The ALGOP 2013 Summer Dinner last Friday night, with Wisconsin Gov. ScottWalker, was a tremendous success! Nearly 1,000 were in attendance and everyone seemed to really enjoy hearing how Gov. Walker turned around Wisconsin during the 3 years he has been Governor.
The speech that the governor made was incredible. It was obvious to everyone present why liberals in Wisconsin tried to remove him from the governorship – he doesn’t play their game! Governor Walker is a unabashed conservative who isn’t afraid of Democrat threats or liberal media bias.
It became very apparent that Governor Walker shares our Alabama values and those attending the dinner responded appropriately. Governor Walker summed up our 2014 and 2016 messages very succinctly when he said; “I don’t want to make it harder to get government assistance. I want to make it easier to get a job.” Now it is our job to articulate that to America, refusing to let the media define our message for us.
>>>> One of the great joys I have in serving as Chairman of the Alabama Republican Party is bringing movers and shakers in the Republican Party to Alabama so they can get to know us better and vise versa. Some of the speakers we have had since I became Chairman include: Gov. Rick Perry (TX); Sen. Jim DeMint (SC); Congressman Allan West (FL); Gov. Bobby Jindal (LA); Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn (TN); Gov. Rick Scott (FL); Gov. Mike Huckabee (AR); Neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Carson; Fox News Contributor Frank Luntz; and others.
And, the good news is we have more coming starting in September so watch for the announcements. Candidates who are considering running for President are now more receptive to coming to Alabama since the legislature moved our Presidential Primary date up to March making us one of the early states to vote.
In addition to having Gov. Walker as our keynote speaker for the Summer Dinner, we also honored those early pioneers who worked in the trenches in the 50’s and 60’s when there were no elected Republican’s in Alabama. It was a joy to see the reunion of some these Pioneers many of whom worked together in campaigns 50 years ago and had not seen one another in decades. The Pioneers honored included:
Jerry Barksdale Fmr. U.S. Rep Jim Martin
Robert B. French Frank Mason
Frmr. Rep. Doug Hale Charlotte Tanner
Jim Holliman Harold D. Wall
Fmr. Chief Justice Perry Hooper, Sr. Fmr. ALGOP Chairman W. Edgar Welden
Please read today’s Rising Stars for more information on these Pioneers who laid the groundwork for our modern-day Alabama Republican Party.
A big thanks to the ALGOP staff for their hard work making the Summer Dinner a great success: Chief of Staff Harold Sachs; Finance Director Susan Ellard; Director of Field Operations Britney Garner; Political Director John Kay; and Accounting Manager Rudy Scott. Also, thanks to the many volunteers who helped to make this a successful event. And, a special thank you to two of our interns- Collier Tynes who is a student at Auburn University, as well as Alec Priola, a Political Science graduate from Auburn University. The 2013 Summer Dinner would not have been the success it was had it not been for the hundreds who supported the Party and attended. So, a special “Thank You” to each of you who attended!