2018 is heating up. Former OKGOP Chairman and RNC State Party Director, Matt Pinnell, has confirmed to The McCarville Report that he’s begun to make phone calls to county party leaders about the possibility of running for Lt. Governor in 2018.

With his national contacts and grassroots network in Oklahoma, Pinnell would be right in the mix in a wide open Lt. Governor race.

Pinnell was hired by Reince Priebus to serve as the chief liaison between the RNC and state parties in 2013. Since that time, the Republican National Committee has produced two of its most successful election cycles–2014 and 2016–in history. The culmination of which was the election of Donald J. Trump in November of 2016. In early 2017, newly-minted Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna Romney McDaniel tapped Pinnell to oversee her transition team at the RNC.

Prior to joining the RNC, Pinnell served as Chairman of the Oklahoma Republican Party during the 2010 and 2012 election cycles. At the time of his election, Pinnell was the youngest State Chairman in the country. When Pinnell left that post for the RNC, the Oklahoma GOP held all five Congressional seats and every statewide elected office simultaneously; the first time that had happened in Oklahoma history.

He is a graduate of Oral Roberts University and lives in Tulsa with his wife Lisa and their four children. Matt and Lisa own a successful small business called “BinxyBaby.” A baby hammock line of products for shopping carts that Lisa invented and patented.

Republican State Chairman Pam Pollard said today she will be a candidate for election to a full two-year term at the GOP State Convention in Moore on May 6.

“Oklahoma Republicans won at every level in 2016 because our message of conservative common sense government resonates with voters,” Pollard said. “I intend to keep that good thing going as State Chair if the delegates will give me that opportunity on May 6.”

A resident of Midwest City, Pollard was elected to lead the party in October 2015. She is a former Oklahoma County GOP chairman and was President of the Oklahoma Federation of Republican Women and also served a short time a Treasurer of the National Federation of Republican Women, resigning that position when she became Chairman of the State Party.

Under her leadership, state Republicans swept the Presidential and Congressional races in 2016, saw Corporation Commissioner Dana Murphy re-elected without opposition and won every contested state Senate race to build an unprecedented GOP legislative majority. In all, the GOP won 92 of 98 statewide and legislative contests for a 94% win rate.

Speaking about the teamwork in the 2016 elections, Chairman Pollard said, “Working together we won the White House, the U.S. Senate and the House. Together, we now have Jeff Sessions as US Attorney General,  Scott Pruitt in charge of the EPA (if confirmed by the full Senate) and General “Mad Dog” Mattis as Secretary of Defense. Together, we will Make America Great Again!”

“Registered Republicans now outnumber Democrats in Oklahoma by almost 100,000 voters,” Pollard said. “That did not happen overnight. It took years of effort. As a party we cannot rest on those laurels. I intend to continue the party building work that got us here during my full term as State Chairman, if the delegates to the state convention approve. We are known as the reddest state in America partly because of the hard work of those who came before us, and that is a tradition I intend to continue.”

Pollard said she has staffed full time positions to further strengthen the GOP message, including a party communications director and a liaison to work with county party organizations. The focus of 2017 will be on fundraising and Party Leadership development.

To contact Pam, please email pampollardgop@aol.com.

—– 1 —–

By ALEX ISENSTADT, Politico.com

Newly-minted Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna Romney McDaniel has tapped Matt Pinnell to oversee her transition team at the committee.

Pinnell, a former Oklahoma GOP chair, served as the RNC’s state parties director during the 2016 campaign. He had initially been seen as a contender for the RNC chairmanship, a post that McDaniel, the niece of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, ultimately won.

McDaniel, who is replacing White House chief of staff Reince Priebus and formally assumed the chairmanship this week, announced the decision in an email to RNC members.

“As a gifted young leader with outstanding relationships among the members of the Committee, Matt is the ideal choice to ensure continuity in the RNC’s day-to-day operations while making the adjustments that accompany a change in leadership in any organization,” she wrote.

Read the full article on Politico.com

WASHINGTON _ Matt Pinnell, the former chairman of the Oklahoma Republican Party, is under consideration to replace Reince Priebus as head of the Republican National Committee, according to a GOP source.

Pinnell, of Tulsa, is on the short list to replace Priebus, who was tapped by President-elect Donald J. Trump to be the White House chief of staff, though it’s not clear how many candidates are on the list. Trump will pick the next RNC chief.

Pinnell is the state party director for the RNC, a position created by Priebus in 2013. Pinnell is the chief liaison between state party organizations and the chairman.

A graduate of Oral Roberts University, Pinnell was just 30 when he took over the Oklahoma GOP in 2010. He was the youngest Republican chairman in the country. He had been involved in congressional, gubernatorial and presidential campaigns in Oklahoma and had lobbied for car dealers in Washington.

Read the complete story on NewsOK.com

Matt Pinnell made most of his audience feel better Wednesday.

Then he made some of them feel uneasy.

Pinnell’s audience, the Wildcatters Club, is composed of donors to the Oklahoma Independent Petroleum Association’s political fund. Most, it seems, view a Hillary Clinton presidency as an oil and gas Apocalypse and so are near desperate for a Republican victory regardless of how they feel about presidential nominee Donald Trump.

Pinnell, who is responsible for state party organizing for the Republican National Committee, assured everyone the GOP has caught and surpassed the Democrats in the use of technology and data to identify and recruit voters.

Then he surprised some of them by explaining one of the ways that’s done.

Read the complete story on tulsaworld.com

WHEN he hired Matt Pinnell as state party director for the Republican National Committee, RNC Chairman Reince Priebus said the GOP needed to continue to “foster existing relationships, strengthen field operations and welcome new members into the party starting at the state level.” The latter may be most important of all.

Pinnell, of Tulsa, doesn’t soft-peddle when talking about an important key to the GOP’s future —
attracting members of the millennial generation. They now comprise a larger demographic than baby boomers, who for years have provided the Republican Party with its largest base of support.

The millennial generation is “going to determine the outcomes of election cycles for decades to come,” Pinnell said in an interview last week. “We have to get back on college campuses, we have to get back into high schools and talk about what it means to be a Republican.”

Just 37, Pinnell is well suited to make that pitch. He became the youngest state party chairman in the country in 2010 when he was named head of the Oklahoma GOP. He won election to a full two-year term in 2011, then left for the RNC job in 2013.

Read the complete story on NewsOK.com

There’s a race in the Republican Party happening far away from the hot media glare, one that doesn’t involve a candidate named Trump or Twitter fights or violent protests.

In fact, you’ve probably never heard of most of the possible leading contenders.

It’s the race to succeed Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus, who’s expected to step down in January 2017 after a record six years.

…

Matt Pinnell, 36, is considered one of the front-runners for the top RNC job. The former Oklahoma GOP chairman served for several years under Priebus as the RNC’s national state party director.

In that role, Pinnell advises state parties about operations and fundraising, and has frequent contact with the very committee members whose backing he’ll need in an election.

Pinnell declined to comment, but a state GOP chairman close to him said Pinnell very much “fits the profile” of Priebus before he was elected chairman. Priebus previously served as Wisconsin GOP chairman before his appointment as RNC general counsel.

“Pinnell’s getting the most buzz among RNC members,” said one state GOP chairman. “If the election were held today, he’d be prohibitive favorite.”

Read the complete story on thehill.com

Selection Process Begins This Saturday

(Oklahoma City)—In anticipation of the Republican Party’s National Convention to be held in Cleveland, Ohio, in July, the Oklahoma Republican Party published this week the rules by which the state’s delegates will be selected to attend the convention.

OKGOP Chairman Pam Pollard explained, “The process we’re following is a fairly simple one that is spelled out in our state party’s rules. The goal has always been for the process to remain open and transparent and to reflect the will of the Republican voters in Oklahoma.”

In the coming weeks every state and territory will undergo a similar process in selecting delegates to represent the party’s voters in the process to choose a Republican nominee for president in Cleveland.

Pollard continued, “This week we have published the details of the delegate and elector selection process on our website for members of the media and those interested in serving as delegates.”

The OKGOP has also released the rules governing the nomination of electors to represent the party in the electoral college for the general election. One elector and one alternate will be elected from each congressional district along with two at the party’s state convention.

The document explaining the process can be viewed here and the nomination form can be downloaded here. For interviews with Pam Pollard on the delegate selection process, please contact email brett@okgop.com. 

###

The general public may not know Matt Pinnell’s name, but they know his work.

Pinnell’s fingerprints are all over the machinery propelling the Republican Party. At 36, he is one of the Republican National Committee’s highest-ranking staffers, in charge of wrangling all 50 state parties and organizing them for 2016 elections.

Before that, he ran the Oklahoma Republican Party during some of its most productive years, worked on campaigns for Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt and former Congressman Steve Largent, and worked in government relations in the Washington, D.C., area.

When Pruitt refers to Pinnell as the “next RNC chairman,” he’s only kidding a little.

Depending on how this year’s elections shake out, Pinnell could move up even further in the party hierarchy.

Read the complete story on tulsaworld.com

OKLAHOMA CITY — At least three people are vying to become the next chairman of the Oklahoma Republican Party.

The post became vacant with the recent resignation of Randy Brogdon, a former state senator from Owasso.

Brogdon was picked in April as party chairman. Controversy surrounded his tenure and he resigned earlier this month.

Brogdon initially set a September meeting to pick his replacement. That date was later changed to Oct. 11 at Oklahoma City Community College.

Read the complete story on tulsaworld.com

WITH Randy Brogdon’s brief and tumultuous time as Oklahoma Republican Party chairman coming to a close, the party needs to look for a leader who can appeal to a broader spectrum of
Republicans.

Brogdon announced last week that he would be stepping down and called for a State Committee Meeting to be held Saturday in Tulsa to select a new chairman. The move surprised many, but it stands to benefit the party.

Brogdon is a hard-right Republican who embraced the tea party movement when it swept across the country in 2009. Some would call him extreme — indeed in an interview in 2010, Brogdon said he supported creation of a state militia to protect Oklahoma against an overreaching federal government (he later softened that
position).

Brogdon once criticized the Pledge of Allegiance’s reference to the United States being “one nation” and “indivisible.” He wrote on Facebook, “Our nation is made up of 50 ‘divisible’ sovereign states …”

Earlier this year, Brogdon said Oklahoma should simply ignore the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision and outlaw all forms of abortion. “Are the Supreme Court justices going to come down to Oklahoma and make us stop?” he said.

Read the complete story on NewsOK.com

    Pam Pollard, former State GOP Vice Chair and current President of the Oklahoma Federation of Republican Women, today announces her candidacy for Chairman of the Oklahoma Republican Party. State Chairman Randy Brogdon officially resigned from his position effective September 10th. “I thank Chairman Brogdon for his service and wish him the very best with his family and grand children.”

    “I want to lead Oklahoma’s Republican Party into a new era of greatness,” says Pam Pollard. “We have many challenges in the near future as Oklahoma and America are rapidly changing. I want to work with the grassroots of Oklahoma’s GOP to make sure we continue the momentum we have built to promote conservative values.”

    Pollard ran for GOP Chair earlier this year against Randy Brogdon and won 48% of the vote. She hopes to build upon her previous campaign which garnered numerous endorsements from leaders across the state.

    “I believe the most important factor I bring to the office is experience. Serving as State Vice-Chair and 2 terms as OK County Chairman, along with numerous other positions within the OKGOP, gives me the knowledge to get to work on day one,” Pollard says. “I am prepared to immediately focus on organizing Oklahoma for the upcoming convention season, the Presidential Primary, and House and Senate races for over 30 open seats in 2016. The Oklahoma GOP’s best days are ahead and I’m ready to get to work.”

    Pollard encourages people to contact her at Pam@Pollard4Chair.com and visit her website: www.Pollard4Chair.com.
 

Greetings,

This is an official call from Chairman Randy Brogdon for a State Committee Meeting to be held on Saturday September 12th, 2015 at 10:00 a.m. at the Hope Community Worship Center located at 8304 S. 107th E. Ave., Tulsa, Oklahoma.

The purpose of this State Committee Meeting is to elect a new State Chairman.

The proxy form is attached and an agenda will be following as we have just received this notice.  Please forward this notice to any and all State Committee Members on your list.  We have been working to update our list and want to ensure that no one is left out.  Thank you for your help and understanding.

Respectfully,

Marlene

—

Marlene Lynch

Office Manager

Oklahoma Republican Party

]]> https://www.theokie.com/breaking-brogdon-resigning-okgop-state-committee-to-pick-new-chair/feed/ 0 https://www.theokie.com/fount-holland-democrats-lay-out-welcome-mat/ https://www.theokie.com/fount-holland-democrats-lay-out-welcome-mat/#respond Mon, 27 Jul 2015 20:00:34 +0000 http://www.theokie.com/?p=23931 Democrats Lay out Welcome Mat
BY FOUNT HOLLAND

The Oklahoma Democratic Party decided Saturday to allow Independents to vote in its primaries. It’s the smartest move for a state political party I’ve witnessed in a while.

Independents are growing in numbers in Oklahoma. Allowed to participate with the Democratic Party in June and August primaries and runoffs, the GOP could find it difficult to bring this key voter block back by November.

Republicans would be foolish to take their Obama-era years of unchallenged electoral invincibility for granted.

A Republican president in the White House in 2016 (yes, it’s a remote possibility), and suddenly the GOP is to blame for society’s ills two years later.

While Oklahoma will certainly be a blood red state for many years, Democrats could start winning a few key races. It likely won’t happen in a presidential year when national liberals continue to drive a wedge between the Democratic Party and most Oklahomans, but state issues could take center stage again in 2018.

Read the complete story on fountholland.net

Southeast Oklahoma is an unusual place, politically. Many southerners settled in the area after the Civil War, leading to its nickname “Little Dixie.”

Through the 20th century, it became the center of political power in Oklahoma, and the Democratic Party dominated politics well into the late 1990s. Decades after the formerly “Solid South” had switched to the Republican Party, Democrats enjoyed an 8:1 voter registration advantage in southeast Oklahoma.

Despite the backlash against the Democrats over civil rights in the 1960s, despite the Reagan Revolution, and the ensuing culture wars, for years a Republican trying to run for local office in Little Dixie utterly wasted his time and money. But over the past decade, that Democratic dominance has completely collapsed. The question isn’t really why this part of Oklahoma turned away from the Democratic Party, but why it took so long?

Read the complete story on KGOU.com