Virginia Notebook: Hager and Frederick Battle for GOP
The hottest contest at the Virginia Republican Party convention next month might not be the one between Del. Robert G. Marshall and former governor James S. Gilmore for the nomination for Senate.
It could be the battle for state party chairman, which has taken a nasty turn and exposed a generational divide within the party.
Del. Jeffrey M. Frederick (Prince William) is posing a serious challenge to Chairman John H. Hager, who is seeking reelection to the job he has held since August.
Frederick, 32, and Hager, 71, are crisscrossing Virginia to line up support from delegates, dispatching paid staffers to local GOP committee meetings and launching whisper campaigns about each other.
It's bare-knuckle politics at its finest, and the outcome could determine the direction of a state party that has been reeling from a string of losses, most recently in the November election for General Assembly.
Frederick says the party needs new leadership if it wants to regain its footing against the better-funded, better-organized state Democratic Party, which has flourished under the leadership of Gov. Timothy M. Kaine and former governor Mark R. Warner.
"We need bold new leadership," Frederick said in an interview. "Under Hager's watch, we lost four seats in the state Senate, and we lost five seats in the House. We are just a few seats away from losing control of the House [next year]. If we lose control, all the things we worked so hard on over the years will be erased."
But should GOP activists replace Hager, a tested public servant who appears to have been a stabilizing force for the party?
"I think the Republican Party of Virginia has righted the ship and is doing outstanding work," Hager said. "I am excited about the progress we are making. Stability and proven leadership is what RPV needs."
After languishing for years under past leaders, the state party does appear to be improving its operation with Hager.
The party has invested in technology, retooled its fundraising and helped lessen divisions between Republicans in the House and Senate.
In recent weeks, Hager has led coordination efforts between the state and national parties to fend off Democratic attempts to win the state's 13 electoral votes in this fall's presidential race.
On paper, at least, Frederick is an appealing candidate for a party desperate to end a losing streak.
He's relatively young and definitely energetic, saying the party must shift the focus to rebuilding its grass-roots organization, once a strength of the state party.
Frederick is Hispanic, and he lives in Northern Virginia. Electing him might make the Republican Party appear more receptive to the concerns of minorities and residents in Northern Virginia. Those groups are fueling the Democratic resurgence in the state.
Frederick, who operates a technology business, might also be able to tap new sources of money for the GOP.
Along with his wife, Amy, who is a savvy political strategist, Frederick has proved that he knows how to win elections.Frederick, first elected in 2003, has been racking up surprisingly large election margins, even though he is one of the most conservative members of the General Assembly and represents a Democratic-leaning district.
"I know how to go out and reach out to different voters and bring them in so we can win," Frederick said.
But there are plenty of pitfalls in Frederick's candidacy.
In the House, Frederick has largely been marginalized by Speaker William J. Howell (R-Stafford). Some legislators say Frederick can be arrogant, abrasive and self-absorbed, but he did pick up an endorsement last week from Del. Daniel W. Marshall III (R-Danville).
Frederick is also an outspoken anti-tax conservative -- he opposes efforts to raise more money for transportation -- and that might undercut his argument that he has a firm grasp of Northern Virginia's problems.
Hager, a former lieutenant governor, is also conservative but has had strong ties to the moderate wing of the party during his career.
If Frederick wins, he could worsen a split between the establishment-elected officeholders and the insurgency element of the party, largely made up of ambitious, young conservatives.
Frederick was one of those insurgents when he unseated moderate John A. "Jack" Rollison III five years ago.
Some party leaders fear that Frederick would encourage more intraparty challenges. Many Republicans say that similar primary challenges last year, which cost two senators their jobs, helped the Democrats take control of the state Senate.
Frederick also has to make the case that he can handle the workload of a party chairman and a delegate while being chief executive of Alexandria-based GXS Strategies.
Hager, who is retired, works full time as chairman. And because he is able to attend party events, some activists say he is the most visible chairman they have had in years.
Patrick M. McSweeney, a former party chairman closely aligned with the conservative movement, said in a letter in February that he could not support Frederick for party chairman. Elected officials should not serve in that role, McSweeney said.
"One constituency or the other must inevitably suffer when those roles are combined in one person," McSweeney wrote in a letter to Frederick.
Despite those reservations, it appears that Republicans such as Frederick represent the future of the GOP. But making such a radical change in the middle of a presidential election year could be risky for a party that may have already reached its electoral low point.
Besides, do Virginia Republicans really want to put Jenna Bush's father-in-law on the unemployment line, especially when her father will also be out of a job come January?
By Tim Craig |
April 9, 2008; 2:35 PM ET
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Posted by: J. Tyler Ballance | April 9, 2008 4:20 PM
If Chairman Hager has indeed "retooled" fundraising and other operations of the state party he is to be commended, for it at least demonstrates some understanding that there is severe dysfunction within the state party organization. The problem is that we at the grassroots have yet to see any evidence of this new way of thinking. Instead, we continue to see the top-down style of management that has characterized the organization for most of the last decade.
The GOP came to majority status in Virginia on the backs of motivated volunteers, and donors satisfied their money would be well-spent. Moderates and conservatives were united by careful loyalty to core Republican principles exhibited by our leaders. We can save a sliver of that status (and perhaps regain it entirely) by retiring the too-well-established structure that seems to have forgotten that fundamental formula for victory.
"Stability" should not be the watch word when the status quo has us on a losing trajectory.
Posted by: Steve Albertson | April 9, 2008 5:08 PM
Don't worry about Jenna's father-in-law, my plan covers that problem. From imnotemeril.blogspot.com;
"My conclusion? In a perfect world Jeff Frederick would be our new Chairman. Then, in that perfect world, Jeff's first two acts would be to fire Executive Director Charlie Judd and immediately hire John Hager as Executive Director, a position his background is much more suitable for."
Posted by: Alton Foley | April 9, 2008 5:49 PM
Ask Frederick about his bogus Voter Vault and the lawsuit RPV won against him. This is sour grapes at its finest.
Posted by: Mikey | April 10, 2008 11:48 AM
Hey Mikey -- what's bogus is your poor attempt at shock and awe.
I've talked to Jeff about this issue, and it isn't an issue. There was no lawsuit (find it, I challenge you -- lawsuits are public), and second, RPV paid the bill, so I guess that mean Jeff's company prevailed.
This all had less to do with Jeff and his company, and more to do with the change in leadership at RPV after former Chairman Gary Thompson was indicted. The project was a victim of the RPV chaos.
Posted by: Valley Conservative | April 10, 2008 12:18 PM
Hahaha, what makes Amy Frederick a savvy political strategist....her blogs about the movies she makes Jeff watch?
Posted by: Anonymous | April 11, 2008 2:22 PM
There have always been complaints from the masses about the mistakes in operations at RPV and there always will be. I admit I've been one of those people. I have to say though, that I have never seen it as bad as it is now with this disconnect and even denial that there are longtime practices at RPV that are now contributing to GOP election losses in a very substantial way. Topping the list is the problems with the GOP's lousy direct mail program with its subpar product and very questionable contracting pratices.
This week's revelation on what can politely be described as a "gaffe" by John Hager is that Hager's campaign is being run out of the offices of a state Republican Party vendor who has received over $4 million in "no-bid" money from the party coffers. The GOP activists are starting to scream that there is at the very least an appearance of impropriety.
There is an interesting discussion on this subject here:
http://www.bvbl.net/index.php/2008/04/16/john-hagars-uncomfortably-close-relationship-with-a-top-rpv-vendor/#comments
Posted by: Watch Dog | April 17, 2008 6:21 PM
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You can't keep doing the same thing and expect different results.
We need to let the new generation of Republicans take up the torch of leadership of our Republican Party and clean house down at the RPVA.
We need a genuine effort to built support among Latino and Asian voters, not just have a "minority" committee and call the job completed.
The GOP needs to get back to its libertarian roots and again be the Party that stands for less government and more freedom.
The "Old Guard" including Hager, McDonnell, Bolling, Gilmore, Allen and Kilgore, deserve congratulations for serving, but Virginia has changed and we need new ideas from new leaders who will embrace new technology, and who will successfully recruit new immigrants into the GOP.