Endorsement by Rick Tyler, former National Spokesman for Ted Cruz for President*
Vince Haley has my heartfelt and enthusiastic endorsement for RPV State Chairman.
I have known Vince Haley for 14 years, working side by side with him for five of those years with Newt Gingrich.
Vince is a man of integrity and conviction. He is absolutely committed to conservative principles.
Vince has the character, integrity, humility, and passionate commitment to keeping our party and our Republic strong and anchored to our first principles that are desperately needed in our Commonwealth and nation right now.
Vince is no stranger to fighting political correctness and defending principles. Ten years ago, when the former president of the College of William and Mary removed the cross from the school’s 232-year-old Wren Chapel, nobody inside the William & Mary dared to publicly challenge the president’s decision. On principle, Vince organized and led a successful grassroots effort for six months to restore the cross permanently to the Chapel.
In his state senate campaign last spring he campaigned on a platform of lowering Virginia’s tax rates through sharply limiting the growth in state spending in order to create jobs and bolster economic growth in the Commonwealth. He also advocated for a much stronger response by the Virginia state legislature to EPA plans to decimate Virginia coal country.
It is because of Vince’s character and conservative convictions that Senator Ted Cruz endorsed Vince in his State Senate campaign last year.
I have devoted my entire career to fighting for the principles enshrined in the Republican Creed. I have worked on numerous campaigns including for presidential candidates Newt Gingrich and, most recently, Ted Cruz.
Time and again I’ve been reminded that Republicans must always have a “trickle UP” philosophy when it comes to political power.
Our party is rooted in the belief that power doesn’t reside in institutions, bureaucrats, or white marble buildings. It resides in the people who do the business of getting up and going to work every day, feeding their families, and holding their representatives in government accountable.
We all know that the reason we fight so hard against big government is to keep power localized and accountable to the people.
But it’s also why the seemingly mundane tasks carried out by a state party — resourcing local units, fundraising, gathering data, supporting nominees, sharing the Republican message, and crafting a plan and strategy to grow the party in coming elections — are essential. What happens in local units impacts a state, and what happens in states can have a make-or-break impact upon our federal government. No political faction or party infrastructure operates in a silo.
Our party will become irrelevant if we don’t constantly seek to align ourselves with our principles and act in accordance with them. This applies even to basic party rules and processes. When we stray from the basic principles of honesty, transparency, and allowing even those with whom we have differences to have a seat at the table, we risk a lot more than just a chaotic state convention. We risk our credibility with each other. And this means we’ll spend more time fighting each other than we will with our eyes on the real opponents — the radical progressives who seek to dismantle everything that has made America great.
And all this brings me back to Vince Haley.
I have known Vince since he joined the Gingrich team back in 2003. In the wake of 9/11, Vince wanted to be a part of fighting for the principles that would keep America strong and free.
Over the years I watched Vince demonstrate the character qualities that voters always seem to lament as lacking in the political class: a commitment to fight for fundamental issues even when it’s politically unsavory; an ability to think creatively about how to frame issues instead of using stale, rehashed talking points; and personal character and integrity rooted in his faith.
I have complete confidence that Vince possesses the character and moral fiber necessary for the leadership our party desperately needs. He will never deviate from our defending our creed. I have complete confidence that Vince will respect even the voices of those with whom he disagrees — I know this because I have witnessed his character firsthand. He will never place his own personal interests above his responsibility to ensure that our principles are supported by a party infrastructure that never betrays our trust; that remains free of corruption and rejects the manipulation of rules and processes.
I urge my conservative friends to vote for Vince Haley for RPV Chairman at the RPV State Convention this Friday and Saturday in Harrisonburg.
*for identification purposes only
Disclosure: Aaron Gulbransen is an unpaid consultant for the Vince Haley campaign.
