We are having fried chicken. Better come join us at Lafayette County Republicans first meeting of the year. Note: 21st Senatorial District Will Hold Caucus Training on January 23rd.

SAVE THE DATE FOR THESE 2 MEETINGS!

•••

Republican Central Committee and Friends will meet on Thursday, January 7 at  6 PM for a dinner meeting at Topsy's in Concordia, MO. Open to public.

Program: Updates on our March 4th Lincoln Dinner and Preliminary Caucus Training Information for the April 9th County Caucuses

DETAILS: OUR THURSDAY, JANUARY 7th meeting (first of the year) 6 PM. Fried chicken, ham, potatoes, vegetables, salad bar and dessert - $10.50 per person.

If you do not want to eat dinner, please feel free to come to the meeting only, it will begin at 6:30 PM. Otherwise, hope you will be able to join us for our annual Fried Chicken Dinner Meeting.

•••

The 21st Senatorial District will hold a dinner meeting with caucus training on Saturday, January 23rd at 6 PM at JB's Steakhouse, 109 South Folger, Carrollton.  

Program: New Caucus Rules for 2016 presented by Chris Grahn-Howard, Rules Committee Chair, Missouri Republican Party.

Please RSVP to: Linda Leabo, 21st Senatorial District Chair, at rleabo@greenhills.net. 

Dinner: order off menu. Open to public.

Missouri 2016 Election Guide with Delegate Allocation Plan and County Caucus Rules

2016 Election Guide

Missouri Delegate Allocation Plan and what you need to know about county caucuses slated for April 9th and more. The Missouri Republican Party’s caucuses are public meetings held every four years to select delegates to the Congressional District Conventions and the State Convention, as well as review and consider amendments to the state party platform. Read about rule changes via the Missouri Republican Party from their website link .

Photos from Lafayette County Republicans and Federated Republican Women's Fall Candidate-Carry-In Dinner, held Oct. 22 in Lexington, Missouri

Lafayette County Republicans and Federated Republican Women enjoyed a carry-in dinner on October 22 with presentations by local and statewide candidates.  Speakers included: Senator Kurt Schaefer, a candidate for Missouri Attorney General; Senator Will Kraus, a candidate for Secretary of State; and Jay Ashcroft, also a candidate for Secretary of State. Representing Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder was Reid Forrester. Kinder is a candidate for Governor. Representing John Brunner, also a candidate for Governor, was Jaret Jensen. Addtionally, Cecilia Johnson represented Bev Randles, a candidate for Lt. Governor.  Rep. Glen Kolkmeyer, 53rd Legislative District, also addressed the group and discussed upcoming events in the county.  Lafayette County elected Republican officials were recognized.  And as always at Lafayette County Republican events, delicious food added to the evening's festivities and everyone's enjoyment at the fun event held at P&H Event Center in Lexington, Missouri. 

Rep. Glen Kolkmeyer, 53rd Legislative District

Senator Kurt Schaefer, a candidate for Missouri Attorney General

Senator Will Kraus, a candidate for Missouri Secretary of State greets a  fellow veteran.

Jay Ashcroft, candidate for Missouri Secretary of State

Reid Forrester speaks on behalf of Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder, a candidate for Governor of the State of Missouri

Jaret Jensen speaks on behalf of John Brunner, a candidate for Governor of the State of Missouri

Cecilia Johnson speaks on behalf of Bev Randles, a candidate for Lt. Governor of the State of Missouri

Elected Republican officials in Lafayette County were recognized. From left: Russell Kruse,  Associate Circuit Judge, Division 2; Deana Aversman, Circuit Clerk; JoAnn Swartz, Recorder; Jennifer Jellum, Treasurer; Cheri Mason, Auditor; Harold Hoflander, Presiding Commissioner; Linda Niendick, County Clerk; Barb Copenhaver, Public Administrator; and Tracy Dyer, Southern District Commissioner.

Put these dates on your calendar: Lafayette County Republican upcoming events.

Federated Republican Women
 of Lafayette County
and Lafayette County Republican Central Committee

A Fall Date to Remember
and
Save the Date for our Lincoln Dinner
  on Friday, March 4th, 2016!

 

Thursday, October 22  --  Lafayette County Federated Republican Women and Central Committee's Annual Candidate Carry-in Dinner. Time: 6:30 p.m. Location: P and H Event Center, 1111 Main Street in downtown Lexington, Mo.  

All candidates invited to give brief talks. Public invited. 

Note: Bring one side dish and one meat dish. Beverages and service provided. 

Candidates do not need to bring anything.

For more information, contact Lana Crain at lanacrain@yahoo.com. 

• • •

SAVE THE DATE: Lafayette County Republicans 2016 Lincoln Dinner will be Friday, March 4th, 2016, with details announced at a later date.

            

Missouri Republican Party announces relaunch of website!

MRP announces the relaunch of its website with supporters in mind, making it easier to be involved and to learn how to make a difference in one's community. 

The website can be found at www.missouri.gop. Every page is easy to understand and was designed with supporters in mind. Take a look and stay engaged online with the Missouri Republican Party.

Make a difference in your community by joining the effort to elect Republican leaders across the State of Missouri in 2016 and beyond.

Visit the newly relaunched website here to learn about how you can take action, check the calendar of statewide Republican events, view news releases, learn about party structure and/or donate. Find them on Facebook and follow on Twitter with the provided links under the tab marked Action Center.

MRP State Committee adopts rules, call to convention, and delegate allocation for 2016

A letter from MRP Chairman John Hancock explaining local county caucus rules for April 9th, 2016, as adopted by the State Committee on Saturday, September 12th in St. Louis.        Lafayette County, Missouri Lafayette County Republicans County Caucus - April 9th. Details to be announced here and on social media sites. County Chairs and Vice Chairs:  This weekend (Sept. 12th), the Missouri Republican State Committee approved the rules and procedures governing the process for selecting Missouri’s 52 delegates to the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland, OH. Following a binding presidential primary on March 15, county caucuses will be held at 10am on April 9, followed by the Congressional District Conventions on April 30 and the State Convention in Branson on May 20-21. The State Committee made numerous changes that will affect the county caucuses. Most notably:   Local Caucus Rules: For the first time, the MRP has passed a single set of rules that each county or local caucus must follow. These rules were passed to make the process fairer and easier to understand, ensuring that all participants know how the caucuses will run before they arrive.  You can read the rules here. Delegate Numbers: Over the years, the number of delegates and alternates at the state convention has grown to an unreasonable level. The State Committee adopted a new formula that reduces the overall number of delegates by approximately 15% from the 2012 totals. Most counties in the state will see a slight reduction in the total number of delegates they will receive.  See how many delegates your county has been assigned here. Caucus Notice: Counties are no longer required to publish notice of their caucuses in their local newspapers (though they may if they choose); however, counties must provide the state party with advanced notice of the caucus location for publication on our website, MOGOP.org. Recording: To ensure an open and transparent process, caucus attendees are free to make audio or video recordings of the proceedings. Please review the Call to Convention, Standing Rules, and Document of Allocation, along with other helpful information,  on our website: https://www.missouri.gop/election-2016/. Over the next several months, we will be creating additional training materials and scheduling training sessions around the state. We will also provide you with sign in sheets, delegate and alternate forms,  and other materials to ensure you have a successful caucus. In the meantime, if you have any questions,  please do not hesitate to contact the staff of the Missouri Republican Party at 573-636-3146. Sincerely,

John Hancock Chairman

What is a Veteran? Excerpts of an essay reprinted from the Richmond-Times Dispatch and shared via the American Legion Auxiliary magazine, August 2015 edition

What is a Veteran?

Some veterans bear visible signs of their service: a missing limb, a jagged scar, a certain look in the eye.

Others may carry the evidence inside them: a pin holding a bone together, a piece of shrapnel in the leg, or perhaps another sort of inner steel: the soul's ally forged in the refinery of adversity.

Except in parades, however, the men and women who have kept America safe wear no badge or emblem.

You can't tell a veteran just by looking.

He is the cop on the beat who spent six months in Saudi Arabia sweating 2 gallons a day making sure the armored personnel carriers didn't run out of fuel.

She is the nurse who fought against futility and went to sleep sobbing every night for two solid years in Da Nang.

He is the parade-riding Legionnaire who pins on his ribbons and medals with a prosthetic hand.

He is the POW who went away one person and came back soother--or didn't come back at all. 

He is the career quartermaster who watches the ribbons and medals pass him by.

He is the old guy bagging groceries at the supermarket--palsied now and aggravatingly slow--who helped liberate a Nazi death camp and who wishes all day long that his wife were still alive to hold him when the nightmares come.

He is an ordinary and yet an extraordinary human being--a person who offered some of his life's most vital years in the service of his country, and who sacrificed his ambitions so others would not have to sacrifice theirs.

So remember: Each time you see someone who has served our country, just lean over and say "thank you." That's all most people need, and in most cases it will mean more than any medals they could have been awarded or were awarded.

Two little words that mean a lot: "Thank you."

We had a great time at our Summer Republican Picnic BBQ in Lafayette County. Here's a recap of this wonderful evening as guests enjoyed delicious food, special entertainment and impressive speakers.

                          

Lafayette County Republicans Hold Annual Summer Picnic BBQ

(NOTE: MANY MORE PHOTOS ARE POSTED AT THE END.)

Summer BBQ Picnic July 16th inside LaBella Winery in scenic Lafayette County, Missouri.

You just can't beat summer picnics, and we had a blast at ours last Thursday night, July 16th at LaBella Winery near Wellington, Missouri.

The event was co-sponsored by the Lafayette County Republican Central Committee and the Federated Republican Women's Club of Lafayette County.

• Great food.

• Enlightening and interesting talks by an extraordinary group of candidates.

• Rousing ragtime piano music played by John Hancock, chair of the Missouri Republican Party, who also gave a short address on the importance of working together to win in 2016.

• And, indeed, it was a special evening as we enjoyed fun and fellowship with more than 100 Republican friends and guests. Attendees savored a delicious carry-in dinner including desserts galore and BBQ brisket entree that was catered by Nadler's of Wellington.

Most importantly, we were honored to host several statewide candidates as well as our own state representative and state senate candidates who each spoke to the group.

Speakers included:

• Running for Governor --Catherine Hanaway, John Brunner, and Randy Asbury's wife, Connie Asbury, who filled in for her husband who was attending another Republican event.
• Running for Lt. Governor--Bev Randles.
• Running for Attorney General--State Senator Kurt Schaefer.
• Running for Secretary of State-- Jay Ashcroft and State Senator Will Kraus.
• Running for State Senate District 21--State Representative Denny Hoskins, Speaker Pro-Tem of the Missouri House.
• Running for State Representative District 53--incumbent State Representative Glen Kolkmeyer.

A special thank you to:

Marlene Strodtman, local FRW Women of Tribute, for offering the table prayer and to Judge Russell Kruse, associate circuit judge in Division 2, who led us in the Pledge of Allegiance. We would also like to thank Mark Anthony Jones, chair of Jackson County Republican Central Committee, for introducing our speaker John Hancock.

Thank you to LaBella Winery for their hospitality and use of their beautiful facility.

We are grateful to all who attended from Lafayette County, as well as to those from other counties, to county and state elected officials, state committee members, and to our great volunteers who attended and who also worked hard to make this event so successful.

Warm regards,
Kay Hoflander, chair
Lafayette Country Republican Central Committee

Lana Crain, president
Federated Republican Women of Lafayette County

•••••

"Republicans believe every day is the Fourth of July, but the Democrats believe every day is April 15.” – Ronald Reagan

PHOTO RECAP OF OUR SUMMER PICNIC

 IN LAFAYETTE COUNTY:

Catherine Hanaway, candidate for Governor, shown with Molly Swift (on the left), the Breckenridge Scholar for the 5th Congressional District Federated Republican Women.

Connie Asbury, wife of Randy Asbury for Governor, as she greets guests in the serving line, along with Jay Ashcroft,
candidate for Secretary of State.

John Brunner has formed an exploratory committee for the Office of Missouri Governor.

Sen. Kurt Schaefer, candidate for Attorney General

Bev Randles, candidate for Lt. Governor

Jay Ashcroft, candidate for Secretary of State

Sen. Will Kraus, candidate for Secretary of State

Bev Randles and Will Krause

 Federated Republican Women greet Catherine Hanaway for Governor--from left, Marlene Strodtman, Kay Hoflander, Catherine Hanaway, and Lana Crain.

From left: State. Rep. Denny Hoskins, candidate for State Senate District 21, with John Brunner and former State Rep. Mike McGhee who was term-limited out in 2012 after serving his district (including Lafayette County for eight years).

Rep. Glen Kolkmeyer addresses the packed house at LaBella Winery.

John Brunner greeting guests in dinner line along with Jay Ashcroft.

Jay Ashcroft and John Brunner (on the left)

Connie Asbury speaks for her husband Randy Asbury for Governor.

Sen. Kurt Schaefer explained recent court decisions in Missouri.

John Brunner

Bev Randles 

Candidates enjoyed visiting with guests as they formed a serving line.

Catherine Hanaway, Bev Randles, Will Kraus, Denny Hoskins, Jay Ashcroft greet guests in the serving line.

Mark Anthony Jones, chair of Jackson County Republican Committee, introduces John Hancock.

Associate Circuit Judge Russell Kruse introduced before he leads the group in the Pledge of Allegiance.

•••••

MISCELLANEOUS PHOTOS TAKEN THROUGHOUT THE EVENING