January, 2008

Dear fellow WFRW Members,

Welcome to 2008:  one of the most exciting election years -- ever.  Are you ready for the challenges ahead? 

Not since 1952 have we had a presidential election year where neither the incumbent President nor Vice President were running.  Nation-wide, we should see continued phenomenal interest in the presidential candidates.  And, did you know that over 60 percent of the eligible voters in Washington State were not even born yet in 1952!

In Washington State, selection of presidential candidates comes down to two very significant events.  First is your precinct caucus on Saturday, February 9th at 1 pm.  These will be held in homes, schools and churches in your neighborhoods.  Take this opportunity to talk to your neighbors who are Republicans and make sure they know they are welcome at their precinct caucus.  If you do not know where your caucus will be held, contact your county party. 

The second event is our state's Presidential Primary on Tuesday, February 19th.  To be eligible to vote in this election, you must be registered to vote by January 19th.  I know that YOU are certainly registered to vote, but you might want to remind new neighbors and friends.  Our Secretary of State, Republican Sam Reed, has a short video about the upcoming Presidential Primary you can watch on YouTube.

One word of caution, with an accompanying personal challenge to each of you: it is possible that the Republican Party's nominee for President might not be your preferred choice.  Do not let that stop you from supporting our Party's candidates.  Please, join me in a pledge to support the party ticket.  

And there are a variety of ways we can be supportive. 

At the RNC's Women's Leadership Conference held in Seattle last June, we were reminded that women have come a long way in politics.  "In the old days" women were expected to address envelopes -- but when the topic was policy or finances, everyone seemed to turn to men for a decision.  That is certainly not the case now.  Just look at our own Washington State Republican Party:  Beth Crane is the Finance Director and Jill Fagan is the Political Director.

Today we can be campaign managers and chairs of finance committees.   But if you don't have the time or interest in taking a leadership position in a campaign, always keep in mind that members of the WFRW continue to provide the backbone of the volunteers who address the envelopes, help out at the County Party booth at the fair, ring the doorbells, and make the phone calls to help identify Republican voters and to Get Out The Vote.  To help you, we have added a Candidates page to our website.  Please take this opportunity to check out the campaigns and add your name to the list of those endorsing our Republican candidates.

WFRW President Judy Needles with Dino Rossi, GOP candidate for Governor

                                                                                                  With all best wishes,