AZ GOP Statutory Meeting

The Arizona Republican Party will be holding it's Statutory meeting on Saturday, January 24 at Camelback H. S. in Phoenix. Officers to be elected at the meeting by Republican State Committeemen are, Chairman, First Vice Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer, Assistant Treasurer and, Assistant Sergeant at Arms, along with three Members at large from each of Arizona's eight congressional districts.

With the exception of the chairman's position, only one candidate each has expressed an interest in the positions on the state executive committee, they are: for First Vice Chairman, Augustus Shaw IV of Maricopa County; for Secretary, Linda White of Pima County; for Treasurer, Timothy Lee of Pinal County; for Assistant Treasurer, Larry Pickard of Maricopa County and; for Assistant Sergeant at Arms, Buster Johnson of Mohave County. Further nominations for any position may be accepted from the floor at the meeting.

The only position that has two candidates is that of the Arizona Republican Party Chairman. Incumbent Chairman Randy Pullen is being challenged for re-election by political consultant Lisa James, both are from Maricopa County.

Lisa James started her political career working for the Illinois Legislature. In 1988 she was a volunteer for Jack Kemp for President and in 1992 worked on the Bush/Quayle campaign. Many people know Lisa from her work as Arizona director of the Bush/Cheney Arizona Victory 2000 effort.

In 2004 she was chairman of "No Taxpayer Dollars for Politicians," ballot initiative and the Arizona executive director for Bush-Cheney '04. Lisa served as the director of the Arizona Republican Party Victory 2006 campaign and in 2008 she chaired the Giuliani for President campaign in Arizona.

Two years ago Lisa ran for Chairman of the Arizona Republican Party and lost to Randy Pullen by four votes.

Lisa James is married to Gordon James and works together with him at Gordon C. James Public Relations. Gordon James is one of the original members of the "Wake Up Arizona Coalition," a group of business people, led by McDonald's franchise owner Mac Magruder, which includes Maricopa County Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox. The Wake Up Arizona Coalition was organized in response to the passage of the Arizona Fair and Legal Employment Act, which provides sanctions against employers who knowingly hire undocumented workers. This group has backed court action to overturn the law and were defeated and they have vowed to defeat any candidate or legislator who supports sanctions against employers hiring undocumented workers. The laws author, Arizona Senator Russell Pearce, who is a Pullen supporter, told Howard Fisher of the Capitol Media Services that, "These are folks who simply don't want the law enforced," and that the law protects companies that hire only legal U.S. residents from unfair competition and that Magruder and his coalition, "wanted employer amnesty."

Randy Pullen began his career as a high school math teacher and junior college computer programming instructor and later went on to get an MBA in Finance from ASU and worked as an accountant and consultant with Deloitte & Touche, where he became a partner in 1988. Randy is the founder and chairman of Wage Watch, Inc

Pullen was a candidate for Mayor of Phoenix in 1999 and 2003 and campaigned on a platform of fighting crime, reducing city spending and reforming the City of Phoenix immigration policies. He was the Republican National Committeemen from Arizona from 2004 until his election as Arizona Republican Party Chairman in 2007.

Randy has a solid history of opposition to illegal immigration, he was chairman of the 2004 landmark ballot initiative, "Yes on Proposition 200, Protect Arizona Now," which required proof of citizenship before any individual could register to vote or apply for public benefits in Arizona. Despite heavy opposition, voters approved Prop. 200.

Both Lisa James and Randy Pullen have web sites listing their supporters, Lisa at http://www.lisaforchairman.com/ and Randy at
http://www.randyforchair.com/index.html

Randy, who is popular with the parties grassroots, has limited his list of supporters to current members of the Arizona Legislature and current state party officers. Among those endorsing Randy Pullen are: Arizona Senators; Thayer Vershor, Sylvia Allen, Ron Gould, Linda Gray, Jack Harper, Barbara Leff, Al Melvin and Russell Pearce along with Arizona House of Representatives members; Frank Antenori, Cecil Ash, Andy Biggs, Tom Boone, Judy Burges, Steve Court, Sam Crump, Doris Goodale, David Gowan, Nancy McLain, Steve Montenegro, Frank Pratt, Doug Quelland, Carl Seel, David Stevens and, Jerry Weiers. State party officers endorsing Randy Pullen for party chair include; First Vice Chairman Larry Pickard, Second Vice Chairman Bill Bridwell, Third Vice Chairman Parralee Schneider, Party Secretary Linda White, Party Treasurer Timothy Lee, Republican National Committeemen Bruce Ash and, Assistant Party Secretary Marne Haney.

Lisa James seems to have listed all her supporters along with their spouses in some cases. Among those supporting Lisa James are: Arizona Senator Steve Pierce; Arizona House members; Nancy Barto, Rich Crandall, Laurin Hendrix, Bill Konopnicki, Lucy Mason, John McComish, Andy Tobin and, Michele Reagan who was endorsed by Planned Parenthood for the Arizona House. Former legislators endorsing Lisa James include; former Arizona Senate President Tim Bee, former Representatives Cheryl Chase, Laura Knaperek and Barry Wong. Other notables endorsing Lisa James are: former Maricopa County School Superintendent, Dr. Sandra Dowling, Wake Up Arizona Coalition member Barry Goldwater Jr., Tempe Mayor Hugh Hallman, Justice of the Peace and former legislator Clancy Jayne, Arizona Chamber of Commerce President and employer sanctions opponent Glenn Hamer.

It has been reported that Arizona Right to Life has reviewed questionnaires completed by both Lisa James and Randy Pullen and found that both candidate's answer's were in-line with the agenda of Arizona Right to Life PAC.

ARIZONA CONSERVATIVE REPULICAN - Opinion/ Endorsement

There is a fight in the Republican Party between those who want the party to be controlled from the top down and those that believes it should be controlled from the grassroots up. Every American political party must be controlled from the grassroots up if it is to represent the interest of the average citizen. Corporations and military units may be controlled from the top down because those at the top have the authority to set policy and to remove or court martial those in the organization who do not comply with upper management, political parties have no such control over their members, not in this country.

For a political party to win election, it must be a bridge between the elected officials in government and the people, the grassroots of the party is the foundation of that bridge, they know the concerns of the people first hand, those in Washington or even at a state capitol may become distant from the average voter and overly influenced by lobbyist and other representatives of special interest who are only concerned with their own best interest and not those of the average voter.

This attempt to control the Republican Party by the Washington establishment has caused a serious divide in the party over the issue of illegal immigration. As the people and the grassroots of the party was demanding that illegal immigration be controlled, the Washington establishment of the party, called for a guest worker program and giving those in the country illegally an opportunity to become citizens, in effect, solve the problem of too many illegal immigrants by making them legal immigrants.

The establishment Republicans forgot that the GOP was not a corporation but is an American political party of free citizens who cannot be told what position to take on any issue. The grassroots of the GOP reflected the views of the vast majority of Americans, that illegal immigration was out of control, and demanded a secure border and enforcement of our immigration laws, but the establishment, country club Republicans weren't listening to the grassroots, they were listening to the demands of the business community to continue the supply of cheap immigrant labor. The top of the party, which sided with the business community, tried to force it's position on the grassroots of the party, who pushed back and demanded illegal immigration control.

This fight for control has divided the party and continues to this day. One side must win and the other acquiesce, if the Republican party is to continue as one of the two major American political parties. If the party establishment wins this fight for control, the grassroots will abandon the GOP and the Republican Party will go the way of the Whigs. As Republicans we cannot allow that to happen.

At the Arizona Republican Party Statutory meeting on January 24, 2009, it is obvious who represents the grassroots of the party and who represents the party establishment. The American Conservative Republican sides with the American people and the grassroots of the GOP and therefore wholeheartedly does hereby endorse retaining Randy Pullen as the Chairman of the Arizona Republican Party.