Wise County Republican Committee
8420 Greendale Road
Wise, VA 24293
(540) 328-2987
Authorized by the Wise County
Republican Committee.
Copyright Wise County Republican
Committee 2001. |
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The Early Years
On
April 23, 1884, a multi-racial gathering of 1,000 delegates from Virginia's
nine congressional districts gathered for the first Virginia Republican
Convention at the Richmond Theater at the corner of Broad and 7th Streets
in Richmond, Virginia.
General William Mahone, U.S. Senator and former Confederate general and
railroad executive, was elected as the first Chairman of the Republican
Party of Virginia (RPV). During the twelve-hour meeting, Senator
Mahone proposed a resolution that still resounds 117 years later -- "That
from and after this day our party shall be known as the Republican Party
of Virginia; that in national affairs we shall follow the banner of the
National Republican Party; and shall support with zeal and fidelity its
nominees for President and Vice President."
Shortly after this historic meeting, Governor William A. Cameron changed
his party affiliation to align with the newly organized Republicans, becoming
Virginia's first and only Republican Governor until Linwood Holton's election
in 1969.
The Wilderness Years
Virginia Democrats dominated Republicans and controlled Virginia with an
iron fist from the 1880's until the late 20th Century. The Martin
and Byrd machines benefited from the 1902 revision of the state constitution
which was expressly written to disenfranchise two groups of peopls: blacks
and Republicans.
With the help of the poll tax, the absent voter's law, the literacy test
and other measures designed to restrict the electorate, Republicans had
few electoral prospects. The Republican Caucus in the General Assembly,
centered in the Fighting Ninth Congressional District, usually had only
a handful of members. At one point, there were only two Republicans
out of 100 Delegates and 40 State Senators. Things started to change
with Virginia's rapid suburbanization after World War II, but Massive Resistance
during the 1950's set back Republican advances for another generation.
Republican Breakthrough
With Sen. Harry Byrd's death in 1966 and the Voting Rights Act, which prohibited
tactics such as poll taxes, Republicans finally began to break the Democrats'
grip on power. Further, as Virginia Democrats followed the National
Democrat Party left, many conservative Democrats left the party.
Thanks in large part to dissension on both the right and the left, Democrats
were angry and divided as they entered the 1969 Governor's Race.
Republicans capitalized on Democrat division by electing Linwood Holton
as the first Republican Governor in the 20th Century in 1969.
During the 1970s, Republicans grew exponentially. Republicans won
three straight Governor's races, and nine out of Virginia's ten congressional
districts. Unfortunately, Democrats still controlled the state legislature,
and took through redistricting what Republicans had won at the ballot box.
In 1978, over 9,000 delegates gathered at the Richmond Coliseum to nominate
the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate after Sen. William Scott's retirement
at the largest political convention in h istory. Richard D. Obenshain,
former RPV Chairman, was the frontfunner. Also in the contest was
ex-Secretary of the Navy John Warner, ex-Governor Linwood Holton, and State
Senator Nathan Miller. After an exhausting fourteen hours and six
ballots, Obenshain won the nomination. The other contenders, led
by second-place finisher John Warner, were instrumental to the growing
strength of the Republican Party when they graciously urged their supporters
to unite behind Obenshain. Two months later, on August 2, 1978, Richard
Obenshain died in a tragic plane crash while campaigning across Virginia.
In the face of tragedy, John Warner stepped in and won the seat to the
U.S. Senate. He will run for his fifth term in 2002.
Republican Renaissance
On June 5, 1993, over 13,000 delegates from across the Commonwealth convened
at the Richmond Coliseum for the largest political convention in history
again. Former Congressman George Allen won the Republican nomination
for Governor and former Henrico County Commonwealth's Attorney Jim Gilmore
won the nomination for Attorney General. Allen, who came out of the
convention 28% down in the polls, went on to defeat Mary Sue Terry by almost
20% in a stunning come-from-behind victory spurred by a powerful grassroots
organization and a common sense conservative message.
Allen's 1993 victory began a Republican Renaissance that led Virginia Republicans
on an unsurpassed string of electoral victories. Republicans carried
Virginia for Bob Dole and John Warner in 1996. Virginia Republicans
scored the first statewide sweep in history for Governor, Lieutenant Governor,
and Attorney General in 1997. Further, Virginia Republicans captured
control of the oldest democratic institution in the western hemisphere
by winning outright control of the State Senate and House of Delegates
for the first time in history in 1999. Finally, Virginia Republicans
carried Virginia for President George W. Bush and defeated the only incumbent
Democrat senator with George Allen in 2000. On top of all that, Virginia
Republicans won 13 out of 14 special elections and captured a majority
of our congressional delegation again.
Now it is time to finish the job by electing a third consecutive Republican
Governor and defeating Mark Warner and the Democrats in 2001. When
we win this year's statewide and state legislative elections, Republicans
will consolidate and institutionalize our recent string of electoral victories
into a durable and permanent governing majority that will be able to withstand
any potential Democrat resurgence.
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