Sessions Releases Letter for NRCC Chairman Re-Election

Washington, DC – National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Pete Sessions (R-TX) today sent the following letter to his House Republican colleagues:

November 10, 2010

Dear Republican Colleague:

First, allow me to thank you for your support of the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC). While I have had the honor and privilege of serving as Chairman for the last two years, without your involvement our return to the majority would have been impossible.

In fact, in January of 2009, many around Washington and in the national media spread the idea that regaining the majority was impossible – that our Republican vision of limited government, personal freedom and fiscal responsibility was obsolete.

Thankfully, I was not the only person who disagreed with the conventional wisdom and believed these reports of Republican demise to be greatly premature. Our newest House Republicans did their part by stepping up to take on entrenched Democrat incumbents or retain competitive open seats. Our returning Members also joined the fight by playing offense while providing critical support and mentorship to these candidates both in their districts and in Washington.

Working together, we proved that Republicans have good ideas and the courage to stand up for them – that we are listening to the American people and that together, we could come all the way back.

As a part of the new majority team, I am writing today to ask for your support to remain Chairman of the NRCC for the 112th Congress. It would be my honor to continue to serve our Conference through the upcoming challenges of re-electing over 80 Freshman Republican Members, navigating congressional re-districting, and maximizing our future opportunities in a presidential election cycle.

I would like to share with you a brief outline for how with your continued support the NRCC will maximize its performance in the “Four Rs” – Retention, Redistricting, Recruitment and Resources – to move forward and build on our success:

Retention:

Our incoming Republican freshman class is the largest since 1938. Simply as a function of its size, this class will have specific needs that the NRCC must meet so that they can hit the ground running and are prepared to explain their goals and achievements to voters and to play offense in advance of next election.

The NRCC will work with each incoming Member to develop an individualized strategic and tactical plan for coalition-building and outreach in advance of a new electoral playing field in the redistricting and presidential election year of 2012. We will also build upon the successful mentorship program that benefitted our freshmen as candidates, and continue their development as legislators and new members of the House Republican team.

Redistricting:

Leading into the 2012 elections, Republicans will control the process for drawing the lines of 193 congressional seats. Democrats will draw 44 seats, and control of the process will be split for 76 seats. A non-partisan commission controls the process for 88 seats, 7 are at-large seats that will not need to be redistricted, and the remaining seats depend on currently undecided elections.

Over the last two years, the NRCC has built a program for understanding each state’s redistricting process and working with state legislators to prepare for them. We will continue to build on these relationships to maximize our advantage.

Recruitment:

This past cycle, the NRCC recruited 430 Republican Congressional candidates – including top-tier candidates in the 100 most-promising seats in the nation. This strategy paid off, with over 80 new Republicans winning election to join our team.

Even after this tremendous success, many opportunities remain where solid recruitment will make a difference. The GOP has lost control of 24 suburban districts since 2006 – and while we won back 16 of those 24 on Election night (with 1 still in recount), the remaining seats represent great opportunities for us going forward. Depending on final election tallies, up to 12 Democrats were also re-elected in seats that John McCain won in 2008 – and that we can win back in 2012. Finally, Republicans won 13 of the 14 competitive Democrat-held open seats – meaning that we can continue to create opportunities for solid recruits next cycle by putting enough pressure on senior Democrats to convince them to retire.

We can continue to grow our majority in 2012 by making sure that we continue the successful recruitment plan that we implemented this cycle.

Resources:

Member participation at the NRCC was substantially higher over the last two years than it was in any previous cycle. Collectively, Members not only met their cycle assessment of $65 million – they exceeded it by an additional $5 million. 106 Members of our Conference met their full cycle assessments, with 12 Members raising $1 million or more for the effort.

With over 80 new Members joining the Conference, we should be prepared to do even better. Since 2008, we have tripled the number of individuals donating $25,000 or more – even though we had fewer incumbents raising these funds. Our newest Members will help to build upon our current major donor and regional fundraising strategy successes.

Our increased membership and fundraising advantages also mean that we will be able to continue playing offense. Last year, the NRCC successfully expanded the playing field by getting involved early in races, where we won 52 of the 66 districts in which our Independent Expenditure (IE) invested. We will be in an even better position in 2012 to stretch the Democrats’ comparatively smaller resources if we prepare now.

Over the last two years, I have insisted upon bringing dozens of Members within the organizational structure of the NRCC – giving every interested Member real responsibilities, the opportunity to provide valuable feedback and a personal stake in our shared success, not just a title.

Going forward, I will continue to rely upon the help and support of our entire membership to keep NRCC efforts such as “Young Guns,” the “Patriot Program,” and “Sell the Fight” as successful as they were in this historic cycle.

I appreciate your consideration of these ideas and I humbly request your support in my candidacy for Chairman of the NRCC. I look forward to continuing to serve as part of a leadership team that builds and grows a lasting and productive majority for our party and for the nation. I welcome your feedback, and I look forward to addressing any thoughts or ideas you might have about these or other NRCC functions.

Regards,

Pete Sessions