On Saturday, May 1, 2010, the Pittsburg State University College Republicans hosted a forum in McCray Hall for candidates running for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate. Invitations were sent to the two candidates considered viable in this race, Rep. Todd Tiahrt, and Rep. Jerry Moran, both sitting Congressman and from KS-04 and KS-01 Districts, respectively.
Following his pattern of well-documented avoidance of Southeast Kansas, Moran refused to show or even send a representative.
Congressman Tiahrt and his entire debate crew showed up and decorated the entire debate venue with Tiahrt Red signs and banners.
Nearly fifty people and students came to PSU to hear what the candidates had to say, and to personally ask questions. When the great “reluctant Republican” refused to show, Tiahrt was able to offer his plan for Kansas and the nation, unfiltered. As a hardcore Tiahrt supporter, that alone made me very happy.
In all, the event was a great success. The Congressman had a very successful discussion with everyone in the audience, displaying his firm support for fiscal conservatism, life, the War on Terror, immigration reform, and Israel, among others. Many took Tiahrt signs and signed up to support the Congressman in his run for Senate.
Rep. Todd Tiahrt in Pittsburg
The Pittsburg State University College Republicans and the Kansas Federation of College Republicans, along with four other Kansas chapters, have endorsed Todd Tiahrt for Senate.
Tags: College Republicans, jerry moran, kansas, Kansas Federation of College Republicans, KSFCR, Moran, Pitt State College Republicans, Pitt State CRs, Pittsburg, Senate, Tiahrt, Todd Tiahrt
[As many of you know, I serve as the Events Coordinator for the Pitt State College Republicans. This post is related to one of our events]
On the way home from our Arkansas Tea Party tour over the Independence Day holiday, Virginia Crossland-Macha began talking with me about her plans to host another large 400+ person event in SE Kansas on the Pittsburg State University Campus. We wanted to help people put to use some of the energy they’d built up over the summer to help defeat the government takeover of healthcare.
In the end, we settled on a theme for the event, based mostly on our location at the backside of the PSU Football Stadium, as “Tailgate Tea Party.” We figured it would be a great way to draw in college students and local citizens who otherwise wouldn’t attend a political event.
We lived up to the “tailgate” moniker, as well, with live music performed by Josh Hucke and the Goin’ Nowhere Band and free hot dogs and bottled water.
We had some direct resistance from the Campus Police Department, resulting in a logistical stand-off that forced our headlining speaker, Bob Basso, to use a trailer graciously provided by Josh Hucke as his dressing room. With some attendees traveling over an hour and speakers flying for several, it was terribly embarrassing to the students, faculty, and alumni of the university who were in attendance. Some participants even vowed to reconsider their donations to the school because of their treatment of our peaceful, educational event. How’s that for serious?
Frankly, our speaker list was terribly impressive, if I may brag on Virginia’s connections for a minute. We had big names in to speak from D.C., California, and, of course, more local places, such as Iola, KS, Topeka, KS, Joplin, MO, and Rogers, AR.
Bob Basso‘s Thomas Paine
Derrick Sontag, Americans for Prosperity-Kansas
Rebecca Wales, Smart Girl Politics
Teresa Oelke, Americans for Prosperity-Arkansas
Bud Sifers, Citizen from Iola, KS
AM 1310/102.9 FM KZRG, Joplin, MO provided the emcee for the evening
Also represented was AmericanMajority‘s new initiative, CampusMajority.
Pitt State College Republicans
In all, I consider the event to have been a great success. We hosted nearly 400 people from all over the four state area at a liberal university in a strongly Democratic area of the through-and-through red state of Kansas. I continue to believe tea parties are one of the most effective ways to engage the everyday, average right-of- center American where they are right now. Our organization has surely felt this influence, and we are very appreciative of the support we’ve gained.
Tags: AmericanMajority, americans for prosperity, Arkansas, Bob Basso, Bud Sifers, CampusMajority, College Repubicans, Derrick Sontag, kansas, KZRG, Missouri, Oklahoma, Pitt State CRs, Pittsburg State University, Rebecca Wales, Smart Girl Politics, Teresa Oelke, Thomas Paine, Virginia Crossland
Posted by caleb on Aug 26, 2009 in
Local and State Politics Saturday, August 22 was the Second District’s mini-convention in the State Capitol building in Topeka. Conservatives and Republicans from all over the District converged under the Rotunda for a day of workshops and networking. I attended a social networking class taught by Earl Glynn of the Kansas Meadowlark blog and in a crazy twist of events, found out I was sitting next to one of my followers on Twitter. It’s an even smaller world than I expected.
Overall, it was a great day. I listened to speeches from Rep. Lynn Jenkins (R-KS02) and Sen. Sam Brownback (R-KS), along with Rep. Todd Tiahrt (R-KS04 and U.S. Senate Candidate). Kris Kobach, candidate for KS Secretary of State, also spoke. Donning my Pitt State CRs Events Coordinator hat, I was able to meet great state legislators like Asst. Maj. Leader Peggy Mast and, the previous evening in Iola, KS, Rep. Bill Otto. I invited both of them to speak at a College Republicans meeting the next time they’re in Pittsburg. We’ve got a great schedule of speakers lining up already for this fall, so hopefully they RSVP soon.
Later that day, I attended the Lynn Jenkins reception. Lynn is one of the few politicians I truly believe in- I pray she keeps that trust.
Once again, Blackberry pictures, so I apologize for the quality.
Rep. Lynn Jenkins in the Kansas House Chambers
Sen. Sam Brownback
Josh Tucker, CR member, and me in the KS House Chambers
Tags: Bill Otto, Conservatives, kansas, kris kobach, Lynn Jenkins, Peggy Mast, Pitt State CRs, Republican, Sam Brownback, Todd Tiahrt
