Committeeman John Frey and Committeewoman Patricia Longo

The Republican National Committee is an entity that is regularly mentioned in the media and amongst politicos but continues to suffer from many misunderstandings about the organization. And for most people, they would be pleasantly surprised that the Republican National Committee starts not in Washington, D.C. but rather hundreds of local Republican committees across the nation.

In Connecticut, local Republican Town Committees send delegates to a Convention of their Senatorial District for the purpose of electing Connecticut Republican State Central Committee Members - two from each Senate District. The State Central Committee is charged with electing two Connecticut Republicans to serve on the Republican National Committee - one National Committeeman and one National Committeewoman. In addition to the two National Committee Members, the State Party Chairman from each state is also an ex officio member of the RNC.

The Republican National Committee Members are charged with performing a number of functions. The RNC sets the rules governing the Presidential Primary process. For example, this past week in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the Rules Committee passed the so-called “Ohio Plan”, which will set up geographically diverse, rotating ‘pods’ that will ensure a mix of large states and small states rotate their primaries. With the recent February 5th Super Tuesday when 26 states held a de facto national primary, spreading out the process to stop the frontloading will make Presidential primaries a far more regulated process.  Connecticut’s National Committeeman, Hon. John H. Frey, is a voting member of the Rules Committee.  Connecticut’s Committeewoman, Ms. Patricia Longo, is on the key Committee on Arrangements, which oversees the planning process for the 2008 Republican National Convention in Minneapolis, MN.  Both Members ensure that Connecticut plays a prominent role in Republican National Committee business.

The other major function of the Republican National Committee is to elect a Chairman.  The Chairman of the RNC, currently Mike Duncan of Kentucky, is charged with managing the finances of the National Party and hiring professional staff to further the efforts of Republicans across the nation.  Currently, there are nine divisions of professional staff - Administration, Communications, Counsel, Political, Strategy, eCampaign, Finance, and Member Relations, and Government Affairs.  The vast majority of the Committee’s professional staff work in Washington D.C. at RNC Headquarters, 310 First Street, SE.

The Republican National Committee’s composition and significance in national affairs gives it a key role in the political process.  Though the 173 individual Members of the Republican National Committee often go unrecognized for their importance in the political process, the impact of their decisions is regularly felt throughout the nation.  Connecticut is fortunate to have three National Committee Members - Hon. John Frey, Pat Longo, and Chairman Chris Healy - that wield strong influence over those decisions.