Op-Ed: In Defense of Liberty

Editor’s Note: This Op-Ed was submitted to Breitbart Texas by the Republican Party of Texas Chairman Tom Mechler.

The Republican Party of Texas is the most dominant state Party in the country, and our Party is larger, more diverse, and more conservative than ever before. Now that our 2016 RPT State Convention has concluded, we are more focused than ever on annihilating Hillary Clinton and her liberal Democrat allies.

When Republicans work together, not only do we win, but we win in areas where we have never won before, just like we have already done this year in Texas House District 118. It is imperative that we unite together to take the fight directly to the Democrats.

Despite the overwhelming loss Battleground Texas suffered in 2014, Obama’s campaign team is still actively working in Texas because they understand that if Texas turns blue, Republicans will never win the White House again. It’s fun to brag about the fact that Texas Democrats haven’t won a statewide elected office since 1994, but with the changing demographics across the state, our battle has only just begun. The Castro brothers are the anointed ones within the Democratic Party, and they’ve set their sights on higher positions and offices. With Julian Castro as a likely pick for Hillary Clinton’s running-mate, it is imperative that Texas Republicans send a clear and decisive message that our state is not a battleground state; it is a burial ground for Democrats. Texas won’t turn blue in 2016, but if we do not continue to make inroads with minority groups, the state could turn blue as early as 2020.

There is so much more at stake in this 2016 election cycle than just the White House; aside from trying to move past eight divisive years under President Obama, the balance of the Supreme Court falls into the hands of our next President. If Hillary Clinton wins, she’ll be able to nominate as many as three Supreme Court justices, which gives the Democrats the potential to have a 7-2 liberal-over-conservative advantage. Under those parameters, the Judicial Branch of our Federal Government will continue to act as a legislating body and could very well tear the Second Amendment to shreds, grant amnesty to millions of illegal immigrants, and eliminate restrictions on abortion, among other things.

This election is the most important election of our lifetimes, and Texas is on the frontlines of this fight for the future of our great nation. As your Republican Party of Texas Chairman, I am calling on all Texas Republicans to join the fight in defense of liberty. Whether it’s helping elect Congressional members across the state, or helping your local Republican county official get elected, the balance of the Federal Government and the future of Texas rest in your hands. This November, our country will come to a crossroads. The American people will have the choice to continue down the destructive path of an out-of-control Federal Government that has been forged over the past eight years, or they will choose a different path- a path of freedom, accountability, and limited government. As Texas Republicans, it is our duty to lead the fight to beat the Democrats and take our country back.

Tom Mechler is the Chairman of the Republican Party of Texas. He was initially elected by the State Republican Executive Committee to fill the vacancy left after Chairman Steve Munisteri stepped down. He was recently elected to a full term by the delegates of the state convention recently held in Dallas.