turned into that anyway.