The disappointing midterm elections have led to grassroots Republicans demanding reform at all levels. We are all well aware of the ongoing battle at the Republican National Committee. Harmeet Dalton is challenging Ronna Romney McDaniel, the current Chair of the Republican National Committee (RNC), after a terrible midterm performance by Republicans. The grassroots are demanding change and standing up for it. This is not just happening at RNC; it’s also happening at state and county party levels.
Cuyahoga County, Ohio is an example.
Cuyahoga County is an interesting county because it is a Blue county in a state that is currently very red. It is home to Ohio’s second-largest city, Cleveland, as well as the largest minority population.
We all know how crucial Ohio is for national elections. Republicans must ensure that Ohio remains red if they want to be dominant in future elections. This means that Republicans must not be satisfied with “enough,” but take a page from the Democratic playbook and refuse to stop until all of Ohio is in the “win” column. For more information on the Democrat strategy, see California.
Lisa Stickan, the current chair of the Cuyahoga County Republican Party, could be described as the Ronna McDaniel for the Buckeye State. The county party’s finances have declined dramatically and it has lost every election during her tenure. Local sources claim that Stickan promised to grow the party but that instead, the party has fallen into disarray. There is a united front demanding that Stickan quit her job in favor of a winning strategy.
Lee Weingart, an Ohio businessman, has taken up the challenge to Stickan. In 2022, he ran for the county executive position but lost to the Democrat candidate. In places like Cleveland, Weingart’s campaign to present a clear and achievable plan for moving forward in areas that would especially affect minorities in Ohio was a huge success. Weingart outperformed fellow Republicans in 157 counties, almost all of them majority-black. According to a local GOP operative, the county party was almost nonexistent in that effort. This did little to help Weingart’s momentum and left candidates in traditionally Republican and Black areas.
Since Stickan became chair, the Republican Party of Cuyahoga County has seen an astronomical drop in contributions. Transparency USA reports that the party raised more than a million dollars under the previous chair, but only $330,000 under Stickan’s chair in the 2022 cycle. The party had little money left over to spend on office space and payroll. Many candidates have voiced concern about the party’s inability to support its infrastructure and funding.
Does this sound familiar?
Weingart says the party is sinking fast, and the most important result is that the party is losing in his county…consistently.
Weingart said that “The local Republican Party has failed.” The party base is shrinking. The party doesn’t have any money. We aren’t winning elections, and that is the most important thing. We need a chairman who is able to expand the party’s grassroots base, raise funds, and win elections.
Stickan, who attacked J.D.Vance as a senator candidate, has become a problem for the establishment in the Ohio county. She circulated a petition and became the face of a campaign to stop Trump from supporting Vance. To make her case, she even visited liberal media outlets such as CNN and Politico. Trump supported Vance anyway and the rest is history. Many local activists were skeptical of Stickan’s determination to move the party in a winning direction after that battle.
Why is this one country important in the scheme of things?
Republican voters are tired and frustrated by losing. Insiders such as Ronna McDaniel have made promises and then lived lavish lives off donations from concerned voters while the GOP suffered loss after loss. We don’t want to be satisfied with “good enough” anymore. Instead, we have seen the devastating consequences of the small ambitions and inactions of small people over the past few years for our families as well as our communities.
It’s not about fighting for one position. This feeling of unrest can be found throughout the party. If local GOP parties don’t get serious about winning, it won’t matter what happens in federal elections. Every corner of the country must be taught how to win.
Cuyahoga County was governed by Stickan. All Republican candidates lost, except one (State Rep. Tom Patton). It was a bloodbath. It was the worst performance for the Cuyahoga county GOP in more than a decade. These are unacceptable results. Why should a Republican chair be allowed to keep her job?
Ronna McDaniel should not be allowed to keep her chair if she’s just going to continue to oversee losses.
We cannot just be focused on the red areas. Republicans must be competitive in blue areas. They must not become so hopelessly blue as to seep into surrounding areas. There are only a few big blue counties that could become Illinois. The Chicago area is so blue that it cancels out Republican voters from the rest of Illinois. California is a state where most of the state is red geographically, but that voter base is overwhelmed by cities like Los Angeles or San Francisco.
Cuyahoga Republicans agree that it is time to seriously consider this issue. A petition was signed by over 100 party members demanding a vote on the removal of the chair and a new election.
Change is contagious.
The party that values accountability and personal responsibility must stop rewarding failure. We judge results and many Republican leaders have failed in the only thing they were hired for: winning elections. Activists risk their livelihoods to defend conservative principles. They don’t need a GOP that is incompetent or irrelevant.
The Republican Party’s backbone demands change. We will see if they listen.
