2012 Presidential Campaign Blog

Tony Sutton Elected Today As Chair Of The Republican Party Of Minnesota

Republican Party Of Minnesota Today Elected Tony Sutton As Chair Of The Republican Party Of Minnesota

 “I am grateful to have been elected Chair to the Republican Party of Minnesota.  I am committed to revitalizing our Party to live up to its great heritage of prosperity, liberty, family, and limited government,” RPM Chairman-elect Tony Sutton said. “I want to thank my opponents for a spirited campaign that brought out the best in our Party.  We will hit the ground running as we work to rebuild our base, improve our organization, spread our conservative message, and elect Republicans in every corner of the state.”

Tony Sutton was born and St. Paul and graduated from Hibbing High School and currently lives with his wife, Bridget, and their four children in Inver Grove Heights.  Starting his political work knocking on doors for President Ronald Reagan in 1986, Tony has served on numerous campaigns and Republican committees on both the local and national level including his work as Executive Director of the Republican Party of Minnesota.  Most recently, Tony has served as Secretary-Treasurer of Republican Party of Minnesota from 2005-present.  Tony is also a successful entrepreneur and CEO of the Minnesota based Baja Sol Restaurant Group.

Republican Party of Minnesota Elects Michael Brodkorb Deputy Chair

Republican Party of Minnesota today elected Michael Brodkorb as Deputy Chair of the Republican Party of Minnesota at its State Central Committee Meeting at the Earle Brown Heritage Center.

“I am humbled to have been elected Deputy Chair of the Republican Party of Minnesota.  Working in concert with Chairman Tony Sutton, I look forward to helping bring our Party back to its status as Minnesota’s Majority Party,” Brodkorb said.   “Incorporating new technologies, reaching out to young voters, and bringing new faces into our Party, we will elect more Republicans to every level to further the principles that have made our country strong: life, liberty and prosperity.”

Republican Party of Minnesota Elects David Sturrock as Secretary Treasurer

Republican Party of Minnesota today elected David Sturrock as the Secretary-Treasurer of the Republican Party of Minnesota at its State Central Committee Meeting at the Earle Brown Heritage Center.
 
“I am thankful to have been elected Secretary-Treasurer of the Republican Party of Minnesota.  Throughout my campaign, I heard from our grassroots leaders about the need to provide more support to activists, and I am committed to working with our Party’s leadership team to provide the critical training and resources they need," Sturrock said.  "With strict adherence to the Republican values of fiscal discipline and accountability, we will ensure our Party has the resources necessary to grow our ranks in elected office.”

Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty 2010 Press Conference Photos

Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty 2010 Press Conference Photos

Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty 2010 Press Conference

Waiting for Tim Pawlenty to announce his 2010 intentions. Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty announced today that he would not seek a third term.

"Serving this great state has been the great honor of my life.  I’m profoundly grateful for the opportunity to serve the wonderful people of Minnesota.

My administration has made a major, positive difference for Minnesota.  We developed and deployed the best support programs for members of the military, their families and veterans in the country.  We led the nation in developing a cleaner, more secure and more America-based energy future.  We led the nation in education reform and results, have been nation-leading in redesigning and improving health care and much more. 

And importantly, we imposed some much-needed discipline on government in this state by keeping a lid and taxes and spending.  We even succeeded in achieving the long-standing goal of moving Minnesota out of the top ten states in taxes.

But, being Governor should not be a permanent position for someone.  

With length of service in public office, a little less is always better than a little too much.  It’s a lesson I learned spending time in places like the Croatian Hall in South Saint Paul, where there is inevitably less joy and more trouble in too much pizza or too much  beer.  We don’t have term limits in Minnesota, but we do have good judgment and common sense.  We are a government of laws and ideas, not personalities.

Be assured, though, that I will make the most of the nineteen months left in the term Minnesotans have given me.  I will continue to spend every day doing what’s right for them. Minnesota will get my very best until I’m done.  There is much important and difficult work remaining, and I will tackle it aggressively and finish strong.

The Scriptures say “there is a time for every purpose”.  For me, the purpose of the next nineteen months will be to do the very best I can for Minnesota."

RNC Chairman Michael Steele today Announces Appointments To Temporary Delegate Selection Committee

RNC CHAIRMAN MICHAEL STEELE ANNOUNCES APPOINTMENTS TO TEMPORARY DELEGATE SELECTION COMMITTEE

WASHINGTON – Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman Michael Steele today announced the appointment of Ohio National Committeeman Bob Bennett, Wisconsin National Committeeman Steve King, Florida National Committeeman Paul Senft, former Maryland Secretary of State Mary Kane, former Michigan Republican Party Chairman Saul Anuzis, former Office of Personnel Management Director Kay James, former Iowa Republican Party Chairman Brian Kennedy, former White House Spanish media spokesperson Mercy Schlapp, and former New Hampshire Attorney General Tom Rath to the RNC Temporary Delegate Selection Committee.

“I am proud to announce the appointments of this impressive group of people to the RNC Temporary Delegate Selection Committee.  They are all exceptionally qualified people and I look forward to working with them in the future,” said Chairman Steele.

The RNC Temporary Delegate Selection Committee serves to review the timing of the election, selection, allocation, or binding of delegate and alternate delegates to the Republican National Convention. In accordance with The Rules of the Republican Party, the RNC Chairman appoints three RNC members and six non-members to the RNC Temporary Delegate Selection Committee, which is already comprised of four elected RNC members.

Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour To Headline Republican Party Of Iowa Event

Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour to headline premier Republican event:
Night of the Rising Stars to celebrate new Republican outreach efforts

Des Moines, IA – Matt Strawn, Chairman of the Republican Party of Iowa, today announced that Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour will be the featured guest for the Party’s premier event of the year, titled:  “Night of the Rising Stars.”  Governor Barbour will be surrounded by an exciting group of new, young Republicans who are taking the Capitol by storm.

Strawn said, “Governor Barbour is a rock star in the Republican Party.  He led the national party to stunning victories in 1994 and then defeated an incumbent Democrat to become Mississippi’s Governor.  Couple his winning vision with the renewed Republican spirit as embodied in our Iowa Republican rising stars and in the new leadership provided by Rep. Kraig Paulsen and Sen. Paul McKinley and you have the recipe for success in 2010.”

“Governor Barbour is providing his state with the type of competent, common-sense conservative government that Iowa so desperately needs," said Strawn, citing Gov. Barbour’s handling of post-Katrina disaster rebuilding and his efforts to encourage business development and job creation while exercising fiscal responsibility.

The event will be held at historic Hoyt Sherman Place.  Event details include:

Thursday, June 25
5:30 cocktails, 7:00 program
Hoyt Sherman Place
Des Moines, IA

Strawn concluded, “There is no neighborhood or community off limits to the Republican Party or our relevant solutions to real life problems.  Our principled conservative message of limited government, entrepreneurship, and strong families will find a home in the hearts and minds of Iowans and will carry us to victory in 2010.”

United States Mint Launches John Tyler Presidential $1 Coin at 10th President’s Virginia Home

United States Mint Launches John Tyler Presidential $1 Coin at 10th President’s Virginia Home

CHARLES CITY, Va. - The United States Mint celebrates a new $1 coin today to honor John Tyler, the 10th President of the United States.  Former President Tyler's grandson, Harrison Tyler, joined United States Mint Deputy Director Andy Brunhart to celebrate the coin's release.  The event took place at Sherwood Forest Plantation, the home of President Tyler.  The official launch of the coin into general circulation is May 21.

"The John Tyler Presidential $1 Coin is the 10th coin issued by the United States Mint to honor those who have served in our Nation's highest office," Brunhart said.  "Americans will be reminded of President Tyler's contributions each time they use the coin, and we hope that will be often.  The Presidential $1 Coins are convenient to use for everyday commerce and 100 percent recyclable.  They also are great teaching tools." 

Brunhart and Tyler gave each child under 18 years old a new John Tyler Presidential $1 Coin to commemorate the event. There was no coin exchange at the event.  However, collectors may purchase rolls of John Tyler Presidential $1 Coins beginning at noon Eastern Time on May 21, at www.usmint.gov or by calling 1-800-USA-MINT (872-6468).  Hearing- and speech-impaired customers may order by calling 1-888-321-MINT (6468).  There is no order limit on the rolls of Presidential $1 Coins. 

The obverse (heads side) of the John Tyler Presidential $1 Coin features a dramatic portrait of the former President and the inscriptions JOHN TYLER, IN GOD WE TRUST, 10TH PRESIDENT and 1841-1845.  The coin's reverse (tails) bears the image of the Statue of Liberty.  The inscriptions 2009, E PLURIBUS UNUM and the mint of origin (P or D) are incused on the coin's edge. 

John Tyler was born in 1790 to a prominent Virginia planter family.  Tyler, a lawyer, served as a Virginia state delegate and governor, U.S. Representative and U.S. Senator.  He also served as vice president for one month under President William Henry Harrison.  Tyler was the first vice president to take office following the death of his predecessor.  At that time, the U.S. Constitution was not clear on succession.  Rather than give up the office or accept limits on his power, President Tyler assumed all the duties and powers of an elected president, setting an important precedent.  President Tyler supported Texas statehood, a controversial proposition at the time.  He signed the bill annexing Texas three days before leaving office after his defeat in the election of 1844.  Tyler retired to his Virginia home, Sherwood Forest, named to reflect his political "outlaw" status.  He died in Richmond, Virginia, in 1862.

The Presidential $1 Coin Act of 2005 requires the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue Presidential $1 Coins to honor the U.S. Presidents in the order in which they served.  Four new designs will be released annually. 

United States Mint Launches Second Redesigned One-Cent Coin Honoring Abraham Lincoln’s Indiana Roots

United States Mint Launches Second Redesigned One-Cent Coin Honoring Abraham Lincoln’s Indiana Roots

LINCOLN CITY, Ind. - The United States Mint held a ceremonial launch today at the Lincoln Amphitheatre in scenic Lincoln State Park to mark the release of the second redesigned one-cent coin (penny) struck in honor of the bicentennial of Abraham Lincoln's birth.  The new one-cent coin-released to the Federal Reserve today-features a reverse design representing Lincoln's formative years in Indiana.

"This second design reflects the formative years of Abraham Lincoln's life in Indiana, when he developed the qualities that served as the foundation for his extraordinary life," United States Mint Director Ed Moy said.

Joining Moy to celebrate the coin's release were Connie Nass, chairwoman of the Indiana Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission (IALBC); Darrel Bigham, professor emeritus of history at the University of Southern Indiana, Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission (ALBC) commissioner and IALBC member; and Joan Flinspach, chief executive officer of Presenting the Past, ALBC commissioner and IALBC member. 

Following the ceremony, children ages 18 and younger received a newly minted one-cent coin bearing the "formative years" design, and adults were able to exchange their currency for a minimum of two rolls and up to six rolls of coins bearing the new design.  The coin, packaged in a two-roll set, also became available at noon ET on the United States Mint Web site, www.usmint.gov, and at the toll-free number 1-800 USA-MINT (872-6468).  The set contains one roll each of coins from the United States Mints at Philadelphia and Denver.  There is an order limit of five sets per household.

The formative years design, by United States Mint Sculptor-Engraver Charles Vickers, is the second of four new designs Americans will see on the reverse of the penny this year.  Inscriptions on the reverse (tails side) of the redesigned Lincoln Cent are UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, E PLURIBUS UNUM and ONE CENT.  The obverse (heads) of the coin bears sculptor Victor David Brenner's likeness of President Lincoln, introduced in 1909.  Inscriptions on the obverse are IN GOD WE TRUST, LIBERTY and 2009.

Upcoming United States Mint products honoring Abraham Lincoln's 200th birthday include numismatic versions of the four redesigned pennies minted in 95 percent copper and five percent tin and zinc-the same metallic content as the 1909 coin.  The coins will be minted in proof and uncirculated conditions, and will be included in the United States Mint's annual product offerings and as part of a special Lincoln Coin and Chronicles Set.

Title III of Public Law 109-145-the Presidential $1 Coin Act of 2005-authorizes the United States Mint to issue four different one-cent coins throughout 2009 to recognize the bicentennial anniversary of President Abraham Lincoln's birth and the 100th anniversary of the production of the Lincoln Cent.  The first reverse design, representing his birthplace in Kentucky, was released into circulation in February.  Reverse designs representing Lincoln's professional life in Illinois and his presidency in Washington, D.C., will be released later this year.  At the end of the 2009 Lincoln Bicentennial One-Cent Program, the one-cent coin will feature a reverse design emblematic of President Lincoln's preservation of the United States of America.

Free lesson plans about the 2009 Lincoln Bicentennial One Cent Program are available online at:  http://www.usmint.gov/kids/teachers/lessonPlans/. 

John Tyler Presidential $1 Coin to Be Released May 21, 2009

John Tyler Presidential $1 Coin to Be Released May 21, 2009

WASHINGTON - The United States Mint will release the 10th coin in the Presidential $1 Coin Program into circulation on May 21, 2009, in honor of former President John Tyler.  Beginning at noon Eastern Time the same day, collectors can purchase rolls of John Tyler Presidential $1 Coins directly from the United States Mint for $35.95.  There is no order limit on the rolls of Presidential $1 Coins.
 
Each roll contains 25 circulating quality coins that were struck on the main production floors at either the United States Mint facilities at Philadelphia or Denver.  President Tyler's portrait is featured on the obverse (heads side), along with the inscriptions JOHN TYLER, IN GOD WE TRUST, 10TH PRESIDENT and 1841-1845.  A striking image of the Statue of Liberty is on the reverse (tails).  Incused on the coin's edge are the inscriptions 2009, E PLURIBUS UNUM and the mint of origin (P or D).  Packaging for the rolls displays the mint of origin, face value of the contents ($25) and United States Mint logo.

Orders for the rolls of John Tyler Presidential $1 Coins will be accepted at the United States Mint's secure Web site, www.usmint.gov.  Telephone orders will be accepted at
1-800-USA-MINT (872-6468).  Hearing- and speech-impaired customers may order by calling 1-888-321-MINT (6468).  A shipping and handling fee of $4.95 per order will be added to all domestic orders.

As an added convenience, customers may enroll in the United States Mint's Online Subscription Program to receive future rolls of Presidential $1 Coins as they are released.  For more information about this convenient ordering method, please visit www.usmint.gov.

Vice President Biden Issues Statement Following Meeting with Al Franken

Vice President Biden Issues Statement Following Meeting with Al Franken

"The election process and recount in Minnesota have lived up to the state's reputation for organization, transparency, and bipartisanship.  The officials have been meticulous and every ruling has been unanimous. 

"While Senator Amy Klobuchar is one of the hardest working members of the United States Senate, Minnesotans deserve their full representation. 

“Once the Minnesota Supreme Court has issued its final ruling in this case, the President and I look forward to working with Mr. Franken on building an economy for the 21st century.”