Republican National Committee

David Norcross was re-elected to a sixth four-year term as the Republican National Committeeman from New Jersey: Getty Images Photo
The GOP State Committee today voted to re-elect David Norcross and Virginia Haines to the Republican National Committee. They were unopposed. Norcross, a former GOP State Chairman and the 1976 U.S. Senate candidate, has served as a National Committeeman since 1988. Haines, who served as an Assemblywoman and state Lottery Director, won the National Committeewoman seat in 2004, defeating longtime incumbent Judith Stanley.

A pair of New Jersey political operatives now holding senior positions at the Republican National Committee can rightfully claim a great deal of credit for U.S. Senator Lincoln Chafee's victory in the Rhode Island Republican primary yesterday. It was the voter turnout operation of RNC Political Director Michael DuHaime and Bill Stepien, who runs the 72-Hour Campaign operation, that helped Chafee -- who trailed conservative Stephen Laffey, the Mayor of Cranston, 34%-51% in a recent poll -- secure a solid victory in a record turnout primary. Hotline Editor Chuck Todd said last night that the "RNC 72-hour program has once again surpassed expecations."

DuHaime joined the RNC in 2004 after serving as Regional Political Director for the Bush/Cheney re-election campaign. He served as Executive Director of the New Jersey Republican State Committee, as Deputy Campaign Manager of Bob Franks' 2000 U.S. Senate bid, and as Campaign Manager for Anthony Bucco's successful State Senate campaign in 1997. Bucco's defeat of Gordon MacInnes nine years ago was the last time an incumbent Democratic Senator lost re-election.

(DuHaime's hometown is Hoboken, which has become the political capital of New Jersey; Governor Jon Corzine, Senator Bob Menendez and Senate Majority Leader/Hudson County Democratic Chairman Bernard Kenny all live there.)

Stepien spent the last week on the ground in Rhode Island, as he did earlier this year in a special election for Congress in California's 50th district, where the 72-Hour campaign was credited with the win in a nationally important House race. He started out in politics working on Bucco's '97 campaign, worked as Franks's driver in the 2000 Senate race, managed Bill Baroni's 2003 campaign that unseated incumbent Gary Guear, and served as Field Director of the Bush/Cheney campaign in New Hampshire in 2004.

National Republicans scored a major political victory in California's 50th congressional district when they won a Special Election to fill the vacancy caused by Duke Cunningham's resignation. Some of the credit for the win is going to the Republican National Committee's 72-Hour Program, their voter turnout model. An RNC memo says that the program generated over 182,000 direct voter contacts, and since their team arrived in the district, they reversed a Democratic lead in returned absentee ballots by more than 50%.

The Director of the RNC 72-Hour Program is a New Jerseyan, Bill Stepien, who not coincidentally made the PoliticsNJ.com Rising Stars list in 2001 and the Best Operatives list in 2003. Stepien, who spent the last two weeks in Southern California, started out in politics as a volunteer on Anthony Bucco's successful State Senate race in 1997 against incumbent Gordon MacInnes (that's the last time Republicans ousted a Democratic Senator) and was the Campaign Manager for Bill Baroni's winning State Assembly race in 2003 against incumbent Gary Guear. He joined the RNC after running the Bush/Cheney field operation in New Hampshire in 2004. Stepien's boss is another New Jerseyan, Michael DuHaime, who is now the RNC Political Director.

The 2008 Republican National Convention will be held on Monday, September 1 through Thursday, September 4, according to an announcement made today. Bids to host the convention are due by May 22, and the Site Selection Committe will announce a list of finalist cities this summer -- with a selection made by next February. New Jersey's Republican National Committeeman, David Norcross, is one of nine members of the site selection panel. A former GOP State Chairman and U.S. Senate candidate, Norcross was the Chairman of the Committee on Arrangements for the 2004 convention.

The Democratic National Convention is set for August 25-28.

Republican National Committeeman David Norcross has been named to the Site Selection Committee for the 2008 Republican National Convention. Norcross served as New Jersey Republican State Chairman from 1977 to 1981 and was the GOP candidate for United States Senator against Harrison Williams in 1976. He was the Chairman of the Committee on Arrangements for the 2004 Republican National Convention in New York City.