An historic election will soon be taking place in Fairfax County, VA. It is the race for the Chairmanship of the Republican Party. The candidates are Tim Hannigan, a retired Marine Lt. Colonel, and the current Chairman’s hand-picked successor, Michael Ginsberg, an attorney.
This past election cycle, the Republican candidate for Governor (Ed Gillespie) managed to get 45% of the vote, statewide, but only 31% in Fairfax. The story was about the same for the Lt. Governor and Attorney General races. Fairfax City, a municipality sitting in the middle of and surrounded by Fairfax County was virtually just as inhospitable for the Republican candidates. When one stops to realize the size of the population in Fairfax County, 1.1 million citizens, it is plain to see how statewide races can be determined in Fairfax.
The current Chairman has decided to resign in the wake of this disastrous showing so there is now a competition to fill his seat at a county convention on March 17th. When a failed leader selects his successor, does anyone believe that successor is willing to change his benefactor’s failed policies and strategies? Does anyone believe a hand selected replacement will figuratively bite that hand that picked him by admitting to past failures and make innovative structural changes? Does anyone believe the anointed one will have the fortitude to fight the true political enemy, the Democrat Party, by taking strong stands on issues important to the citizens of Fairfax when his patron never would? I don’t either.
Tim Hannigan has led a Marine battalion in combat during Operation Desert Storm. He has been a Vice President at companies like Northrup Grumman and handled multi-million dollar budgets. He has led large organizations in the private sector and even publishes the online Fairfax Free Citizen newspaper. His opponent is a lawyer for a government contractor and the current Operations Chair for the Fairfax County Republican Committee (FCRC). For a recitation of his successes, I refer you to paragraph 2 above. Oh, and 2/3 of the County’s Republican precinct captain slots are empty. How’s that for operating an organization?
The question is, simply, do Republicans want to actually win races for political office or not? Democrat leadership has turned the County into a congested, high tax, sanctuary for illegal aliens that people who have been here for a long time can no longer recognize. Democrats were voted into office by a motivated Democrat base aided in no small measure by the inertia of a Republican Party’s management that could not even muster a candidate in 9 of its 17 local Delegate races.
Clearly, we need a new direction. Tim Hannigan has pledged to make the Chairman’s position a full-time job to which he will dedicate 40 to 60 to whatever the number of weekly hours will be necessary to raise Fairfax’s sinking Republican ship. He will work out of the FCRC office in Fairfax City and will make himself available day or night to meet with the various ethnic, political, and professional groups that make up the County’s citizenry at any time of day or evening. His children are grown so he will be able to dedicate his fulltime attention to winning races. Mr. Ginsberg already has a fulltime job and has a small child that will, obviously and deservedly, demand time and attention. This is not a criticism, just a statement of fact dictated by nature.
To me, the choice is clear: Tim Hannigan for Chairman.
8 comments
Some good and relevant points here for Hannigan, as opposed to some side show things I’ve seen elsewhere. Are we going to have equal time for his opponent?
TBE will published reasoned opinions from both sides, if they’re offered.
I wish all the best to whoever wins between Mr. Hannigan and Mr. Ginsberg. What makes Fairfax County so difficult is the number of federal bureaucrats who reside in this large jurisdiction.
However, for statewide office, we do not have to win Fairfax County, but we need to do better than 31 percent. If we even just get 40 percent, I bet the Democrats will start becoming very nervous.
Agreed!
Bingo.
Downstar,
Tim will be able to devote his full time and attention while at the same time he mentioned at the recent Candidate forum as a way to save approx $60,000 will handle what the Exec Director would get paid to do saving all this money.
There are folks wiithin the committee who will line up like good establishment soldiers behind Ginsberg to demonstrate their loyalty to the establishment. These are the same folk who go out of their way to bake cookies for elected officials,jump when Matt Ames barks at them to make sure that the event they are planning for the committee is gong to be “nice” as he did at one committee meeting.
Tim much like Trump is disrupting the status quo of this committee and they feel under siege. The can’t hide from the committee’s debts, poor fundraising record, and the catastrophic election losses so they are now using personal attacks, lying about how Tim ran his own precinct when his precinct outperformed the majority of precincts under Ginsberg’s responsibility as Fairfax Ops Chair.
It is also important to make sure we elect Tim because he is a loyal Trump suppoter,a conservative activist. I would much have a former LT Col in the Marines, over a Republican political hack anyday of the week coming up with a plan to start winning elections. Ginsberg failed as the Fairfax OPs Chair. Lets give Tim a chance to turn the tide on the FCRC.
What Herrity and Comstock need to understand is that they will continue to lose enormous political capiltol if Mike wins. There will be a continue mass exodus by the volunteers who are actually working the precincts on Election Day out of disgust. Membership and donations are already down under Matt’s dictorial Leadership and folks view Mike will be more of the same.
We owe it to our President as well to elect a GOP Chair that actually supports our President. Ginsberg has attacked President Trump on his own social media sites. This has been exposed and now Ginsberg has changed his tune towards the President. Don’t be fooled! Mike was handpicked by Matt,Barbara, and Pat. Remember that saying,”Birds of a feather flock together!”
When you say a full-time job, is this a paid position that is being created for future chairmen, or is this just saying that Tim is able to devote more time to it?
This is an unpaid position. Tim is volunteering his time. He is serious about revitalizing the Republican Party voice in northern VA.