Free Republic

Durham City Councilman Thomas Stith edged closer to becoming a candidate for lieutenant governor Monday when he established a campaign committee for the office, he said. Stith, who is serving his third term on the council, has said he's considering running for the Republican nomination. He probably will make an official announcement within a couple of weeks, he added. "I guess that puts us one step closer," he said of the newly formed committee, which is a necessary precursor for raising or spending money for a campaign. Stith also said he has been reaching out to Republican leaders across the...

Darryl Broome, a longtime member of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Planning Commission, is considering a run for N.C. Senate. The 42-year-old Republican is eyeing the new Senate district in the University City area and north Mecklenburg, which still must be approved by the courts. Broome could face off against former Democratic state Sen. Fountain Odom or Democratic Charlotte City Council member Malcolm Graham. Both have expressed interest in the seat. "I can give the people in that district something to be excited about," Broome said. "I'm not just a status quo, everyday politician." Broome became the first black Republican ever nominated in...

Vernon Robinson is the Fundraising Champion in the Race for North Carolina's 5th Congressional District Race Becomes Most Expensive in the Country Robinson is Nation's Top Non-Incumbent WINSTON-SALEM, NC -- The Robinson for Congress Campaign (R-NC5) filed its year-end report with the Federal Election Commission on Saturday, January 31st. Winston-Salem City Councilman Vernon Robinson trounced his self-financed millionaire opponents and finished first in fundraising for both the 4th Quarter and the year. Indeed, the fundraising race was not particularly close, with Robinson, a nationally-prominent conservative, raising substantially more in the fourth quarter ($430,689.98) than all of his opponents COMBINED (that...

Jackson, MS -- Stephanie Summers-O’Neal, a Jackson native and local business owner, announced her historic candidacy for Mississippi’s second congressional district during press conferences in Jackson and Greenville today. Summers-O’Neal will be the first African-American, female, Republican elected to the U.S. Congress when Mississippians send her to Congress next November. “As a citizen of the Second District, I believe we deserve the best this country has to offer. We deserve better job opportunities so we can build better lives, quality education so our children can contribute to society, access to the best in health care, and strong communities in which...

<p>After serving four terms as congressman from the 4th District of Oklahoma, J.C. Watts has decided to step down, leaving the House without an African-American Republican and leaving the Republican Party with tough questions about diversity.</p> <p>Watts was first elected in 1994. In 1998 GOP colleagues named him chairman of the House Republican Conference, making him number four in the House's leadership ranks. He was reelected to the job in 2000.</p>

(Talon News) -- When conservative Georgia Sen. Zell Miller decided he was going to retire next year, the former CEO of Godfather's Pizza decided it was time for him to bring the skills he has learned as a successful businessman to politics. "His experience, coupled with his characteristic determination, make this black conservative a serious contender for the U.S. Senate in Georgia," said Matthew Craig, a research associate of the African-American leadership network Project 21, referring to Republican candidate Herman Cain. Cain, who is an African-American and a conservative Republican, recently received overwhelming support from his former colleagues in the...

<p>The last time the Republican Party of Virginia made a major effort to rally black people to its side turned into a public-relations nightmare.</p> <p>Only seven showed up at a well-advertised rally in the cavernous Arthur Ashe Jr. Center in 1995.</p>

Roger Crowder, Republican candidate for State Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce, discusses strategy with Ellen Jernigan of the DeSoto County Area Republican Women and GOP Executive Committee. SOUTHAVEN — Two candidates for statewide office — Scott Newton, Republican contender for attorney general and Roger Crowder, GOP candidate for state agricultural and commerce commissioner — both are seeking to be “firsts.” Newton, a former FBI agent from Ridgeland, is seeking to become the state’s first Republican attorney general, while Crowder, a retired state agricultural marketing specialist, is seeking to become Mississippi’s first Republican commissioner of agriculture and commerce, not to...

Fifth District race getting interesting Many political observers in the Triad think that the entrance of Ed Broyhill into the congressional race hurts state Sen. Virginia Foxx the most. She was counting on her base of support outside of Forysth County, and particularly in the northwestern mountain counties, to at least get her into a runoff with one of the many Forysth candidates. But Broyhill has obvious connections, family and personal, in many of those same counties. One of those competing for the nomination,Nathan Tabor of Kernersville, reportedly fired a previous set of consultants because they had proposed a campaign...

<p>Salem Republican Jackie Winters might try to unseat local Congresswoman Darlene Hooley with a nudge from the top gun in her party — George W. Bush.</p> <p>“I’ve had conversations with the president on a couple of occasions,” said Winters, serving in her first state Senate term. “I’ve said that I would look at it, but I won’t do anything until after the session.”</p>

<p>The kind of black candidate that many conservatives dream of has entered the Republican primary for Georgia's Senate seat in 2004.</p> <p>Herman Cain is a pro-life Reaganite and the chairman of Godfather's Pizza chain. He took over management of the once-troubled company, making it a success and finally buying it for $50 million from Pillsbury in 1988.</p>

There’s one less Democrat and one more Republican in Mecklenburg County, and the math might just work out to one more Republican on the Charlotte City Council. Long odds on another political calculation might add up to a new Republican mayor. Last week, Optimist Park community activist Linda Williams officially switched her party affiliation from Democrat to Republican. On Monday, former City Councilmember Mike Castano, who has been a Republican since birth, officially announced he was running for mayor, seeking to unseat four-term incumbent Pat McCrory, also a Republican, who might or might not run for another term. McCrory hasn’t...

<p>A black Republican is the early favorite for a North Carolina House seat.</p> <p>In the wake of the Trent Lott fiasco, Republicans are highly sensitive to the fact that with the retirement of Oklahoma's Rep. J.C. Watts, there is now no black Republican in Congress. "It is a worrisome development for a party trying to sell itself as the home of compassionate conservatism," clucks the Washington Post. Indeed, many Republicans are actively recruiting Mr. Watts to return to Congress if Sen. Don Nickles retires next year.</p>

It may be just a coincidence that former Washington Redskins star Darrell Green acts like a member of Congress, with a battery of aides helping him manage his busy schedule, but it’s not surprising that a lot of people would like to have him on their team. As he did on the football field before retiring last year, Green is keeping his options open. When Republicans held their recent retreat at The Greenbriar resort in West Virginia, the future Hall of Famer was invited to give a pep talk on what he called “the fundamental aspects of the Republican charter.”...

Steele's decision breaks with Ehrlich stance, leaves rights advocates uneasy Sending a signal he will not waver on his deeply held beliefs, Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele will break from the new Republican administration's stance on abortion tonight by joining the annual Annapolis March for Life rally. Steele's participation in the event is energizing members of Maryland's anti-abortion community, who say it is the first time in recent memory that a statewide elected official has actively embraced their cause. "It is an encouragement to the pro-life folks to see a newly elected official standing up for life," said David Lam,...

March 2, 2003 Authentically Black: Essays for the Black Silent Majority by John McWhorter —from the publisher's website Picking up where the bestselling Losing the Race left off, this penetrating and profound collection of essays by the controversial thinker and passionate advocate for racial enlightenment and achievement explores what it means to be black in America today. According to the author, nearly forty years after the Civil Rights Act, African-Americans in this country still remain "a race apart." He feels that modern black Americans have internalized a tacit message: "authentically black" people stress initiative in private but cloak the...

John McWhorter, author of Authentically Black: Essays for the Black Silent Majority, is on C-SPAN now!

The guy seems worth listening to.

CHICAGO -- "Our efforts will cover the expanse of Illinois," Robert Oliver, Illinois liaison for the African-American Republican Leadership Conference told reporters today. Oliver says that the AARLC will work to encourage black voters throughout the state to support Republican candidates and traditional causes. "Blacks are beginning to see that they are promised a lot of things before an election, but they are forgotten about until the next election," he said. The AARLC plans to sponsor voter registration drives, candidates' schools, campaign schools, grassroots activist schools, and perhaps even begin a political action committee for black conservatives who want to...

The Rev. E.V. Hill, longtime pastor of the Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles, died yesterday after a bout with pneumonia and other undisclosed medical problems. Hill, 69, was hospitalized nearly two weeks ago and was listed in critical condition and in intensive care. A force in the National Baptist Convention and a speaker at rallies around the country sponsored by Promise Keepers, an evangelical men's ministry, Hill stood out among prominent African American pastors in championing conservative political causes. He had been an adviser to several prominent Republicans including President Reagan. In 1999, Hill was an unsuccessful...