by Ken Spitz - 5/21/2009

The April 2009 election proved once again that “All politics is local”.

Yes, they were local elections.  But, they were being held against the backdrop of the “Obama Honeymoon” and intense media speculation about the “death of the GOP”.

And, yet DuPage County voters elected every Republican candidate in all nine Townships.

Wayne Township Republicans fought local media lies by taking our message directly to the voters. In six weeks, we knocked on 9,000 plus doors and mailed over 20,000 postcards and personal letters.  Just over 80% of the households we targeted produced one or more voters in the April election.  Of course, we don’t know how individuals voted; but, based on precinct-level results, a significant majority supported Republican candidates.

I am more convinced than ever that the key to Republican election success is located in the nine township Republican organizations.

The base and Republican-leaning independent voters want to hear directly from the party.  And, at the grassroots, the township organizations are the Republican Party!

While knocking on those 9,000 plus doors, we encountered only a handful of people who were openly hostile.  What kept us going were the thousands – yes, thousands -- who took the time to talk with us on their front porches.  The vast majority weren’t mad.  They were thirsty for information.

They wanted to know the candidates cared about their opinions.  And, they were impressed that a representative of the Republican Party knocked on their door.  The facts bear out that the vast majority of those people voted for our candidates.  Had we not reached out to them, they may have stayed home on Election Day.

Today, each campaign is a separate independent organization performing the same tasks.  There is so much waste of time and money in these overlapping efforts.  I’m not advocating that candidates cede complete control of their campaign to the party.  But, doesn’t it make sense to utilize the resources of the nine township Republican organizations for the common good?

Candidates, we understand that the big money will continue to be spent on media buys, mass mailings and fundraising events.  But, don’t forget the Republican “foot soldiers” at the township level.  We likely hold the key to victory.

Ken Spitz is Chairman of the Wayne Township Republican Organization.  In April, Ken was re-elected to his third-term as Wayne Township Highway Commissioner.