Who should be the next Governor?

You decide!

I hear lots of complaints from my conservative friends who pay attention to politics. There’s a lot of frustration out there—especially at events at the federal level. They’re frustrated with the Republican National Committee or with certain members of Congress who vote with Democratic positions. “Why doesn’t somebody DO something?” my friends ask. “Who’s holding them accountable?”

Technically, the voters hold the elected officials accountable, but with concerns about election integrity, many people wonder if the system is working as originally designed. So what should we do? Lay down and give up? Refuse to vote? Let this country be ruined by Marxists and the globalists who are trying to take over? No, we’re going to have to try some new things if we want to win.

Worse yet, in Washington, some people say Republican’s have gotten into the habit of being losers. There’s a certain amount of truth to that, because Washington’s Republicans have never really adjusted to the jungle primary. Election after election, Republican candidates undercut each other in the most important races and two Democrats progress to the general election.

Even worse, the Washington State Republican Party and many county parties have traditionally refused to endorse candidates prior to the primary election. “Let the voters decide,” was the old way, but when we don’t endorse early, conservative voters are left wondering who to vote for in the jungle primary.

Trying something new.

This year, the Washington State Republican Party is going to try something new as part of making needed strategic adjustments. Somebody IS doing something, finally. It’s taken a lot of work behind the scenes to bring the plan to this point.

The WSRP is going to endorse candidates for state-wide office early—by mid-April. And better yet, we’re looking to the Republican voters to choose whom to endorse.

To do this, the WSRP is having an endorsement convention on April 18-20. Every delegate at the WSRP state convention will have a chance to vote for their favorite candidate for governor and other statewide races. The convention delegates will decide on the best candidates, and the WSRP will throw the weight of its endorsement behind the candidate chosen by the people.

In addition, the WSRP has asked all of the candidates to participate in the process by honoring and supporting the endorsements of the one Republican candidate in each race chosen by the convention delegates.

Who is running for Governor?

According to the PDC, we have two Republican candidates for governor: former US Congressman Dave Reichert and Semi Bird. Because Reichert is well known and has strong fundraising appeal, he has raised just over $927,000. Bird is not as well known, but he’s managed to raise $over $272,000. Both gentlemen are qualified and would serve the people well as governor. I urge you to do some research on these candidates. You can learn more about Semi Bird at Birdforgovernor.com. Reichert’s campaign website is ReichertForGovernor.com.

The path to doing something!

You want to do something? Attend the state convention and support your favorite candidate! Here’s the path to becoming a delegate to the state convention.

First, attend your county caucus, which will be on Saturday Jan. 13, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. This date and time is set by the WSRP. The caucus will start promptly on time, so arrive well before 10 a.m. to check in. The caucus will discuss platform issues AND elect delegates and alternates to attend the county Republican convention.

At the county convention, delegates will finalize a county platform and elect delegates to attend the State convention in April. The state convention delegates will repeat that process: finalizing a state platform and electing delegates to attend the national Republican convention in Milwaukee, WI. And for the first time, delegates to the state convention will hear from all of our 2024 state-wide candidates, and vote to endorse one candidate for each position. By sending one strong candidate into the primary, Republicans will have a better chance to win.

Who’s doing something? YOU ARE! You could be a delegate all the way to the National Convention! You could help choose the best state-wide candidates. YOU are the person making things happen. Your path starts at the county Republican caucus. See you there.

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Nancy Churchill is a writer and activist in rural eastern Washington State, and the state committeewoman for the Ferry County Republican Party. She may be reached at DangerousRhetoric@pm.me. The opinions expressed in Dangerous Rhetoric are her own.

Notes:

1) PDC, 2024 Candidates for Governor, as of 12-9-2023. https://bit.ly/489l1Po

2) Semi Bird for Governor. https://bit.ly/3RAEcvX

3) Reichert for Governor. https://bit.ly/3NkUlTR