The Party pulls together....

Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling endorses Ed Gillespie for RPV Chairman

November 27, 2006

Dear Friend:

As you know, Kate Obenshain Griffin recently announced her resignation as Chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia.Kate served our Party well for the past three years, and I am most appreciative of her service. She is a dear friend, and I wish her well as she assumes her new duties as Senator George Allen’s Chief of Staff.

In light of Kate’s resignation, the State Central Committee of the Republican Party of Virginia must select a successor to fill the unexpired portion of her term. I am writing to advise you of my decision to support Ed Gillespie for Chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia.

Ed Gillespie lives in Alexandria. He is founder and co-chairman of Quinn, Gillespie and Associates, a bipartisan public affairs firm that provides strategic counsel and government relations/communications services to corporations, trade associations and issue based coalitions.

Ed served as Chairman of the Republican National Committee from 2003 to 2005. As Chairman of the Republican National Committee Ed did a great job helping lead our Party at the national level.

You may not know that Ed Gillespie was a principal drafter of the Contract With America, a document that clearly set forth what Republicans would do if given the opportunity lead the United States Congress. In response to that positive vision for the future of our country, our Party became the majority Party in Congress in 1994.

In addition, Ed was the general strategist for Senator Elizabeth Dole’s 2002 campaign for the U.S. Senate in North Carolina, and he was a top aide to former House Majority Leader Dick Armey of Texas and former RNC Chairman Hailey Barbour, who is now Governor of Mississippi.

Ed Gillespie has the background, knowledge and experience to help lead our Party into the future.

Ed will bring stature to the position of Party Chairman, he will be a good spokesman for our Party and our conservative values, and he has the contacts to help our Party raise the money we need to win future political campaigns.

Ed understands that we need to rebuild and reenergize the grassroots organization of our Party and he has the political and campaign experience to do that.

More importantly, Ed shares my belief about what we must to rebuild our Party.

To remain the majority Party in Virginia we must recommit ourselves to our conservative principles and values, we must offer a positive vision for the future of our state, we must once again become the Party of issues and ideas, we must reconnect with voters in the Northern Virginia suburbs and we must reach out to the changing face of Virginia.

I have spent a great deal of time in recent weeks talking with Ed about the future of our Party, and I am convinced that he is the right person to help lead our Party into the future. I am confident that Ed Gillespie will make a great Chairman for the Republican Party of Virginia.

When the State Central Committee meets on December 2nd at the 23rd Annual Donald W. Huffman Advance, I will encourage them to elect Ed Gillespie to serve as Chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia. I hope you will join me in supporting Ed’s candidacy for this important position.

Thanks for considering my views on this important issue.

Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling