10-Point Plan | Point 9

9) Strengthen relationships with allies and auxiliaries. There is no need for several organizations attempting the exact same goal – such as funding key races. I will coordinate with our allies and third parties to make sure we are all working together to elect the best candidates.

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A great strength of the Republican Party of Texas is the wealth of people across our State who are working for causes closely allied with ours. But a great weakness of our Party is that in the past we haven’t been working with those people. For years, multiple organizations have been working separately, when we should have been working together. But the RPT has a sad history of ignoring the contributions of our allies and auxiliaries—and then blaming them for ignoring us!

Currently, there are many groups trying to do the same thing independently, instead of pooling our talents as a team. Auxiliaries like the Texas Federation of Republican Women, College Republicans, Young Conservatives, and Texas Republican Assembly, and others, have been doing great work. Their works should be commended and supported by the RPT. But instead, the RPT has been content to let them do all the work, and then take the credit for itself! A terrible example of this was in the effort to pass Voter ID; everyone worked independently; and the TFRW especially did a great job, but instead of congratulating them, the RPT took the credit! No wonder the auxiliaries would rather work around the Party! And when groups work around the Party, we are all in danger of not accomplishing our mutual goals. In 2008, there were many narrowly lost seats in the House, seats that we almost certainly could have kept if we were all working together, instead of tripping over each others’ feat. When we work around each other, a lot of talent and energy goes to waste.

That needs to change. We need to begin working closely with the auxiliaries, and with our allies. Allies like the Associated Republican, Texas GoPac, and Hispanic Outreach, and others, should have a place at the table. Independent consultants and donors who work with the Party should have a place at the table. The work they do is valuable, and the RPT needs to recognize that. When we strengthen their work, they will strengthen ours—and the whole Party benefits.

I believe in value of teamwork, and valuing individual contributions. Not only does the RPT need to come together as a team, but we also need to work as a team with other organizations that are on our side. In order to strengthen the RPT, we must strengthen the role of our auxiliaries and allies.