It’s a very simple question. The past few election cycles in Fairfax have been disastrous for the GOP. In 2016, President Trump scored only 28% while Hillary Clinton got 63% of the county vote. In football terms, that is 9 touchdowns to 4 touchdowns, a rout by any measure.
In the November 2017 statewide elections, the GOP candidates for Governor, Lt. Governor, and Attorney General lost in Fairfax County by an average of about 35%. How could they expect to win statewide with such miserable results in Virginia’s largest county? They couldn’t, and didn’t. But that doesn’t tell the whole story. There were seventeen delegate elections to represent various sections of the county; FCRC could not even field a candidate in nine of those races. This was a Godsend for Democrats who didn’t have to waste any time, effort, or money in those districts and could concentrate their political fire on the 8 Republicans who did run campaigns. Predictably, the GOP representation in the House of Delegates fell from 65 to 51 and that 51st delegate had to win a coin toss to be seated. In Fairfax County, only Tim Hugo survived, barely, to represent Republican voters.
Clearly, something must change or Republican citizens are stuck with “representatives” who do anything but represent their core beliefs and values. In the face of these ruinous results, the current Chairman of the Fairfax County Republican Committee (FCRC) has graciously decided to not run for reelection. Therefore, there will be a Convention on March 17th where his successor will be chosen by Fairfax County citizens who registered to vote in that election.
Two good men are running: Tim Hannigan and Mike Ginsberg. Everyone knows their credentials by now but my vote goes to U.S. Marine Lt. Col. Hannigan because we need new blood and new ideas at the top. Mr. Ginsberg, the current FCRC Operations Chairman promises to recruit candidates years in advance, to have past candidates mentor new candidates, to identify a handful of issues for them to run on, to reinvigorate high school Republican clubs, to welcome ideas from all corners, etc., etc., etc.
As, arguably, second in command in the current FCRC structure, why did Mr. Ginsberg not make any of this happen before? Why has the FCRC been silent on issues important to the citizens of Fairfax? Why were confiscatory property taxation, illegal immigration, the Board of Supervisors penchant for wasting our money, ever rising water bills, unrelenting traffic congestion, and an extremely generous retirement system for county employees (to name a few issues) never addressed by the FCRC? How about the abominable Family Life Education Curriculum Advisory Committee (FLECAC) that introduces various types of sexual activities to elementary school kids? Will his proposed “virtual precincts” yield virtual candidates to run virtual campaigns and virtually win elections? They could hardly do any worse than we’ve seen lately.
Tim Hannigan is an outsider who doesn’t speak in clichés and platitudes. He intends to establish a database to manage volunteers who will do work they like and are good at during times they decide they can work. He intends to incorporate a voter application system to target, survey, and document voters to improve their participation during elections. He will, in fact and not rhetorically, highlight issues important to Conservatives in Fairfax and actually get candidates to run in EVERY election. FCRC meetings will be a venue for committee members to share ideas and concerns rather than just sharing smiles and cold pizza. I have never been asked for an opinion at any FCRC meeting. Have you?
Tim’s plan is to raise exactly the kinds of issues listed above and use them to return control of the out-of-control Board of Supervisors and School Board to Conservatives who respect common decency, the right of taxpayers to not have their pockets picked daily, and to not have their children propagandized and told they can be male or female depending on their mood that day.
As I said, these are 2 good men and both have a place in the FCRC going into the future. But, only one is cut out to be the leader who can reverse the recent electoral debacles. My vote is going to Tim because I want to win again; I hope you do, too.
