Positive Campaigning in Milam County

As I look back at the last few years here in Milam County I am very proud of all the work that the folks in both the Republican Party and the Republican Women of Milam County have put in. In just four years we have built a conservative movement here in Milam County that as witnessed not only the first elected Republicans in Milam County, but a majority of Republicans in county office.

To Date, Republicans hold 14 of the 20 elected county offices – OUTSTANDING!

Most of the credit belongs to the candidates and the volunteers who have worked so hard to build the Republican Brand in Milam County. As the County Chairman I owe a great deal of gratitude to all those who have provided their time and money, as well as their active participation that has in turn provided untold motivation for me, for the Milam GOP Leadership, and for the candidates themselves – THANK YOU!

I would also like to thank everyone for what I consider the most important virtue of the Conservative Movement in Milam County – Staying Positive.

Unfortunately, there are many examples of negative campaigning, be it in federal, state, or local elections; however, from the first Milam GOP meeting I attended we have worked hard to conduct ourselves in a classy and positive manner while leaving the negative campaigning to others. As long as I am Chairman, I will continue to insist that candidates looking for the support and affiliation with the Republican Party of Milam County continue to do so.

In the most recent election we had one candidate for a county office who promised to run a positive, issue driven campaign. But when the rubber met the road, he used negative campaigning while claiming that he was simply using the incumbent’s record to demonstrate how his ideas would be better. Unfortunately his attacks (regardless of their accuracy) became more desperate as the campaign went on and he offended many voters as well as those in the party and in the end his negative actions resulted in him being soundly defeated.

While I am happy to report this sort of activity has been a rarity while campaigning at the county level, I am saddened to say that it is not and will not be the case at the state level. Currently we have several GOP candidates at the state level who are already using negative campaigning to attack fellow Republicans in the hopes of gaining votes – UNACCEPTABLE!

In the coming months you will begin to see the shaping of campaigns and feel an ever increasing exposure to those campaigns as we approach the November filing period and the March Primary Election. As always I will hold fast to the Milam GOP policy of supporting all the candidates who run under the GOP label in a fair and equitable manner. To those who chose negative campaign tactics, be advised that such actions will be met with little support from the Milam County GOP Leadership.

It’s not that the Milam GOP doesn’t support a candidate’s right to run their campaign as they see fit, we just want positive campaigning where the issues and ideas are discussed and the politics of personal destruction are a thing of the past. Remember, you can’t explain how you will make things better if you’re badmouthing you opponent.

Good Luck to all,
Bill


Bill Whitmire
Chairman
Republican Party of Milam County
www.milamgop.org