Frequently Asked Questions

The following are Rose Strong's responses to a questionnaire offered by Tim Goddard, who operates "Flag of the World," a political weblog that focuses primarily on Washington state politics.  These questions were asked of all State Chair candidates, who ran in 2005, we decided to leave this on Rose's website because her views still remain the same. You may view available replies at the Archive for 'Operation: Red Washington'.

She has also contributed comments to the Reagan Wing regarding her candidacy.  They can be read in the "Winning Plan for the Washington State Republican Party" section.

Response to Questionnaire

  1. What do you see as the main task(s) of the state party chair?

Answer:  The main tasks of the State Party Chairman in my opinion are:

Fundraising – should include membership, corporate and private donations.  We should set up endowments in the name of distinguished Republicans living and deceased who have made outstanding contributions to the Party;

Candidate recruitment – we should recruit those persons interested in running for office on every level of elective office, to include non-partisan positions.  A Candidate Recruitment Chair should be appointed by each of the 39 counties to coordinate and vet each candidate;

Voter Registration – a Voter Registration Chair should be appointed by each of the 39 counties to do grass-root level voter registration.  Registration of Republicans in Washington State ranked in the basement when compared with other states nationally in this election cycle.  State House candidates should carry voter registration forms to register eligible residents as they canvass neighborhoods, malls, business establishments, etc.  They should also keep their own personal accounts of the number of people they registered.  The same should be done by others seeking office;

Atmosphere of Unity – The State Party Chair must provide an atmosphere of unity among Republicans and set the tone for this to be accomplished.  We cannot afford to throw people out of the Party.  Eventually, we will not have anyone left because we will never have 100% agreement among all of us;

The Chairman should, along with leaders of the House and Senate, do "fly-around" media events across the State to promote and galvanize support for positions taken by Republicans in the Legislature (done in all media markets);

The Chairman should provide an atmosphere of transparency and openness of State Party books and doors;
The Chairman should set goals and timetables with measurable results and goals.
  1. One of the de facto roles of the state party chair is to be the “face of the party.”  How do you think the public perceives you, as that face?

Answer:  May main goal is to establish credibility as the Chair of the Party by "saying what I mean" and "meaning what I say."  I will conduct myself in a professional and knowledgeable manner.  Additionally, my experience as an elected official taught me how important it is to establish relationships with the communications media (written, TV and radio) which allowed me to articulate the Party's position on issues based upon whether or not they perceived me as a credible spokesperson.  Relationships are important, and media people are no different.

  1. What do you see as the current primary strengths and weaknesses of the Party as a whole?

Answer:  I believe that Washington Republicans adopted a Platform that can be lived with by Party members as well as attract others to the Party.  Weaknesses:  The Party's seeming inability to take what it believes in to the level where not only those within the party can unify behind the Platform, but invite others to join us as well.  If the Republican Party is to become a majority in this state, it has to reach out to people from diverse backgrounds and welcome them.  Traditionally, small business people are an integral part of our Party.  Our natural constituencies such as these individuals, plus outreach to various minorities, labor unions and educators must increase.

  1. What do you see as the most significant division within the Republican Party?

Answer:  The most significant division within the Party as I see it is "all of the different kinds of Republicans".  We should all be Republicans who agree 80% on core values about what we believe in; and disagree 20% of time over other differences.  The present atmosphere of "turning on each" on some issues (publicly at that) is counterproductive.  An atmosphere, led by the Chairman, must be creative and worked on to make all Republicans feel wanted, needed and at "home" regardless of some differences.  The late Lee Atwater, whom I knew, and others in my former state of Georgia worked diligently to transform the South into what is presently called a "red state," and they believed in the "big tent" philosophy.  That is the only way we will make Washington "red".

  1. In 2004, the State Republican Party failed to unseat a single incumbent in legislative or statewide races.  Why do you think that happened?

Answer:  Quite simply, we were "outsmarted" by the Democrats.  To have had attractive Presidential, gubernatorial and Attorney General candidates, along with other incumbents, and not only lose the Senate but lose additional seats in the House is nothing short of a "tsunami and earthquake".  The State Party Chairman must have a close working relationship with House and Senate members and work along with them in communicating our Party’s message to voters.  The message must be clear and concise.

I know the importance of working with leaders who mentor candidates running for the House.  Congressman John Linder of Georgia (who was at that time a State Representative) mentored me and many other candidates in 1978.  Though I did not win my race, many other Republicans across the State of Georgia did.  He and others from the Local Elections Division of the Republican National Committee trained us.  Additionally, the RNC helped those of us who proved that we were "serious” candidates by meeting fundraising and organizational goals.  1978 was the year Republicans began to slowly turn the tide in Georgia’s General Assembly and to become the majority party it is today.

The Washington State Party Chairman has to work with Legislative leaders and provide the same kind of leadership and mentoring that Congressman Linder provided to help our Georgia candidates win.  Fundraising goes right along with organization when running.  Coordination of a Republican message is extremely necessary so that legislators, the State Party Chairman and candidates are singing off the same sheet of music.  It should have been articulated right down to the "grassroots" level that to build a solid foundation for taking over the State House demanded attention, especially to those running at that level.  It was and is the responsibility of the State Party Chairman to provide fundraising and organizational advice and assistance to candidates.

  1. In a very general sense, without going into specifics, what is the best way for a generally conservative party to compete in a generally liberal state without selling out its principles?

Answer:  The bottom line among Republicans is that we believe our core issues are less taxes, less government interference, family values, strong defense, personal responsibility and accountability, and an educational system which provides an opportunity for all of our children to receive a good education.  Having said that, those values are held by a majority of the residents of Washington State.

What has happened is that Republicans have allowed Democrats to define us.  Further, we have not provided the outreach in traditional Democrat-voting areas to counteract perceptions broadcast by the Democrat Party and the media.  A Republican presence in these areas is noticeably absent.  Consequently, they/we view the task of overcoming these perceptions as insurmountable and we have basically ceased to provide alternative images.  But, it is not an impossible task.  Many of King and Pierce County’s Democrat-voting areas broke ranks and voted for Dino Rossi in the governor’s race through the efforts made by the Minority Outreach Project that I co-chaired in King County.  I worked with Dr. Charles Horne, President of the Pacific Northwest Black Chamber of Commerce in Tacoma, and Pastor Aaron Haskins of the City Church (my church), who also serves as Executive Director of The Coalition for Community Development and Renewal in Seattle.

  1. What do you think was the most costly mistake made by the State Republican Party in the 2004 cycle?

Answer:  In addition to a lack of support for State House candidates, there should have been anticipation that if the vote for governor was close Democrats would use their "old courthouse politics” tactic to win the election.

I know that the Southern states had to figure out ways to clean up voter registration lists to ensure, as much as is possible, that dead people and others not eligible to vote did not participate.  I was appointed to work in minority communities to aggressively help clean up illegal activities, especially as they related to poll managers and absentee ballots.  The problems usually occurred in poor minority communities, and Democrats were very adept at “creative” balloting.  I even threatened to bring in federal troops in some of the precincts for which I was responsible.  Regardless of the attractiveness of candidates and messages, if the Chairman of the Party does not understand the "war" Republicans are in on election day in a state like this, we will continue to lose.

  1. What do you think is the most important thing for the Republicans to do to be competitive statewide?

Answer:  Good candidate recruitment, which should begin immediately and not wait until 2006, lots of fundraisers, unify the Party, and aggressive voter registration that must commence immediately.

  1. What do you think is the most important thing for the Republicans to do in the long term to be competitive statewide?

Answer:  Raise money for State House candidates and develop an understanding of how important it is to establish coalitions with non-traditional voters who usually vote for Democrat candidates.

  1. Briefly, what accomplishment of yours shows best why you should be State Chair?

Answer:  Just since the beginning of 2003, I have: