GOP Convention Report

I just returned from the Republican National Convention! It's was a memorable week in St. Paul. Let me share with you a few of the highlights.

The pinnacle of the convention so far was Sarah Palin's history-making speech. There is no question the Republican delegates have embraced her. You could not sit in that arena and not be touched by the energy and optimism that surrounds the future Vice President of the United States. As I discovered back in July, Sarah Palin is a born leader who shares my goals and priorities for this nation. Nothing would please me more than to be able to work with Vice President Palin in Washington, D.C.

The Utah delegation was privileged to hear from Mitt Romney at a Tuesday morning breakfast event. At that event Romney was kind enough to recognize our victory and to offer his continued support as long as we kept putting Julie up front!

We had a great luncheon at a local law firm on Wednesday. Lee Greenwood provided the entertainment. Hearing Lee Greenwood sing about being an American was inspiring. Sen. Hatch and Sen. Mitch McConnell spoke.



Another highlight was an event called Space Jam, where a Utah company, ATK, was one of more than a dozen sponsors talking about the development of the space program. There were astronauts at this event and the information available to us was fascinating. ATK is an important employer in our state and this was a great event.

Also on Wednesday, we had the privilege of hearing from someone who served as a POW with John McCain. They actually shared the same cell. His narrative was fascinating. I could have listened to him for hours! He made a very compelling case for putting your country first and truly having your patriotism tested at every level. As we look to who is best prepared to be commander in chief, it's no contest. John McCain's service, his sacrifice, and his intimate knowledge of our armed forces are unparalleled. I disagree with Sen. McCain on a number of issues, but compared to Mr. Obama, there is no comparison as to who should be the next President of the United States.

Utah gets a little bit taken for granted for our continued Republican support. We had rather poor seating at the convention. The fringe benefit is that our seating is right next to the CNN and CBS booths. You can see from the photograph how close we are to the CBS booth. The picture is Laura Bush in the red and Tom Brokaw on the far left. I don't have the best camera phone, but you get the idea.



Let's get to work!

Endorsed by Mitt!

Three big things happened today:

1) My kids started school today. Julie and I now have one in high school, one in middle school, and our youngest entered second grade. Wow! Life keeps moving forward (and getting taller).

2) The Salt Lake Tribune's story, www.sltrib.com/utahpolitics/ci_10235192, gave some credit to the strength of our grassroots efforts. The large number of donations was a critical factor in our success through the Convention and into the Primary. Thanks to all who donated! We need to keep this going. If there is any way you can donate, please do so at www.jasonforcongress.com/donations.html. Thank you!

3) Oh, and by the way, Gov. Mitt Romney endorsed my candidacy for Congress!!! This is a huge personal honor for me and a major plus for the campaign. I have the deepest respect and admiration for Gov. Romney. To have his support is meaningful in so many ways.

Julie and I sat with him in Boston a few weeks ago. We talked about everything from our two campaigns to BYU Football to our families to what it is going to take for the Republicans to demonstrate to the American people that we have a better, smarter way to govern.

Here is the content of the press release that went out on 8/18/08:

GOVERNOR MITT ROMNEY ENDORSES JASON CHAFFETZ

Calls Chaffetz "Principled Leader" in Utah's Third Congressional District Race

Former presidential hopeful and Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney today formally endorsed Third District Congressional candidate Jason Chaffetz.

"I am committed to a strong military, a strong economy and strong families," said Romney. "I know Jason Chaffetz shares those values. We will need strong leadership in the Congress to move America forward."

Romney, who earned more than 90% of the vote in Utah's February Presidential Primary, is still considered a possible pick for vice president. "We need principle-driven people who are committed to the public good," said Romney of Chaffetz. "We need people who are willing to stand up, participate in the process and do what is right for America."

In a letter to be distributed in the coming weeks, Romney wrote of Chaffetz, "I know Jason personally and have had the pleasure of working with him. I can say, unequivocally, that there is no one more dedicated to Utah than Jason."

Chaffetz and Romney worked together during the time Romney headed the Republican Governor's Association and Chaffetz served as Chief of Staff to Utah Governor Jon Huntsman. Chaffetz also volunteered time on Romney's presidential campaign.

"It's an honor to have the support of Governor Romney," Chaffetz said. "He is admired in Utah for his commitment to public service, his exceptional business and leadership skills, and his efforts to strengthen America's families. His support will mean a lot to the people of Utah and for that I am very grateful."

In his letter, Romney praised Chaffetz for running a "fiscally conservative, grass roots primary campaign using more than 1,000 volunteers in lieu of a paid staff." Chaffetz has used an all-volunteer staff to run his campaign and dominated the primary election despite being outspent by $600,000.

"Utah — and America — will be lucky to have this principled leader in Congress," Romney told supporters in the letter, which asked recipients to donate generously to the Chaffetz campaign.

Summer Campaign Update

Alaskan Gov. Sarah Palin and myself during visit to ANWR

Much has happened since my first blog entry. Two trips to Washington DC, a trip to Boston, and a few days in Alaska to visit the ANWR and meet with local officials. There is still a long way to go in the campaign, and we are taking nothing for granted. I am working hard on policy, raising money, and building our grassroots organization.

In my first trip to Washington, DC since the Primary victory I met with the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), various members of Republican leadership, members of Congress, Rep. Bishop and Sen. Hatch. The reception was warm with lots of questions about how we were able to pull off such a convincing win with so few resources.

One of my first meetings was with NRCC Chairman Cole. We spent half an hour discussing my race and the national political scene. He was also kind enough to present me a $4,000 check. Thank you!

Julie (my wife accompanied me) and I also met with Republican Leader Boehner in his office. He was very complimentary and encouraging. He was also amazed with our victory and couldn't believe we won without even a campaign office. I explained we have the hardest working staff in any campaign but they are all volunteers participating for all the right reasons.

We met with Representatives Flake, Tancredo, McKeon, Campbell, Bilbray, Herger, Cantor, and a few others. I spent an hour with Rep. Bishop as well as Sen. Orrin Hatch. Both provided solid advice and recommendations. On my second trip to DC we raised more than $20,000, and met with Representatives Blunt and Foxx. Virginia Foxx of North Carolina quickly became one of my favorite members. She is a true conservative fighting the out-of-control spending in DC.

I spent hours with the Heritage Foundation reviewing major policy matters. They are a tremendous resource and I am looking forward to working with them to dive deeper into policy matters.

After my first trip to Washington, DC, Julie and I headed to Boston. We met with Mitt Romney, but more on that later.

The day after I arrived home from Boston I joined six other candidates for Congress to visit ANWR. I love the outdoors. I am amazed with the natural beauty of Alaska. But there is no reason we should prohibit oil exploration in the 10-02 Section of ANWR. It can be done reasonably and I am convinced it will have an immediate impact on the price of gas (by the way, there are parts of Alaska where they pay $9 per gallon!!).

I was struck that Republicans AND Democrats in Alaska are both in favor of drilling in ANWR. In fact, all the Republican and Democratic congressional candidates are in favor of opening ANWR. Gov. Palin and local citizens in Barrow, Kaktovik, Fairbanks, and Anchorage were all in favor of opening ANWR. There was one exception, and he showed up to voice his opposition with a camera crew based in New York and funded by an environmental group they refused to name.

As the campaign moves forward I plan to blog with more frequency and specificity.

Thank you for all your support. Let's keep up the great work and focus on making the November vote a victorious one.

Thank you!

Jason Chaffetz

Humbled by your selfless service to my campaign

I can't emphasize enough how much it means to me to have so many individuals contribute time and money to my campaign. I came into this race hoping to prove that it's possible to go to Congress on behalf of people instead of special interests. You have helped me make that point. With over 400 individual contributors to my campaign, I don't have to cater to special interest groups. I am beholden to you. And that's exactly how it should be.

I'm humbled by the dedication of hundreds of volunteers who have made great sacrifices to help us make a change in Washington. When I win this race, I will have the residents of Utah's Third District to thank. They, more than any lobbyist, interest group or PAC, have fueled my campaign. It's been gratifying to see people come together, develop friendships, fight for what they believe in, and see their efforts succeed. I have great faith in the voters of this great state. Together, we can win. Together we can send a message to Washington that they must do better. I feel a great responsibility to take that message to Washington. Thank you for your support!

Jason Chaffetz

I'm extremely grateful

It has been just over a week since the Republican State Convention and I still have a smile on my face from ear-to-ear. The results were very satisfying and yet our work is just beginning.

I get quite a few questions about the other competitors in the race, but my focus continues to be on the issues and my desire to return the Republican Party to its core conservative roots. David Leavitt and Joe Ferguson are fine men. It was a very competitive race. Yet, I think we ultimately won at Convention because we focused passionately on the issues that matter most to Republicans. I am proud of the campaign we are running and of the hundreds of volunteers who have stepped up to support my candidacy.

Now we are focused on leveraging our volunteers to share our message with the masses. Thursday night (selected because American Idol wasn't on and the Jazz were not playing) we had well over 100 people at my house to get organized and discuss strategy. We broke into groups and had in-depth discussions about the next phase of the campaign. We need all the help we can get, so come join us! Thanks to everyone who is already on board and helping!

Earlier today I was pleased to have www.usenglish.org recognize my pledge to sponsor legislation to confirm English as the official language of the United States America. Click http://www.usenglish.org/view/333?state=UT to see how they rank the Congressmen from Utah. Cannon gets a "C" as does Matheson. Bishop gets an "A" from this organization.