This is my third week on the job as your new Chairman of the Tennessee Republican Party. As promised, I have hit the ground running and we are off to a great start.

We have been building a team and putting in the processes to prepare us for victory in the 2010 elections. My agenda is one thing: building our Republican majorities in the General Assembly and electing a Republican governor. We have had success in Tennessee by standing firm to our principles as a Party, and it is my intention to find the best candidates who will stand for those principles and put them in a position to win next November.

We already knew that there is a lot on the line in 2010, and the actions that President Obama has taken in his first months in office only make it clearer that it is imperative that we elect more Republicans to the General Assembly. Congressional redistricting, which is controlled by the state legislature, is up for grabs and we cannot afford to let the Democrats control that process. If they do, we could unfortunately be looking at sending more people to Congress to aid Barack Obama in his quest to expand the size and scope of government. Already, President Obama and the Democrats have spread the tentacles of government by passing a $787 billion stimulus bill, a $3.5 trillion budget, and a $50 billion bankruptcy bailout of General Motors.

To make matters worse, some in the media are blatantly getting in the act to promote Obama. Just this week, we learned that ABC News was planning to devote an entire day of its news programming on Wednesday, June 24th to advance the Democrats’ plan for health care. They were even preparing to broadcast a town hall from the White House with the president on the issue. As a former journalist, I was taught that it was important to provide both sides of an issue, and it is unfortunate that ABC News has decided to throw that principle out the window.

Here in Tennessee, though, it is refreshing that our Tennessee Republican lawmakers are leading by principle, which is the reason we have seen gains by Republicans in our state. GOP legislators in the General Assembly just recently finished their session and had some great victories in saving taxpayer money and limiting the size of government. While Democrats pushed a budget that mired our citizens in more debt, Republicans were successful in scaling back those obligations and passing a solid budget that doesn’t put our children in debt for years to come.

Again, it is our intention at the Tennessee Republican Party to support candidates that uphold our Republican principles. Over the coming weeks, we will be making more announcements, so stay tuned.

Thank you for what you are doing for our Tennessee Republican Party.

Respectfully,

Chris Devaney
Chairman
Tennessee Republican Party

Nashville, Tenn. – Newly elected Tennessee State Republican Party Chairman Chris Devaney announced today that he has asked long-time Republican consultant Dean Rice to serve as his Chief of Transition. Rice will be in Nashville on a part-time volunteer basis over the coming weeks to serve the Chairman as he implements a smooth and effective transition.

“As Chairman, I am committed to building a professional political and fundraising team to prepare us for victory in 2010. I have known and worked with Dean since 1994 and believe he has the experience and abilities to help ensure that we move forward in a unified and focused manner,” said Devaney.

Rice said, “Chris is an extremely effective leader and someone who can bring our party together under a common vision that is rooted in principle and bring the energy and focus we will need going into 2010. Having the chance to be of help to him during this transition is an honor.”

Rice is a Knoxville native who began working in Republican politics as part of former United States Senator Fred Thompson’s 1994 campaign and was later a senior aide to Senator Fred Thompson and Congressman John J. Duncan, Jr.. In addition he has held numerous positions within Republican campaigns including Duncan for Congress; Southern Regional Political Director for former Senator Elizabeth Dole’s presidential primary bid; Treasurer and Executive Director of Draft Fred Thompson 2008; and South Carolina Campaign Manager for Senator Thompson’s 2008 presidential primary campaign. In 2006 Rice was named Tennessee Republican Party Statesman of the Year and has recently been named to the American Council of Young Political Leaders (ACYPL). Rice currently serves as Treasurer for Duncan for Congress.

Earlier today Congressman Duncan said, “Dean is one of the finest and most capable people I know. Choosing him to help with this important transition is a good indication of the caliber of leadership that Chris Devaney brings to the table and why so many Republicans across the state, including myself, have strong confidence in Chris’ Chairmanship.”

Devaney was elected Chairman of the Tennessee Republican this past Saturday on May 30th in Nashville.