9th District GOP Leadership Conference Shows Real Leadership

On Saturday, the Ninth District Republican Committee held the first of what I hope to be many Leadership Conferences. This event was held in Wytheville, which is a central point of the district, and it was wildly successful. Over 50 people were in attendance of the event, and a great time was had by all.

Ninth District Chairman Adam Tolbert had this to say:

Congressman Griffith and I have been working on this for a while. I made a promise when I ran (for Chairman) that I would hold a conference similar to this. I want the Unit Committees and their Leadership to know their role in the GOP. I want to give them new ideas for their local candidates.

And what a success it was! There was an extremely diverse amount of Republicans in the crowd, this wasn’t just your typical GOP meeting crowd. Many “GOP Establishment” and “Tea Party” leaders from Roanoke County to Lee County (which is a 200+ mile round trip) came together to talk at this meeting and were actively engaged on very important issues.

There were 5 sessions, with a variety of thoughts from each presenter. RPV Chairman John Whitbeck was there and gave a speech on the Party and did a Q&A. State Senate Candidate and Roanoke County Unit Chair David Sutterlein did a presentation on role of Unit Committees. Matt Moran, House Speaker Bill Howell’s Comms Director, gave a fantastic presentation on Media and Messaging for Local Unit Committees. There were also presentations on Fundraising for Unit Committees by Kevin Gentry and a presentation from Mike Thomas on Party Plans.

Congressman Morgan Griffith was also in attendance and gave a great speech at the beginning. He gave this statement to Bearing Drift: 

The Heart and Soul of the GOP are represented at this event. People are coming here and learning how to do things better in politics. This is the most Republican District in Virginia, yet we don’t realize the impact we have on Virginia. We could have found Ed Gillespie the votes, and then we would have a Republican United States Senator. This is a great event.

Speaking with leaders from around the 9th, the event was focused on unity and building the party. Its finding out what works and what doesn’t. The things that work in Lee County may solve a problem with the Montgomery County committee, or any of the committees for that matter.

Lastly, it was great just to see old friends again. I grew up in the “Fighting 9th,” and I started getting involved with the party when I lived in the 9th. It was great to see friends from the political world that you have fought in the trenches with for so many years. We see each other at too many meetings with actual business, its great just to have lunch with someone from deep Southwest and catch up on life. It’s great to meet new people and work with old friends to find new ideas for winning.

Simply put, this Leadership Conference was a smashing success. Leaders from all wings of the party were able to converse and learn new ideas to make the Republican Party of Virginia stronger. If I was a district Chair, I would be calling Adam to get his advice on planning my own Leadership Conference. Hats off to Congressman Morgan Griffith, his team, and the 9th District GOP Leadership. This event was a sure success that I hope to attend for many years to come!