We attended the Muskegon County Republican Committee meeting this afternoon at the corner of Sherman and Henry. The attendance was good and it was invigorating to be with like-minded souls for a short time. While I don’t advocate for all the platforms of the Republican Party, they are the party most closely aligned with my personal beliefs. Less government influence, sanctity of life and the right to succeed or fail without government intervention top my list of core beliefs. Attending the meetings allow me to seek counsel from previous and current candidates and hopefully avoid some of their costly mistakes. I will make enough “original” mistakes in the campaign season but I don’t need to duplicate previous mistakes if I can learn from other seasoned candidates.
I believe that I am the only announced Republican Party candidate at this time though I know of others that are considering running. My candidacy is early in the campaign and I worry about voter indifference at this early time. Therefore I have done a “soft” opening with the announcement of my candidacy and will wait a little longer to formally announce to the newspapers. The last national/state election was overwhelming and I believe that my constituents are still recovering from the last onslaught by candidates and the blitz of advertising. Our plan is to send a packet to each newspaper in the 91st District announcing my candidacy and giving them a biography background and a view of my stand on the major issues. Campaigning begins in earnest in the early spring, but the winter will be taken up with making as many presentations to civic groups within the District. It is sure to be a busy year.