In Case You Missed It - LISA JAMES Article in the AZ Capitol Times 'Yellow Sheet'

An article in yesterday’s Yellow Sheets covers Lisa James campaign for Arizona Republican Party Chairman. A copy of the article is below.

Please visit Lisa’s campaign website, www.lisaforchairman, to find out more about Lisa’s vision for a brighter future for the Arizona Republican Party.

Thank you!


James: Several factors led to leg edge

ARTICLE POSTED 1.7.2009 5:17 PM

State GOP chair candidate Lisa James says grassroots workers and candidates themselves were responsible for the party's legislative wins this year.

It also didn't hurt, she said, that the marriage amendment was on the ballot, and the state's senior senator was at the top of the ticket.

Also helping GOP candidates was the expensive legal battle fought over the course of the last four election cycles on redistricting, she said

"They've spent a lot of money and, without those [redistricting] lines, we wouldn't have made the gains that we did. So it's a combination of things."

On Pullen, James told our reporter she knows he's appreciated for his hard work and concern for the party, but said people are ready for a change.

"We've given him the opportunity to lead, and I think they're ready to see what someone else can do."

Members of the party are concerned about fundraising, or
lack thereof, excluding people from the party and the huge drop in voter registration, she said, adding the net loss in voter registration was more than 50,000.

"We can't afford to keep going at that rate." James said chairman's job is not to create policy, but rather to support the party platform, recruit and train PCs and candidates, register voters, raise money and turn out the vote.

"We elect our elected officials to deal with policy," James said.

"Let me be clear that I'm an inclusive leader, and that's how we win elections."

James has a Web site (http://www.lisaforchairman.com/ ) and is sending out letters to state committeemen today. Letters have not been sent previously, she said, because not all state committeemen have been elected.

The vote for chair is Jan. 24.