Republican Women of the North

A message to members of the Vilas County Republican Party:
(Delivered at the Grand Opening of the Conservative HQ July 19)

As the elected leaders of the Vilas County Republican Party, we would like to take this opportunity to clarify for the public our rationale for how we decide to treat prospective candidates running under the republican brand. Because Vilas County has historically trended towards the Republican side of the ticket, it is a common practice for local candidates to declare as Republicans simply because it is in their political best interest to do so, and not necessarily because they adhere to Republican ideals such as smaller government, free markets, or lower taxation. For many years, local candidates unknown to us have come forward just months before an election, proclaiming their credentials as Republicans and asking for our support, only to disappear once the election is over and remain unseen until the next election cycle comes around. And although we as the party leadership ultimately have no say in who decides to run under the Republican name sake, we will, to the best of our ability, give support to those candidates who have established Republican credentials and who we believe best represent the ideals of the Republican Party. How does one establish such credentials? First and foremost, a person should be a dues paying member in good standing with the Vilas County Republicans and or, the Wisconsin GOP or National GOP. Second, and perhaps most important, a person needs to show up to our meetings and to our events long before they decide to run for office. From the organization and planning that goes into the Lincoln Day Dinner or The Great Debate, to the preparations for the 4th of July parades, many hard working volunteers work selflessly year in and year out to ensure the Republican Party is well represented here in Vilas County. If a person joins us in such efforts, and establishes that their views are in line with ours, we will do the best that we can to support them when they decide to run for office. But understand that we believe the greatest mistake the Republican Party has made in recent years is the practice of supporting candidates simply because they claim to be Republicans. We believe that in order to truly reform our country for the better, we must first ensure that the candidates being put forth by the party are true conservatives, and not those simply using the party name to attain public office. Lacking other means, one of the best ways of accomplishing this is to support those people who have come to the Republican Party asking how they can help us, and not those who come to us looking to help them.

Jim Knuth Vilas GOP Chairman 715-686-7746

Kim Simac Vilas GOP 1st Chair 715-479-8784

Jeff Kirschmann Vilas GOP 2nd Chair 715-545-3335

Vilas County Republicans:  vilas.wisgop.info

Republican Women of the North, Northern WI, rwotnorth@gmail.com