My Fellow Texas Republican,
Throughout the coming weeks, I will remain in direct contact with important status reports to keep you connected with the latest information during this pandemic and its impact on the strategic operations and business of the Republican Party of Texas.
The main thing I want you to take away from this email and to know every day is this: we are working incredibly hard to keep our plans on track for Victory in November. The business of the Republican Party of Texas is working to elect and re-elect our Republicans from the White House to the courthouse. We are prepared and excited to continue to execute on the winning plan we mapped out and set in place over the last 18 months to deliver all of our electoral votes for President Trump and win big for Republicans across Texas on November 3. We will stay on course for Victory in November and we ask you to join us in that mission!
A BRIEF RECAP
Last week, I shared my gratitude to Republican Leadership across our great state as they complied with their local emergency declarations and either held their Senate District or County Conventions safely because they were under the 10-person threshold, or adjourned their meetings for a later date so that they would take place after May 15 – outside the 8-week CDC suspension window. Leaders of nearly three hundred conventions ensured that an effort that could have come off the rails very easily instead worked smoothly and efficiently. Thank you all, very much, again.
This Saturday, April 4, the State Republican Executive Committee (SREC) will meet electronically. This is our next step to finalize the details to officially move our State Convention from May 14-16 to July 16-18 in Houston.
CORONAVIRUS SOCIAL DISTANCING GUIDELINES EXTENDED TO APRIL 30
In his Sunday news conference, President Donald Trump extended his Coronavirus social distancing guidelines to April 30. Today, at his press conference, Governor Greg Abbott joined the President in extending those guidelines out to April 30 for the state of Texas. This specific extension does not affect the postponements of our Senate District and County Conventions, as RPT had already recommended moving those local Conventions well past May 15, and made provisions for them to be held as late as June 27.
The Republican Party of Texas is 100% committed to the Coronavirus response plans that continue to be communicated by President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and Governor Greg Abbott. We have a duty to the safety and the health of those who work at the Party and those who wish to become delegates to the State Convention. The President, Vice President and the Governor have given us the information we need to make the decisions we must in a time when we need it most.
The Republican Party of Texas remains committed to doing all we can to flatten the curve and #slowthespread of Coronavirus. Please continue to stay up-to-date on the latest executive orders of President Trump and Governor Greg Abbott. We will continue to stay in touch with you about how news from our leaders affects the strategic operations and business of the Republican Party of Texas.
I echo the President’s message and that of our Governor – please stay safe and heed the guidelines that have been announced. Your health is of the utmost importance. RPT has gone to great lengths to do our part to keep you healthy and stop the spread of this awful illness. This virus is very contagious and not worth the risk of a careless outing. Let’s continue to pray for each other and keep up communication and visits online while we cannot be together in person.
RPT SERVES DURING THE PANDEMIC
RPT has reignited #RPTServes to connect those Texans who need help with those who can help.
#RPTServes is once again calling for “all hands on deck”. Though we all must practice social distancing and take every precaution to prevent the spread of this virus, there is much that we as individuals and as a community can do to assist and affirm the most vulnerable during this pandemic. I kicked off #RPTServes by donating blood. You can catch the video here if you missed it.
We are asking all Texas Republicans to help out. Some of the ways you can do so include: checking in on your neighbors to see how they are doing, giving blood at a blood bank to support those at the hospitals and keep up the inventory, donating to a local food bank to help families in need, calling first responders or health care workers to see if you can support them with coffee or breakfast or offer to cover the cost for those items, or by creating a Facebook group to keep those in your neighborhood connected.
Today is Great American Takeout Tuesday! #RPTServes encourages support for our local restaurants by ordering takeout meals throughout the week or purchasing gift cards to celebrate special occasions or to support our first responders and healthcare workers.
We have posted these and other ideas at our RPT Serves Facebook group. Join that group today by clicking here!
NEWS ON STATE CONVENTION & CONVENTION HOTEL ARRANGEMENTS
The SREC will meet electronically this Saturday, April 4 to vote on the move of our State Convention from May 14-16 to July 16-18 in Houston at the George R. Brown Convention Center. The RPT Officials Committee recently cleared the path for RPT Executive Director, Kyle Whatley, to negotiate details of contract revisions with the George R. Brown Convention Center, the Marriott Marquis (our Convention hotel) and with other Convention vendors in preparation for the April 4 SREC Meeting.
RPT will be opening Convention registration and the first hotel room block after the Easter Holiday on April 15. Out of consideration for those who will be holding their County/SD conventions in May or even June, we will not be releasing the full block of rooms at the Marriott Marquis Hotel when registration opens on April 15. Instead we will be releasing the first block on April 15, when registration opens, then again in May and again in June. All the dates and times for releasing rooms will be posted well in advance.
Grassroots Club members who sign up with an annual membership or monthly membership at $25 per month have first advance access to book convention hotel rooms ahead of each new room-block release! If you are not already a member, sign up for the Grassroots Club today!
Because of pre-existing commitments at the Marriott Marquis for the new convention dates we will not have as large a room block as we had for May. We will, though, also have room blocks available at several hotels that are a short walk to the Convention Center and on a shuttle route that runs continuously between those hotels and the convention center Monday – Friday.
NOVEMBER IS COMING
I am grateful for the vision and foresight to begin our march to victory in 2020 immediately following the 2018 election. Had we not spent every day since that election preparing for victory this November, we would be in a very difficult position right now. But because we went to work immediately in November 2018 to prepare for November 2020, we are right on track to execute our plans despite the worst pandemic in a century. Because of the vision and foresight we had and the hard work we put in, the Republican Party of Texas ended 2019 with a record $4.4M on hand and we head into this second quarter of 2020 with a never-before-reached $4.7M on hand to defeat Democrats this November.
We are making the necessary adjustments from in-person to phones and digital efforts for our field staff. Training is continuing online. We will continue to work tirelessly to hit our milestones as we continue to move forward to Victory in November.
The Republican Party of Texas is going to stay on the right track to win in November for President Trump and our Republicans up and down the ballot!
Join us on this critical mission to see Victory in November! One way you can help keep up our momentum and do so at a safe distance — sign up for our 10K for 10R program to help register voters. We have our RPT VEP team on the phones now and they are getting new voters registered in Texas! You can be a part of it, too! Volunteers like you are the lifeblood that will keep our momentum strong! Sign up today and an RPT VEP staff member will call you to get you going!
This is an unprecedented time, and we face unprecedented challenges. But this is a time – and these are challenges – that we will conquer as long as we are united. I will continue to be in communication with you as we navigate this unique time for our Party.
As President Trump says, we are all in this together. Let’s keep working together to WIN TOGETHER in November 2020!
For Victory,
James Dickey
Chairman, Republican Party of Texas
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