What is the GAGOP Doing? - Johnson Plan for GAGOP Chairman! - Vote Alex Johnson for Chairman

Fellow Republican,

If you only read one message, read this one. Do you know the plan of each candidate for the future of the Georgia GOP? Do you know who you'll vote for? As pointed out by some friends today, some people have no idea as to what each candidate is proposing, or the current state of the Georgia GOP. From my travels to various county parties, many people have no idea what the State GOP even does. That changes now. If you're only concerned about certain issues, click to skip ahead.

The Georgia GOP exists to get Republicans elected, not just now, but for decades into the future To do this, the Georgia GOP needs, at a minimum:

More Money - to hire staff, send out advertisements for candidates, and to support any and all efforts to expand and grow the Republican Party in Georgia.

More Volunteers - to lead efforts to increase Republican voter turnout and garner support for candidates, from education on Republican principles, to phone-banking and door knocking, to serving in positions in county parties.

More Candidates for Office - the people offering themselves to work as employees for the voters of this state are the ones who have to make tough policy decisions, and the party needs people who understand Republican principles to offer themselves for office, inspire voters, and represent the people and our party's brand appropriately. Without them, our message will not spread.

So how do we accomplish these things? As explained in more detail in my last message, some think that we should not fight to improve on what we have or advance Republican principles in Georgia. They believe that complacency is fine as long as candidates are winning elections and have enough money and volunteers on their own, there's no reason to Advance the State GOP now to stay ahead of the Democrats on technology, growth, and involvement.

But most people, if the 75% straw poll result at the 3rd Congressional District convention, and Erick Erickson's message are representative, disagree. We need to do more to accomplish these three things. Here's where we are now, and here's what we will do to improve if elected Chairman:

Money/Fundraising:

Fundraising is one component. As shown by the financial statements recently re-published at this link, the Georgia GOP is not in ideal financial shape. We must raise more money.

You raise money by having a well branded product, a strong organizational structure that people want to invest in and that people believe is taking good care of their money. That means that the Georgia GOP will have an open and transparent bid process when it comes to political consulting contracts and other major vendor services. We will not award such contracts based on personal connections.

We must answer the question of "Why should I give to the Party when I can just donate to candidates?" As shown in the video below, and our previous message regarding fundraising, we must be actively growing the party and providing a service and brand that donors can invest in:

If I'm fortunate enough to serve you as your Chairman, we will:

Utilize competitive bids and utilize volunteers to ensure faith in our stewardship of donated funds. This needs to be done IMMEDIATELY.

Raise money for SPECIFIC projects, such as voter registration, voter education, social media, mailers, and calls so that donors know exactly what their money is being used for and are comfortable donating.

Host no less than 10 fundraisers or events throughout the state, in conjunction with district and county parties, which will be affordable to all who would like to attend, not just those with big bank accounts.

Reconnect With Large Donors - personal calls to large donors is key, and if I'm fortunate enough to be elected as your Chairman, I will personally reconnect with large donors to ensure that we don't just maintain our donations, but substantially increase them by selling a substantially improved product. I've already been personally talking to donors, some who have not donated during the past two years, who will start doing so again with new leadership.

Volunteers/County Involvement

While money is important, your involvement and your hard work is the most important aspect for our party to survive and thrive into the future. You determine what resolutions are passed, stating the party's opinion on various issues. You create the party platform. You determine whether or not you want to create a state platform. You knock on doors, volunteer for candidates, and get candidates elected. You decide what we stand for.

But, as you know, convention turnout and involvement in the GAGOP is low this year. There seem to be more people leaving county parties throughout Georgia than new people getting involved. If you walk down the street, or talk to many political activists, they will state:

"Why Should I Volunteer for the GOP, when I can just volunteer for a candidate/tea party group/etc?" or "What does the party even stand for?"

While I disagree with the question, this question, unanswered, will lead us to defeat against the Democrats if not next year, then in the near future. Further, many people see the party fractured between "liberty"/"tea party"/"religious right"/"establishment" and any other number of artificially made up groups. One thing they all agree on, is that Republicans need to work together before it's too late. And the question is how do we make that happen?

If I'm fortunate enough to be elected as your Chairman, we will solve these problems. We will increase involvement through:

Allowing all Voices to Be Heard to Unify the Party - most people are currently involved in the Republican Party because they want to make a difference and see our principles enacted into law. Every convention, every county party, every district party, and the state committee is allowed to and tasked with passing resolutions stating what the Republican Party believes and why. Few know how to do so, and leave disappointed. We will ensure all Republicans know exactly how they can ensure their voices are heard which means that even though some people may disagree, we will have discussion and discourse within our party so that good Republicans don't feel excluded and stay home during campaign or on voting day. We will unify our party. (video link)

Information and Education - instead of solely spending money during the general election, hoping candidates will win, we will focus on building a sustainable party infrastructure through education. We will let the public know what we stand for and how our party's principles help their lives, so they are more likely to believe in and vote Republican. We will have volunteers working within communities, of all ages and demographics, spreading our message. We will utilize mail and phone calls to spread how our policies help peoples' lives. We will have a statewide database that lets people know what local party organizations are doing in their area so they can easily get involved. And we will let the public know about all of the work the GOP is doing in Georgia, so that people will be willing to both donate money, and attend meetings to get to know, talk to, and learn about their elected officials.

Support and Coordination with County Parties - many county parties have no idea what is going on at the state level, and are facing significant difficulties getting new activists involved. Many times, one county will be carrying out activities that are highly successful, while a neighboring county has no information or guidance on how to be as successful. As Chairman, we will ensure that the State GOP has events around the state the help assist county parties with growth, fundraising, and involvement. We will make sure that all county events are posted on the State GOP website, and that they are geo-located so that if a person searches for events by a zip code, they will see all nearby events coming up. We will work with volunteers and district organizations to share "best practices" between county parties, so that counties have the resources and information needed to succeed.

Candidates:

Candidates are currently the most public representation of our party and its principles and the only way anything we believe is enacted into law.

We must remember that while having Republicans in office is important, it is important that the Republican platform and message is being promulgated and advocated throughout the state. In 2014, there were barely a dozen challengers to over 80 Democratic held state and congressional seats in Georgia. That means in many areas, and to many people, the Republican party doesn't exist. There are some people in Georgia who have never knowingly spoken to a Republican, or have any idea what we believe in and why.

If I'm fortunate enough to serve you as your Chairman, I plan to work to recruit candidates to run against Democrats in all state senate seats (22) by 2016, and all state house seats (60) by 2018. By challenging the Democratic incumbents everywhere, we will draw their money, time, and attention away from swing districts and force them to spend money defending their home turf. Even if we lose, we will be making strides in informing and educating traditional Democratic voters, and growing our party. The best defense is a good offense. As a party, we must stop being of the defensive.

As a 30 year old attorney, having significant experience within our party, I know that all is not perfect. Having traveled the state and listened to many, I believe that the State GOP can build on what currently exists and educate people on how our platform improves peoples lives, while increasing donations and involvement. I look forward to listening to you.

I believe that we can focus on working with county parties to share best practices and utilize volunteers to ensure growth within our party. We can have openness and transparency regarding how the State GOP is being operated.

While experience within the party is important, it is equally important to have the drive, vision, and energy to ensure that our party is on the offensive against the socialistic ideas of the Democrats. We must not be complacent.

Please view the video below, and if you have any questions about my political viewpoints or experience, click these links to see my past messages or political resume.

The party isn't about me, but about the principles we all believe in. If you ever have any questions, concerns, or ideas on how to grow the party, don't believe negative rumors, simply e-mail me, contact me through Facebook or call me directly. If you want to spread this to others, forward it to your Republican friends and subscribe them to this mailing list. I look forward to hearing from you, and seeing you in Athens at the State GOP Convention. Together, we can all Advance the GOP in Georgia.

Thank you for your leadership in the Republican Party and commitment to its principles.