UPDATES: 27 County Chairs Send Urgent Open Letter to RPT Chair // JD Vance Fundraiser in Austin Sun 9/22 // Reserve Your Trump Yard Sign Now (Shipping Available) // TCRP Reagan Gala Mon 9/30

Good Saturday morning -

We have a few updates for you.

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27 GOP COUNTY CHAIRS TO RPT: WHAT IS THE PLAN TO WIN IN NOVEMBER?

As we reported to you in our last email, the situation at the Republican Party of Texas is deeply concerning. In the month that has passed, things have rapidly worsened.

With ~50 days until the election, we could no longer be silent.

On Thursday, 27 County Chairs (including me) released an open letter to RPT chair Abraham George and the State Republican Executive Committee (SREC).

Here it is (please read it below and share it with this link on your socials):

September 12, 2024

OPEN LETTER TO TEXAS GOP CHAIR ABRAHAM GEORGE AND THE SREC

Chairman George and Members of the State Republican Executive Committee (SREC):

Thank you for your service to our Party and to our State.

We know RPT is working hard on election integrity efforts and to prepare to make the upcoming legislative session as effective as possible to advance our platform and we appreciate those efforts.

We were relieved that after 116 days, on September 9, 2024 RPT made an excellent appointment of Congresswoman Beth Van Duyne as Victory Chair to manage the coordinated campaign and help the party raise money, which is desperately needed. For the first time in our modern history, our Victory Chair quit on May 16th and the position has been vacant since. We all wish Beth well in this important job!

We write this letter with roughly 55 days to go until the most consequential presidential election in our lifetimes.

The current reality is that Texas is too close for comfort at the presidential level (as a recent UH poll showed Trump up only 5% and Cruz up only 2%), and it is time to re-dedicate ourselves with urgency, strategy, and teamwork for the days that remain.

The financial circumstance at RPT is grave and deteriorating. The cash on hand situation has consistently worsened for several years, and the shocking recent news that our State Convention lost $382,000 must not be ignored. A $100,000 net profit was projected only weeks before State Convention. Between the last two State Conventions, RPT has lost nearly $500,000 at an event that should be one of our major fundraisers and has historically netted a significant profit.

RPT’s current cash on hand should allow it to financially survive through the Nov. 5 election, but it will not allow for much else. Fundraising has evaporated nearly entirely. The current chair appears to be either unwilling or unable to raise major funds, despite running on a promise to increase the budget significantly through fundraising.

The financial picture is radically different than several promises made by Abraham George when he was a candidate for RPT Chair. He suggested a goal of RPT needing “an $18M budget in election years” with “100+ employees” at a candidate forum in May. The current reality also is radically different from the comments he made at the August 2nd SREC meeting where he suggested opening new field offices, especially in South Texas. More than a month later, not one single new RPT-backed field office has been opened.

Meanwhile, the most recent SREC meeting barely discussed fundraising or GOTV efforts, and instead spent several hours on resolutions. There is currently no other SREC meeting scheduled before the election.

This predicament is unacceptable.

And while we realize the SREC has some new members who were just elected, this level of unpreparedness will harm our candidates and our party and we cannot sit back and let that continue.

We make the following FOUR requests in the best interest of the Texas GOP:

1. We are calling for the SREC to create a special subcommittee to probe the past convention through an independent financial audit. All contracts and payments must be examined. We are concerned that either incompetence or graft played a role, thought that must be proven. We must learn lessons from this catastrophic failure to ensure it NEVER happens again. That committee should report publicly and immediately after the Nov. 5 election.

2. We are calling for RPT Chair Abraham George to provide a comprehensive fundraising update detailing his performance from his May election to today, and to forecast what will be raised in new funds (not transfers from the RNC and other committees) between now and Nov. 5.

3. We are calling for RPT to release a detailed, thoughtful, comprehensive GOTV plan to be sent to all county parties and GOP campaigns by Sept. 15. This should have been done by Labor Day at the latest. Every day that passes is increasingly valuable and cannot be recovered.

4. We are calling on RPT to detail its Early Vote By Mail (EVBM) program to all County Chairs by September 15. Without a serious, well-funded, statewide EBVM mailer (as we do every cycle), we will get destroyed in mail ballots which will narrow Trump’s margin, threaten Cruz’s re-election, and harm all of our targeted down ballot races.

Sincerely,

1. Matt Mackowiak, Travis County GOP chair

2. James Beauchamp, Midland County GOP chair

3. Hunter Bonner, Marion County GOP chair

4. Carl Byers, Upshur County GOP chair

5. Kris Coons, Bexar County GOP chair

6. Chris DeCluitt, McLennan County GOP chair

7. Jody Deller, Kaufman County GOP chair

8. Roman Griffin, Sabine County GOP chair

9. Karen Hale, Guadalupe County GOP chair

10. Alan Haley, Loving County GOP chair

11. Linda Kinsey, Comanche County GOP chair

12. Carlette Lewis, Blanco County GOP chair

13. Carolyn Lance, Cass County GOP chair

14. Rick Lifto, Wise County GOP chair

15. Michelle Lopez, Hays County GOP chair

16. David Luther, Waller County GOP chair

17. Michael Mars, Titus County GOP chair

18. Mark Montgomery, Comal County GOP chair

19. Elizabeth Nelson, Falls County GOP chair

20. Lance Phillips, Limestone County GOP chair

21. Stephanie Michelle Rushing, Irion County GOP chair

22. Sandy Sassano, Maverick County GOP chair

23. Janet Stanovich, Cherokee County GOP chair

24. Gary Stone, Motley County GOP chair

25. David Stein, Smith County GOP chair

26. Mike Wheeler, Kendall County GOP chair (and SREC member)

27. Jeri Johnson Willoughby, Schleicher County GOP chair

(County Chairs listed alphabetically)

» The Texas Voice covered this story here.

» Current Revolt posted our letter here.

Please share both.

We will keep pushing to make RPT do their job.

JD VANCE FUNDRAISER IN AUSTIN SUNDAY, SEPT. 22!

Vice presidential nominee U.S. Sen. JD Vance (R-OH) will headline a fundraiser to benefit the Trump campaign in Austin on Sunday, Sept. 22 at a beautiful home in West Austin.

The attendance levels set by the campaign are:

>$5,000 to attend

>$15,000 for a photo

>$25,000 for the roundtable

For more info, contact me directly here.

To register for the event, go here. The deadline to register for Secret Service is THIS FRIDAY.

TRUMP / VANCE SIGNS AVAILABLE

Deliveries have begun!

The Travis County GOP (based in Austin) has bulk-ordered Trump-Vance signs and Texas for Trump yard signs and banners and you can:

> Pick them up in Austin

> Have them delivered in Austin

> Have them shipped anywhere in Texas or the US

TAKE ACTION:

> Reserve your Trump-Vance signs here.

TCRP REAGAN GALA IN AUSTIN ON MONDAY, SEPT. 30

YOU ARE INVITED: We are PROUD to announce the largest Republican event in Austin -- the 2024 Travis County GOP Reagan Gala, which will be held at a beautiful venue on Lake Travis on Monday, September 30.

Our gala will feature:
 > Keynote remarks from retired U.S. Air Force fighter pilot Congressman August Pfluger (R-TX)
 > An update on the Texas economy from Comptroller Glenn Hegar
 > An update on the energy sector from Railroad Commissioner Wayne Christian
 > A Texas Senate legislative update from State Sen. Donna Campbell (R-New Braunfels)
 > A Texas House legislative update from State Rep. Caroline Harris Davila (R-Round Rock)
 > Presentation of the Lifetime Achievement award, the Rising Star award, and the Volunteer of the Year award

Sponsorships and VIP tickets, as well as general admission tickets are available (with an early bird discount) NOW.

We expect this event to sell out!

>> Reserve your seats here NOW: https://traviscountygop.org/reagan.

Discount code: EARLY

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SILENT AUCTION NOW LIVE: BUY/BID NOW! Don't be outbid at the Gala! Jump ahead of the line and buy up some of this great merchandise, including political memorabilia, vacation opportunities, meals with public officials, autographed books, and so much more! Click here to peruse the many unique items!

ALSO: If you have an item you would like to donate to our Silent Auction that would help tremendously. Let Lauren Day (cc’d) know you have something to donate.

SPONSORS WANTED: We're also looking for table sponsors and event sponsors for what is sure to be the premier conservative fundraising event in Central Texas for 2024! Your name and generosity will be front-and-center and on display in front of hundreds of business leaders, local activists, and local, county, state, and federal officials. Questions: [email protected]

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» To support TCRP’s GOTV effort, you can donate here.

» To financially support the Trump campaign, please securely give here.

» To learn more about the Travis County GOP, please visit -- http://www.TravisGOP.com. 

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