Van Tran for Congress

Republicans on the Hunt for Messengers as Party Moves to Reconnect With Voters

FOXNews.com
Tuesday, May 05, 2009

The GOP, which launched a new campaign over the weekend to market Republican ideas to voters, is placing a high priority on recruitment — part of its attempt to stop the bleeding of Republican seats in Washington and local governments across the country.

As Republicans try to hit the right message in a bid to re-engage the American public, they’re also on the hunt for the right messengers.

The GOP, which launched a new campaign over the weekend to market Republican ideas to voters, is placing a high priority on recruitment — part of its attempt to stop the bleeding of Republican seats in Washington, D.C, and local governments across the country.

“We’re interested in quality,” said Frank Donatelli, chairman of Republican recruiter GOPAC.

The recruitment push is unavoidably part of the GOP quest for identity and leadership. President Obama, an untraditional candidate from an untraditional background, helped Democrats define themselves and win over followers during the end of the Bush years. Now Republicans are looking in out-of-the-ordinary places for candidates who can enthuse Americans and pick up seats in their name.

With the build-up of recruits underway, party leaders are hopeful and holding up their efforts scouting politicians like Van Tran, a California assemblyman and the first Vietnamese-American elected to a state legislature.

Republicans want him to unseat Democratic Rep. Loretta Sanchez in Congress next year.

On the local level, New Hampshire state Rep. Marilinda Garcia, who won a special election for the seat last month, also has been getting some attention. The musician and court-appointed advocate for abused children is 26 years old, a woman and Latina, out-of-the-ordinary traits for a Republican candidate.

Donatelli, who through GOPAC focuses on finding Republicans to run in state and local races, said his group is combing the field for “non-traditional” candidates.

That covers members of any demographic group that doesn’t traditionally vote Republican in large numbers — Hispanics, blacks, union members, young people and women, as well as other minorities. By recruiting them, the party hopes to appeal to a broader base.

“We want to make a special effort, I think, to reach out and bring together a broader spectrum of candidates that might, over time, grow the Republican base,” Donatelli said.

He said the party, on the local level, is also looking for well-known community leaders, including business men and women, who are skilled speakers and know how to talk specifics when addressing GOP priorities.

“Sometimes we talk in generalities, and I think voters are a lot more discerning today,” he said.

Paul Lindsay, spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee, said the same criteria apply in the search for U.S. House and Senate candidates. He said community leaders, not necessarily office-holders, and people from “non-traditional” backgrounds are in high demand.

He provided a list of recent GOP recruits for congressional races that showed promise. The list included Tran in California. It also included Honolulu City Councilman Charles Djou and Manchester, N.H., Mayor Frank Guinta. All would be challenging Democrats for Congress in their respective states.

“It’s still early in the cycle, but we’re off to a solid start in recruiting community leaders who have their own brand and can expand the playing field in seats currently held by Democrats,” Lindsay said in an e-mail…

FOR THE COMPLETE STORY VISIT:
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/05/04/pub-republicans-hunt-messengers-party-moves-reconnect-voters/