For Chanel Prunier and Steve Aylward

Tomorrow night, at 7 pm in Newton, the Massachusetts Republican State Committee will hold its organizational meeting. The bulk of tomorrow's agenda consists of choosing candidates for a variety of offices within the party. To my knowledge, only two of these are contested: national committeewoman and vice-chairman. In addition, the continuation in office of the state chair must also be ratified.

Let me start with the easiest one: I'll be voting to keep Bob Maginn as the chair of the Massachusetts Republican Party. I think Bob has done an admirable job in the few short months he has served as chairman. He has been a very successful fundraiser, and he has kept his promise to renew our party's efforts to keep the state legislative seats we do hold, and win even more. He has more than earned the chance to lead our party into the 2012 elections.

In the contested races, I'll be voting for Chanel Prunier as the next national committeewoman from Massachusetts and Steve Aylward as the next vice-chairman. I ran for state committee because I want to see a renewed focus on the grassroots, and an increased emphasis placed on increasing the number of Republican legislators in the state House and state Senate, as well as the number of Republican officeholders in "down-ticket" races throughout the Commonwealth. I also ran because I want the party to pay more attention to areas where, the nay-sayers carp, "Republicans can't win." While I have great respect for the long and dedicate service given to our party by Kerry Healey and Jeanne Kangas, and I very much appreciate the time that many of their supporters have taken to talk with me about these races, I firmly believe that Chanel and Steve are both more likely to lead our party along the paths I described above.

I very much hope that the other members of the state committee join me tomorrow night in supporting Bob, Chanel, and Steve. As always, I am more than happy to talk with anyone about the votes I intend to cast tomorrow night, or about anything else.

Cambridge RCC State Committee Forum

Tomorrow night, February 16, the Cambridge RCC will be hosting a state committee candidates' forum at 7 pm; it'll take place at 100 Landsdowne Street in Cambridge.

The Cambridge RCC asked that all the candidates submit answers to a preliminary set of questions. You can find links to all the responses here (http://www.cambridgegop.com). You can find my answers here: http://www.cambridgegop.com/archives/369. As always, please don't hesitate to contact me with any thoughts about them or anything else.

I look forward to seeing many of you there!

Answers to Boston RCC Forum Questions

Let me begin by thanking the Boston RCC for putting on a great forum for state committee candidates whose districts, like mine, are partly or wholly comprised of Boston.

I'd also like to take this opportunity to thank all the people who turned out. I was very impressed by the turnout. Thank you for your concern for the Massachusetts Republican Party!

I posted my opening statement on Monday night, and it's still available on this blog. I was also asked four questions, and I have put the basics of my responses to them below.

1. What would you do to find General Court candidates for Boston-area districts?
-We must try to find candidates for every race, starting immediately. The first step to Republican resurgence is to put the Democrats on Beacon Hill on notice that the days of them coasting to re-election are over.

-We must make more efficient use of technology to target Republican voters and encourage them to run for office.

-We have to "get people to talk to people." Rather than one or two people trying to make several hundred (or more) phone calls, those one or two should concentrate on finding a few other people, who'll each find a few other people, and so on. By building these sorts of multi-level networks, and thereby tapping into more connections than any one person has, we will reach far more people. The more people we reach out to, the more likely it is that we will find candidates for office.

2. Do you use Facebook and/or Twitter?
Certainly! You can visit my FB page here (http://www.facebook.com/CowettForStateCommittee), and follow my twitter feed (@Cowett4MassGOP). All three are well-integrated with each other.

3. How are you a leader in your community?
As a college student, most of my non-political involvement is on campus; that said, Harvard is a fairly significant part of my district. I'm a classics major, and I serve as my class's representative to the Classics Department faculty; I also serve on the faculty-student committee that oversees Harvard's Program in General Education. I have also been very active in a variety of classics-related organizations. These include the Harvard Classical Club, where I serve as co-president and mainly help to organize a trivia tournament each spring for hundreds of New England high schoolers.

4. How would you improve the fundraising of the RCCs/RTCs in your district?
-You have to ask! People are far more likely to give you money -- in fact, to do anything -- if you ask, rather than expecting them to volunteer unprompted.

-I'd like to see more events like the one run by the Watertown RTC, in which people could donate money in exchange for an autographed copy of Scott Brown's book. We certainly shouldn't limit ourselves to such efforts, but I think fundraising appeals in which people get something more tangible of value in exchange for their donation are likely to be quite successful.

Again, these are the basics. As always, I'm happy to talk about them -- or anything else -- further. Lastly, thanks again to all who organized and attended the event! I'll have more information quite soon about a similar upcoming event for all state committee candidates in Cambridge.

Boston RCC State Committee Event Tuesday 1/31

Tomorrow night (1/31), from 7-8:30 pm at the Park Street School (67 Brimmer Street, Boston, MA), the Boston RCC will be hosting a forum for all the GOP state committee candidates running to represent part of Boston. The forum will be moderated by none other than Rob Eno, probably best known as the head of RedMassGroup.

As the Middlesex and Suffolk District includes Charlestown, the West End, and parts of Allston and Brighton, I'll certainly be there, and I hope to see you too!

The first part of the forum permits each candidate to give a two-minute introductory speech, and I've copied the text of mine below. Please ask me for more specifics (it's only 2 minutes, remember!) or if you have any questions!

Boston RCC State Committee Candidate Forum

Opening Remarks

Good evening. I’m Michael Cowett from Cambridge, and I’m running in the Middlesex and Suffolk district, which in Boston includes Charlestown, the West End and some of Allston and Brighton. 

I’m running for state committee mindful of the highs and lows I’ve seen in the two years I’ve lived here. It was wonderful to cast my first vote in Massachusetts for Scott Brown. At the end of 2010, however, it was much less wonderful to watch the little success we did have here occur only in spite of the state committee. 

Electing Republican governors is certainly important, but we must also commit to broadening our efforts. We must focus more on contesting and winning down-ballot races for the executive offices, the General Court, city council and school board. After all, Scott Brown was a selectman, state rep, and state senator before becoming a US senator. 

State committee members must primarily work to strengthen the Republican Party within their districts. Part of that is being available as a resource, and if elected, I hope to emulate my friend Paul Ronukaitus, who’s running for re-election in the First Suffolk and Middlesex District but wasn’t able to be here tonight. Paul’s one of the good guys on the state committee: he shows up, unlike far too many others, and works hard on behalf of our party. Around here, party-building efforts must begin with forming local Republican committees and establishing an infrastructure for Republican success in every ward and precinct, and this would therefore be my first priority as a state committeeman.

Republicans have ignored this area for far too long. We must fight the Democrats for every vote in all 351 cities and towns of the Commonwealth. I’m running because I am ready, willing, and eager to help lead that fight and convince others to join me. I look forward to answering your questions, and I respectfully ask for your vote on March 6th.

Another opportunity to meet me!

This Wednesday night, January 18, I'll be joining the Boston Ward 3 Republican Committee at an event  from 6:30-8:30 at Joe's American Bar and Grill, 100 Atlantic Ave. in Boston.

Former state senator and lieutenant governor candidate Richard Tisei, who is now running against Congressman John Tierney in MA-6 (North Shore), will be there, as will several state committee candidates.

I hope to meet as many of you as possible there!

An upcoming event: come meet me!

In preparation for the Boston Republican City Committee's event for state committee candidates on January 31st, the organizers sent around a brief set of questions. I've posted my answers below.

If you're interested in attending the event on the 31st, it's going to take place at the Park Street School (67 Brimmer Street) in Boston, from 6:30 until (I assume) 8:30 or 9.

1. What would you like to accomplish in your district in the next 4 years? I hope to prove that the Republican Party can be alive and well in all parts of this district -- Boston, Cambridge, Chelsea, and Everett. This serves two related goals. One, a healthy political culture depends on the real competition we as a party must provide for the Democrats; two, the state GOP must learn to compete in areas such as those included in this district if it is ever to be consistently viable statewide. Thus, I hope to establish city/town and ward committees throughout the district, and work to find candidates for every race from state senator to school committee. We will lose every single race we refuse to contest, so it is imperative that active Republican organizations exist and be able to support Republican candidates up and down the ballot.

2. What is your strongest asset to the Republican State Committee? I think the combination of my youth and energy is my greatest asset. I know a fair amount about Massachusetts' political history over the past decades, but I've lived through very little of it. It was a pleasant surprise that the first vote I cast in Massachusetts was for the first victorious Republican candidate for the U.S Senate in nearly four decades: I speak, of course, of Scott Brown. Because of that inexperience, then, I'm more optimistic than most about the possibilities for transforming the political landscape here in the Commonwealth, especially in places like the Middlesex and Suffolk District where Republicans have too long been a rumor rather than a reality. I think that optimism will be a great asset to me as a state committee member.

3. What is something new you would like to see your Republican Town Committees practice? I'd like to see them practice existing. The Cambridge Republican City Committee barely exists, if it exists at all, in much of the district; to the best of my knowledge, Chelsea and Everett don't even have Republican committees. Republicans in this state have succeeded in areas, like Attleboro, where the proper infrastructure has been set up. If elected, my first priority will be to work to establish such infrastructure throughout the Middlesex and Suffolk District.

4. What is your favorite "hot spot" in your district? One of my favorite spots is Tavern on the Square at Porter Square, which is at the very tip of the district. I'm not sure it qualifies as a "hot spot", but it's good enough for me because they show every NFL game on Sundays. I love football, so I very much enjoy spending fall Sundays eating their delicious food and watching the games.

cross-posted at RMG (http://redmassgroup.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=13742)

Official Campaign Announcement (Press Release)

Michael Cowett has announced that he will be a candidate for Republican State Committeeman in the Middlesex and Suffolk state senatorial district, which includes all of Chelsea and Everett as well as the following sections of Cambridge and Boston:

Cambridge: Ward 1 all, precinct 1 of ward 2, ward 3 all, precinct 2 of ward 4, and all of wards 6, 7, and 8
Boston: Ward 2 all (Charlestown), precinct 5 of ward 3 (the West End), precincts 4, 6, and 7 of ward 21 (Allston), and precincts 1, 2, and 5 of ward 22 (Allston and Brighton).

"I'm running for two major reasons: build Republican infrastructure and support Republican candidates at all levels," Cowett said. "Recent Republican success in Massachusetts, especially in the state House, has largely come in areas with strong city and town committees, and we must bring that success to the Middlesex and Suffolk District."

"We also need strong Republican candidates for every office at every level of government, from school committee to Congress. No matter how thoroughly the Democratic Party continues to fail Bay State residents, nothing will change until the Republican Party starts to offer viable alternatives even in historically deep-blue areas.; after all, we will lose every single race we refuse to contest. We must broaden our focus from a few friendly enclaves to each of the Commonwealth's 351 cities and towns, and I intend to begin that effort in Boston, Cambridge, Chelsea, and Everett."

Michael Cowett is currently a junior at Harvard College. Politically, he has been an active member of the Cambridge Republican City Committee throughout college, most recently as a volunteer for Charlie Marquardt's campaign for Cambridge City Council. He has also interned for state Rep. Nicholas Boldyga (R-Southwick).

cross-posted to RMG here: http://redmassgroup.com/diary/13740/cowett-announces-run-for-gop-state-committee