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Posted by Annie Linskey at 3:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Republicans
        

Maryland Republican Party Chairman Alex Mooney announced today that he has tapped freshman Del. Justin Ready to serve as the organization's interim executive director.

This will be Ready's second go at the job: The 29-year-old served in the position from April 2008 to July 2009, when he was fired by embattled GOP Chairman Jim Pelura (who resigned after receiving a no-confidence vote by the state board).

"Justin's experience as a former MDGOP Executive Director makes him the right choice to serve as the interim executive director through the end of 2011," Mooney said in a statement. Maryland Republcians are searching for a permanent executive director, Mooney said.

The main role of the executive director is to raise money -- which could be a problem for Ready, who represents Carroll County and is a member of the House Health and Government Operations Committee.

Ethics rules prohibit state lawmakers from raising money during legislative sessions. In addition to the regular 90-day session in January, a special session for congressional redistricting is planned for October. There's no word yet on how long that session will last.

Continue reading "Republican delegate to direct state GOP" »

Posted by Julie Bykowicz at 3:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)
Categories: Republicans
        

Former House Speaker and 2012 presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich called President Barack Obama's war speech "fundamentally dishonest and fundamentally dangerous" in an address this evening to Maryland Republicans.

At the appearance at the BWI Airport Marriott, Gingrich continued his criticism of the president's statement Wednesday that "the tide of war is receding." Gingrich challenged the president to withdraw the phrase, which he said was "dangerously misinformed."

Gingrich said the climates in Pakistan and North Korea are among other indications that "a potential tsunami of violence is building offshore." He sharply criticized Obama's response to American soldiers finding and killing Osama bin Laden in Pakistan.

The president, Gingrich said, should have reacted with "extraordinary aggressiveness" and "moral outrage" to word that Pakistan had arrested people believed to have assisted Americans in the raid. Obama, he said, "has no clue how dangerous the world can be." 

Continue reading "Gingrich in MD: Obama's war speech 'dangerous'" »

Posted by Julie Bykowicz at 8:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: Republicans
        

Presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich is scheduled as the featured speaker at the Maryland Republican Party's major annual fundraising event next week.

The Republican former speaker of the House of Representatives has visited the Free State many times in recent years, including for the House GOP retreat in Baltimore this January. He was keynote speaker for the state party fundraiser in June 2009, and you can listen to a video recording (images are quite fuzzy) here. 

But Gingrich's remarks to the state party may have added importance this year, as he attempts to build a presidential bid. His campaign has faced major challenges of late, including the departure last week of more than a dozen key staff members.

Continue reading "Newt Gingrich coming to Maryland next week" »

Posted by Julie Bykowicz at 12:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Republicans