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Ohio Republican Party Chairman Kevin DeWine
DeWine
announces resignation following party controversy
State Auditor Dave Yost posts comment on the announcement
COLUMBUS - This evening, in a letter to Ohio Republican Party State
Central Committee Members and county chairmen, Chairman Kevin DeWine
announced that he will be stepping down as Chairman on April 13.
Chairman DeWine’s successor will be elected at the Ohio Republican
Party State Central & Executive Committee reorganization meeting on
April 13. DeWine has served as chairman of the Ohio Republican Party
since January 2009.
April 4, 2012
Dear State Central Committee Members,
Shortly after my election as your chairman in 2009, following Barack
Obama’s win in Ohio and the Democrat takeover of the Ohio House of
Representatives, I introduced a 10-point strategy designed to bring
about the Ohio Republican Party’s political resurgence through a united
set of goals. The plan called for restoring our party’s conservative
credibility, developing a broad policy-driven agenda, re-engaging the
middle class, and modernizing our voter contact programs. In light of
our historic victories in 2010, the results of this “Leading Ohio” plan
speak for themselves.
A favorable political environment can motivate base and swing voters;
however it’s the party’s identification and turnout apparatus that
makes the difference in tight statewide and legislative races. Since
2009, the Ohio Republican Party has collected more data points --
nearly 6.6 million -- than any other state in the nation. Approximately
3.7 million of these contacts were made in 2010, a record for a midterm
election year. The party infrastructure we built enabled us to sweep
every statewide office, elect Rob Portman to the U.S. Senate, reclaim a
majority in the Ohio House of Representatives and build upon our
majority in the State Senate. We also elected the first woman Chief
Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court and picked up five congressional
seats, positioning John Boehner to be elected Speaker of the U.S. House
of Representatives.
But we didn’t rest on those historic electoral victories. We worked
together to stand in defense of conservative reform efforts in 2011 -
not because the fight was politically popular, but because it was
necessary to revive our state’s struggling economy. On behalf of Senate
Bill 5 and the Health Care Freedom Amendment, Ohio Republicans broke
voter contact records on volunteer calls (1.3 million), doors knocked
(108,000), and targeted precincts (1,733) mobilized in an off election
year - and we dealt a crushing blow in all 88 counties to what many
view as the signature domestic achievement of President Obama’s first
term in office.
It’s clear that our work together over the past three years has ushered
in a new era of conservative governance in our state, the success of
which is best exemplified in the fact that Ohio has achieved a balanced
budget, and is once again a leader in job creation.
Today, our state organization is a strong and relevant voice on the
national stage and the pieces are now in place to carry Ohio for our
presidential nominee. I’m proud of these achievements and I’m proud
that you and I worked together to accomplish this legacy.
Now, factions within our party are aligned to fight over who is best to
lead us forward. A meeting looms where that fight could erupt into a
party-splitting dispute that no one will win and everyone will lament.
I’m honored by the large number of State Central Committee members who
are willing, even eager, to fight to sustain my leadership. Yet I
cannot in good conscience let that fight go forward. If I did, it would
be putting my personal interests over our party’s best interests. And I
care too much about our work to do that.
That’s why, at our State Committee meeting on April 13, I will step
aside as Chairman of the Ohio Republican Party. During that meeting, I
will oversee the election of my successor, following which I will take
my place beside you as a peer on the Committee as we fight for the
future of our state and country.
I will continue to serve our party, our elected officials, and our
candidates in many ways including as a member of the National Finance
Committee of the Republican National Committee. RNC Chairman Reince
Priebus has asked that I join him in the effort to ensure two critical
goals: to make certain that Republican candidates, including our
nominee for president, have the resources they need to be successful in
November, and that we fulfill the mission of making Barack Obama a one
term President.
The time I’ve spent as your Chairman has afforded me the unique
perspective and understanding that we are all but temporary keepers of
a party in which power is derived from the people we are sworn to
honorably represent. It has truly been a privilege, and a highlight of
my professional career, to have served as your Chairman with the goal
of making our communities, our state and our nation stronger and more
prosperous. I’m proud of our collective triumphs and the fact that
together, for the benefit of our children’s future and all Ohioans, we
have made our party stronger organizationally and electorally over the
past three years than at nearly any time in history. I stand committed
to working with you in serving the party we all love and respect for
many years to come.
Respectfully, Kevin DeWine
Chairman, Ohio Republican Party
The following statement may be attributed to Auditor of State Dave Yost
on the resignation of Ohio Republican Chairman Kevin DeWine:
“Gov. Kasich has been the strong leader Ohio needs, and no one can
quibble with Chairman DeWine’s winning record at the ballot box,” Yost
said. “Kevin’s honorable act tonight allows us to unite for the
general election -- and focus on defeating President Obama’s failed
policies.”
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