State GOP must embrace change

Posted 11/14/2008 09:28:00 AM

By Allen McCulloch

On Nov. 4, the Republican Party of New Mexico suffered its worst electoral setback in modern times -- quite possibly since statehood. Republicans in our state are on the verge of complete and total irrelevancy, and it’s time for a dramatic change in the leadership and direction of our party.

In an editorial on Nov. 7, the Albuquerque Journal expressed concern over the loss of several key Republican legislators in this year’s election -- including Sens. Leonard Lee Rawson and H. Diane Snyder, and Reps. Eric Youngberg and Teresa Zanetti. Two other Republican legislative seats -- currently held by Sen. Steve Komadina and Rep. Justine Fox Young -- remain too close to call, though initial tallies appear to favor the Democratic candidates.

During a time of economic uncertainty for both our state and nation, as the Journal noted, the economic conservatism of these Republican legislators will be sorely missed. Each of these legislators gave years of sweat equity to our state and party. However, despite our party’s use of “expert” Republican consultants from Albuquerque and Washington, D.C., this year, our most vulnerable failed to receive the resources they needed to succeed on Election Day.

In addition to our devastating losses in the Roundhouse, Democrats took control of a U.S. Senate seat that had been held by Republicans since 1973, as well as U.S. House seats in the Albuquerque area and southern New Mexico -- seats that had been held by Republicans since 1969 and 1981, respectively.

If this utter electoral disaster has taught us anything, it is that our state party is in desperate need of new leadership and vision. Our party needs the kind of change that does not pit Republican against Republican, retaliate against its own members in the Legislature, or turn a deaf ear and blind eye toward building strong county organizations. We must now start a process of rebuilding, so we have the ability to not only defend existing Republican turf, but also pick up what ground has been lost. We must all come together to achieve this vision.

Getting back to basics

The Republican Party of New Mexico must fundamentally change the way it approaches the electorate and move away from “business as usual.” To move forward in the Obama era, Republicans in New Mexico must go back to basics. We must elect a party leader who is just as interested in building a solid grassroots organization and registering new voters in counties throughout New Mexico as it is with fundraising. We must embrace new leaders who are inclusive and engaged in all parts of our state.

With this in mind, it is critical for the Republican Party of New Mexico to go back to building a solid foundation at the county party level. Our state’s GOP leadership must become more proactive in building and strengthening county and precinct structures across New Mexico. Over the past several years, the state Republican Party has turned its focus away from building an effective ground game and has become far too content with stagnation at the grassroots level. This must come to an end. A strong grassroots base for our party is the only way we can facilitate the registration of new voters, the recruitment of solid candidates and the engineering of an effective get out the vote effort.

All politics is local

They say all politics is local, and a major aspect of strengthening the grassroots will be getting our party engaged at every level. The state GOP must also interface more with our legislators, mayors, commissioners and city councilors -- from Farmington to Hobbs, Reserve to Santa Rosa.

When we lose sight of the grassroots, as our current leadership has, we become out of touch with the thoughts and needs of everyday New Mexicans. Before we can even consider the 2010 election, the Republican Party of New Mexico must make a critical decision as it chooses its leaders in 2009 -- will we stay with the same failed leadership of the past four years, or will we embrace change?

With hard work, dedicated leadership, and a strong vision, the Republican Party can move forward and again rise up as a relevant player in New Mexico’s political discourse. But we must first embrace significant, across-the-board change to move our party forward -- regaining the ground that was lost this year, and leading us to victory in 2010 and beyond.

McCulloch, MD, was the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in 2006. He and his wife Gayla reside in Farmington. (Editor’s note: I’d be remiss if I failed to point out that speculation is rampant that McCulloch wants to be the new state GOP chairman.)