Congressman Peter Hoekstra Calls for State Chair Saul Anuzis to be Replaced

Hoekstra calls for replacing GOP leadership

 

Tuesday, November 14, 2006By Ed Golder

The Grand Rapids Press

Republican Party leaders — including Michigan GOP Chairman Saul Anuzis — should be replaced after last week’s election losses, said U.S. Rep. Peter Hoekstra, R-Holland.

“After you get whacked, you need a clear change in leadership,” Hoekstra said. “You need a fresh look. You need that at the national level and you need that at the state level.”

Hoekstra joins a growing number of Republicans who have targeted Anuzis in the wake of defeats. Last week, officers of the Kent County Republican Party wrote a letter to activists calling for the ouster of Anuzis and supporting local 3rd Congressional District Chairman Dave Dishaw for the job. Anuzis and Dishaw will face off at the February Republican convention in Grand Rapids.

Also, Republican National Committee Chairman Ken Mehlman announced last week that he would leave his post at year’s end.

Hoekstra addressed a range of issues in an interview with Press editorial writers Monday. Hoekstra will lose influence and profile as Democrats take control of Congress. After January, when Democrats will have majority in the House and Senate, he will no longer be chairman of the House Intelligence Committee.

He blamed the Republican defeat on President Bush and Congress, especially their handling of the war in Iraq.

“People just perceived Republicans and the president as locked too firmly into a strategy that’s not working,” Hoekstra said.

Continue reading article here….

Saul Anuzis – “My job is to basically put our best candidate forward”

Anuzis Primary Favoritism Cost Republicans in 2006

There are three potential candidates for State Chairman currently being discussed Saul Anuzis, Dave Dishaw, Chuck Perricone, and Jerry Zandstra.

This campaign seems to be about two things: the loss of elections in Michigan and the ability of a candidate to be neutral in Primaries.  As someone who liked Jerry Zandstra in the Primary and would be likely to support him if he ran for Chairman, I distinctly remembered Anuzis not playing fair in the US Senate Primary. 

Anuzis clearly favored Bouchard at the expense of Butler and Zandstra.  This ended up backfiring as supporters of Butler and Zandstra were slow to help Bouchard because the party under Saul Anuzis was not playing fair in the Primary.

The Bouchard campaign was being run by Sterling Corporation.  I did a little research and found out that Sterling Corporation has been paid $1.5 million dollars by the Michigan Republican State Committee since Saul Anuzis was elected Chairman.

Anuzis to TV -8: ”My job’s not to level any playing field. My job is to basically put our best candidate forward.”

http://www.woodtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=4944153

Now Mitt Romney has hired Sterling Corporation to run his Presidential campaign.  It is very hard to believe that he would be neutral given his past record in Primaries.

Urge Zandstra to Run for Chairman

Please email Jerry Zandstra at jerry@jerryzandstra.com and urge him to run for Chairman of the Michigan Republican State Committee!