Republicans Gather to Hear Chairman, 2016 Hopefuls

Midterm election campaigns are in full swing, but several thousand Republicans gathering in Louisiana look toward a bigger prize.

“We’ve got to figure out how to take back this country and win the White House again,” said Peggy Eichelmann of San Antonio, Texas, Thursday as she and her husband, Norman, met with fellow delegates to the Republican Leadership Conference.

The Republican Leadership Conference has grown into an annual opportunity for rising GOP stars to address conservative activists who play key roles in the nominating process. Speakers this year include tea party favorites Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Mike Lee of Utah. Delegates also will hear from 2012 presidential candidate Rick Santorum, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and Texas Gov. Rick Perry.

Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus was to address the opening session Thursday evening.

The three-day event comes as Republicans aim for widespread success in the upcoming congressional midterms. The GOP is favored to retain its House majority and has a strong chance of winning a Senate majority to control all of Capitol Hill for the final two years of President Obama’s term.

But as delegates, many of them festooned in red, white and blue, filed in Thursday, they were brimming with energy and ideas for 2016. The question, of course, was how to win.

Priebus points to demographics that show Republican nominees must attract more young and minority voters. But public opinion polls also suggest that the party’s conservative positions on issues like immigration and other social issues are liabilities with some of the groups they want to win over.

Norman Eichelmann insisted that the party can appeal to black voters “by offering them opportunity instead of welfare.”

The Eichelmanns said they will support Perry should he run again for president after a short-lived campaign in 2012. In the meantime, she said, “we’re all waiting on another Ronald Reagan.”

This article appeared in print on page 2 of the May 30th, 2014 edition of Hamodia.