A note from Kathy Kist about Sarah Palin and the Presidential Election
It's hard to overstate my excitement and enthusiasm for the McCain-Palin ticket. They have galvanized Republicans everywhere in a way that no one foresaw. I am excited about the race ahead and confident for the first time in a long time that we can win from the top to the bottom. John McCain truly showed himself to be the maverick in picking a running mate completely out of the Washington mainstream: a woman of grace and substance with rock star appeal and middle class common sense.

Just as McCain's pick of Gov. Palin united the national Republican party, Nick Jordan's congressional run to fix what is broken in Washington has united both wings of the Johnson County Republican Party in a way unseen for years. With Nick Jordan, our district can finally have a representative that doesn't vote with Nancy Pelosi 97% of the time.

Likewise, our local candidates are men and women of character who love their country and state and want to continue to promote open government, less regulation, lower taxes, and Kansas values.

This is truly an historic election year. Find a candidate or two that needs your help and volunteer. Together, we can restore America.

Kathy Kist
Chair, Olathe Republican Party

Picnic a Success; Straw Poll Results
Following annual tradition, the Olathe Republican Party held our annual picnic at the Mahaffie Farmstead in Olathe on Saturday, July 5. In addition to great food and fun times, a straw poll was held for various Republican primaries affecting Olathe as well as the ballot measures coming up. Here are the results:

District Attorney
Kline (I) 82
Howe 37

Sheriff
Ken Smith 74
Frank Denning (I) 34

US Congress
Nick Jordan 115
Paul Showen 2

KS Senate -- District 37
Jeff Colyer 107
Steve Baru 2

1/4 Cent Tax for Public Safety
Yes 18
No 94

Direct election of district judges -- Johnson County
Yes 104
No 11

1/8 Cent Tax for Education Triangle
No 100
Yes 13

Check out the Photo Gallery of the event here!

Visit Our Blog
From time to time, a member of our leadership or a guest will post a message on our Blog. The newest entry is from Kathy Kist and some wise words about the elections!

Welcome to 2008!
Welcome to Election Year 2008! Yes, that is the focus of the Olathe Republican Party for the next 12 months.

Toward that end, we have our first Kansas Republican Party Caucuses in 20 years on February 9, 2008. According to the Kansas State Republican Party, Olatheans have four choices of caucus sites to attend. We can attend whichever one is convenient for us.

We also have the opportunity to self-nominate to be one of the Kansas delegates to the 2008 Republican National Convention. With no candidate getting favorable ratings from a majority of Republicans, the candidate might be chosen at the convention instead of before. (See here for an interesting true occurrence of a dark horse candidate being chosen at the convention in the past.) For my choice for the Republican nominee, see my blog.

Watch this page for updates on local Republican events. We will have a new kind of fundraising dinner during the turnaround week of the legislative session this year. (More details to follow.)

Thank you for your continued support and contact us with any questions or suggestions. Here’s to constitutionally-limited, principled government!

Kathy Kist
Olathe Republican Party Chair

Support Senator Pat Roberts in 2008
Senator Pat Roberts is running for reelection! Here is an excerpt from his recent letter to Johnson County Republicans:

I am proud of my service to the state – and looking forward to talking about my positive record of achievement on the campaign trail. As you know, there is a lot at stake in this next election and I am not taking anything for granted. My campaign team and I are already hard at work, preparing for whatever challenge I might face. According to the Associated Press on April 12, 2007, “Mike Gaughan, executive director of the Kansas Democratic Party, said Democrats expect to have a candidate ready to take on Roberts…”

It is critical we re-elect Senator Pat Roberts to the United States Senate. Find out how to help him by visiting his campaign website today.

Subscribe to the Olathe News
Mention the Olathe Republican Party when subscribing to the Olathe Daily News for one year, and the Olathe Daily News will donate $10 to your favorite charity! More more information, visit theolathenews.com or call (913) 764-2211!

Keeping Olathe Republican
Olathe Republicans have a lot to be proud of as their legislators have been working very hard in Topeka the past session. Senators Karin Bronwlee, Dennis Wilson and Senator Julia Lynn along with Representatives Lance Kinzer, Arlen Siegfreid, Mike Kiegerl, Rob Olson, Anthony Brown and Benjamin Hodge have been standing firm on Republican principles including:

• Reducing taxes, including property, income and business taxes
• Limiting the growth of state government
• Recognizing the value of innocent life through the passage of Alexa's Law
• Resisting state owned gambling
• Promoting responsible funding of education
• Etc.!

Learn more about each of our local legislators by visiting our Elected Officials section. To learn more about how to help our great Republican officials stay in office, learn how to Volunteer! We need your support!