My Op-Ed in Midland Reporter-Telegram Today

If you missed page 7B of Today’s Midland Reporter-Telegram, here is the op-ed that you missed.

Midland Reporter- Telegram Nelson Spear Campaign

You Are Electing More Than “Just A County Chair.”

NELSON SPEAR
County Chairman Candidate

“It’s just County Chair.” While campaigning for the privilege of representing Midland County Republicans, I have heard some people say those exact four words. Sometimes, the statement comes out in the form of a question like this one: “Now tell me why you are working so hard and spending your own money to get a job that hardly anyone wants and pays nothing?” I want to thank the Midland Reporter-Telegram for giving me a chance to explain why I feel that being Chairman of the Midland County Republican Party is a very important job.

This is a critical time for Republicans in Texas. While Midland County itself may not be in danger of going Democrat, Barack Obama and Wendy Davis have their own plans to turn Texas Democrat. It is clear that if Texas’ electoral votes do not go for the Republican nominee in the Presidential elections, no Republican can ever be elected President.

The Democrats know this. Following Wendy Davis’ infamous abortion filibuster, millions of out of state dollars poured into Texas to help her take the governorship away from the Republicans. The Obama-Davis timing is great politically because some Republicans have fallen asleep in their security of always holding certain offices Republican.

Remember, the job of the Republican County Chair is to help Republicans get elected. If you look at the maximum Republican votes in Midland County’s last three Presidential elections, you would not know that this was the hotbed of Republican politics. Despite a booming economy and a booming population, Republican voting has not been booming. In 2004, 2008 and 2012, net Republican votes were virtually unchanged. Specifically, for those three Presidential election years, no Republican candidate received more than 37,000 votes. Further, we lost Republican votes from the 2008 election cycle to the 2012 election cycle.

An active Chairman needs to have a specific plan in place to deal with this challenge. My seven-point plan to turnout more Republicans is found at my website www.NelsonSpear.com.

Due to space limitations, I will discuss just two of those ideas:

  1. Communicating the Conservative Message:

I am a conservative. I am pro-life. I support and defend the second amendment. And, I believe that the greatest threat to the United States’ sovereignty is the national debt. I also think that just stating my beliefs is not enough; therefore, I write about my beliefs. Besides being a former federal prosecutor and an active oil and gas businessman, I am also an active conservative writer. Many of my articles on topics such as the endangered species act, abortion, welfare reform, drug legalization and the national debt have been published on a variety of websites.

Additionally, as part of communicating the conservative message, my wife and I and several others formed Despierta Tu Voz in 2012. This organization is dedicated to helping minorities realize that they themselves hold conservative values and they should vote those values. In 2013, we held an event in Centennial Plaza that included many notable Texans including Senator Ted Cruz who headlined the evening’s events.

  1. Being Accessible:

A county chair should be visible and accessible to the community. If you are a Republican and you don’t agree with me on all of my issues, you will still have a seat at the table to discuss the issues. I will return your phone calls. And for those of you who have been told by anyone in the Republican Party that we do not want your help, I will find a place for you to serve. And believe me, there is plenty of work to do.

So going back to the original question presented to me of why I am working so hard for the position of Chairman, I will conclude with this. First, I am not prepared to ask others to do what I am not willing to do first. That is why I am meeting people, putting up signs, and knocking on doors to personally ask for your vote. If I am elected, I will ask some of you to do the same. Second, there is a concerted effort to elect Liberal Democrats to state-wide offices here in Texas. Midland County is under-performing in getting Republicans out to vote. I believe I can do a better job than has been done in the past.

It may be “just county chair.” But I am choosing to take the job very seriously. The stakes are just that high. I would appreciate your vote and your support. Thank you.

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