On behalf of all of the Republican candidates for the 2006 County-wide General Election, Thank you for your support!

Despite the refusal of the Election Commission to distribute voting sites equitably, a Congressional race that increased Democratic turnout, and 60% of the county’s voters casting ballots in the Democratic primary - you helped Republican candidates prevail in 76% of the races that we endorsed or nominated candidates in!

I am so proud of our dedicated group of volunteers who made tens of thousands of personal phone calls in the final days of the campaign. With some races only being won by 300 votes, it is abundantly clear that your work paid off.

Among all of the victories that we experienced Thursday night, there were several painful disappointments for our Party.

Jane Pierotti was one of the best candidates that our party has nominated for public service. Her record of achievement would have made her a stellar County Commissioner. Within days after the withdrawal of the incumbent, Jane and her volunteers had a top-notch campaign going that was far superior to her opponent. Unfortunately, in a district that went 60% for Kerry two years ago, even the best campaign could not overcome the odds.

We are also proud of Novella Smith Arnold, who bravely challenged Henri Brooks in Commission District 2 and doubled the previous record for the percentage of the vote of any Republican candidate within that district. While the Democrats failed to have any candidates in Republican areas, Novella proudly carried the GOP banner in a heavily Democratic district - and thousands of voters responded to her compassionate and positive message in her campaign.

Judge Donn Southern will be missed on the Probate Court. He was such a fine jurist that he was endorsed by both the Republican and Democratic parties for re-election, but just barely missed winning on Thursday night.

We congratulate all of our victorious Republicans:

County Offices
District Attorney Bill Gibbons	Sheriff Mark Luttrell	County Trustee Bob Patterson
Circuit Court Clerk Jimmy Moore	Criminal Court Clerk Bill Key	Juvenile Court Clerk Steve Stamson
Probate Court Clerk Chris Thomas	County Clerk Debbie Stamson	County Register Tom Leatherwood
Commissioner-Elect Mike Ritz	Commissioner George Flinn	Commissioner-Elect Mike Carpenter
Commissioner Joyce Avery	Commissioner-Elect Wyatt Bunker	Commissioner David Lillard
Judges
Judge James Russell	Judge Karen Williams	Judge Kay Robilio
Judge Jerry Stokes	Chancellor Arnold Goldin	Chancellor-Elect Kenny Armstrong
Judge John Colton	Judge-Elect Jim Lammey	Judge Fred Axley
Judge-Elect Lee Coffee	Judge Chris Craft	Judge Mark Ward
Judge James Beasley	Judge Lynn Cobb	Judge Phyllis Gardner
Judge-Elect Deborah Henderson	Judge Lonnie Thompson	Judge Ann Pugh
Judge Tim Dwyer	Judge Joyce Broffitt	Judge-Elect Karen Massey
Judge Louis Montesi	Judge Larry Potter	Judge Robert Benham
Judge-Elect Curtis Person

and our new Memphis City Charter Commission member, Sharon Webb

The pundits expected losses on a massive scale, and our volunteers worked hard to prove the pundits dead wrong. Never underestimate the intelligence and thoughtfulness of Shelby County voters. They proved that when you nominate solid, effective, and ethical candidates you will win.

The Shelby County Republican Party is growing faster than ever. Our membership rolls are on the rise, our volunteer base is getting stronger, and many of our club rosters are growing. In a majority-Democratic county such as ours, we have to work much harder to get the right people in public office. This election made clear that Shelby Countians are fed up with ineffective, unqualified, and in come cases criminal Democratic nominees. We believe in providing a responsible alternative and I am encouraged that so many Democrats crossed partisan boundaries to support our nominees.

However, we cannot win without continuing to grow. Growth does not mean changing your vision or values - it means attracting new supporters to our positive agenda for our community. Growth means aggressively going after voters who share our values but are not yet in our Party. Growth means engaging like-minded Democrats who were unsatisfied with their nominees, and turning them into Republicans. Mark Luttrell and Bill Gibbons proved Thursday night that working hard in all parts of our county gets results for solid Republican candidates.

With the November election fast approaching, we still have a lot of work to do. Support for Phil Bredesen may be a mile wide, but it isn’t even an inch deep. When you get to know Senator Jim Bryson, you will find out that he is a man that is passionate about our state and has the experience and knowledge to serve its people as Governor. Governor Bredesen’s slogan should be “failure with a smile.’ He has put a friendly face on tax increases, government corruption, and stealing health care benefits from our most needy citizens. Senator Bryson will win not just by peeling away the facade of the Bredesen administration, but will also introduce a bold agenda of big ideas for our state in the coming months.

We now need to work hard to keep Harold Ford Jr. out of the U.S. Senate! I urge all Republicans to rally behind Bob Corker. As in all contested primaries, the joy of victory is matched only by the pain of loss. Ed and Cyndi Bryant are dear friends to me and have always been some of the Shelby County Republican Party’s biggest supporters. Last night at our Victory Celebration I was heartened to see supporters of Bryant or Hilleary picking up a Corker sign on their way out. I know we will all unite behind our next U.S. Senator, Bob Corker.

The Republican Team - Vote November 7!
Governor Jim Bryson	TN Senate, District 29 Terry Roland	TN House, District 89 John Farmer
U.S. Senator Bob Corker	TN Senate, District 31 Rep. Paul Stanley	TN House, District 93 Tim Cook
U.S. House, District 9 Mark White	TN Senate, District 33 Michael Floyd	TN House, District 95 Rep. Curry Todd
U.S. House, District 8 John Farmer	TN House, District 83 Rep. Brian Kelsey	TN House, District 96 Steve McManus
U.S. House, District 7 Congressman Marsha Blackburn	TN House, District 86 George T. Edwards	TN House, District 97 Jim Coley
		TN House, District 99 Ron Lollar

There is no time like the present to get on board and help us advance our county and elect ethical and effective men and women to public office. It is clear that every phone call made or door visited meant the difference between winning and losing for our candidates. No one can do everything but everyone can do something to make sure we win again in November. Please volunteer for the Party today and lets go out there and pave the way for a brighter future for our County.

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