Dear Friends,
It’s always wonderful to be surrounded by other Republicans, and our Friday night Chairman’s Dinner in Birmingham was no exception. We had over 800 people join together to celebrate our conservative values!!!
It’s important from time to time to look back in our history and honor those who have blazed the trail we are now following. The modern day Alabama Republican Party is not an organization that came to be by chance. Because of the planning and hard-work of our previous leaders, we are where we are today – the Majority Party in Alabama.
On Friday night we paid tribute to all of the past Chairmen of the Alabama Republican Party. We were pleased to have nine previous Chairmen attend the dinner. In addition, we paid a special tribute to Bill Harris, who was Chairman of the Alabama Republican Party from 1977 to 1985. Bill is the longest serving ALGOP Chairman in modern history. Not only has Bill served the ALGOP well but he has also served the Republican National Committee at a very high level. He served as CEO of the Republican Party National Convention in 1992 and 2004 and is currently serving as CEO for the upcoming National Convention which will take place in Tampa, Florida in August. We are confident that this will be the best convention ever. Delegates to the convention will be on the ballot at our March 13th Primary.
We also honored Ed Allen, who has served as the legal counsel for the Alabama Republican Party for nearly 40 years. He has tirelessly worked to keep several chairman apprised of legal changes, not to mention serve as the parliamentarian at executive committee meetings. Being the legal counsel for any organization is often a thankless job, so we were happy to make sure he knew how grateful we are for his many years of service.
We were also very pleased to host some very special guests – Mrs. Ann Romney, wife of Governor Mitt Romney, and Mrs. Jackie Gingrich Cushman, daughter of Speaker Newt Gingrich. Despite the hectic schedule each is dealing with, they very graciously set aside time to spend with Alabama Republicans. We had invited the wives of each presidential candidate to be with us and were honored that Mrs. Romney accepted. Mrs. Gingrich was unable to attend but asked their daughter to attend. Their presence made the night extra special.
Our keynote speaker, Republican pollster and Fox News Correspondent Frank Luntz, gave a highly informative and entertaining presentation regarding the power of words. He is an expert in using the right words to frame a message in order to reach the targeted audience and get the intended reaction. He has helped many candidates over the years, but his most famous contribution was helping Speaker Gingrich craft the Contract with America which was instrumental in sweeping a Republican majority into Congress in 1994.
His presentation was fascinating, to say the least, and I certainly hope that the candidates present that evening walked away with plans to put what they learned into action within their own campaigns.
Our State Executive Committee meeting the next day was productive, with two important elections taking place. I’m pleased to announce that District 4 Chairwoman, Vicki Drummond, was unanimously elected to represent Alabama as our National Committeewoman. Vicki has volunteered for the Party for many years, and always with a cheerful disposition and work ethic to be emulated. I offer her my congratulations and I certainly look forward to working with her in her new capacity. She will take her position as National Committeewoman immediately after the Republican National Convention. Until then, Bettye Fine Collins, who has served for many years as our Committeewoman, will continue to serve in that position. We are grateful to Bettye Fine for her many years of service to the party. We also voted Saturday to re-elect our National Committeeman, Paul Reynolds, to serve a second term in this position. He has worked in the trenches for many years and represents Alabama well on the NRC.
For the Cause,
Bill Armistead, Chairman
Alabama Republican Party