RSLC Deputy Executive Director Edith Jorge-Tuñón and Political Director Kamilah Prince Join “It’s Bigger Than You Think”
Washington, DC — The Republican State Committee (RSLC) had a banner 2021 election, defying political forecasts in multiple states across the country last week. To recap these historic electoral successes, the RSLC today released a new podcast episode of “It’s Bigger Than You Think,” featuring an interview with RSLC Deputy Executive Director Edith Jorge-Tuñón and Political Director Kamilah Prince. During the conversation, Jorge-Tuñón and Prince discuss the keys to the RSLC's success, the impact of the Right Leaders Network, and important takeaways from the 2021 election.
The RSLC last week led the effort to flip the House of Delegates and the lieutenant governor’s office in Virginia, net six seats in the New Jersey Assembly and one seat in the New Jersey Senate, flip a Texas House seat that Joe Biden won by 14 points in 2020, and retain a seat on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. The newly launched Right Leaders Network was instrumental in these victories. Right Leaders Network candidates accounted for 87% of the seats flipped in New Jersey, 71% of the seats flipped in Virginia, and delivered a special election victory in a deep blue Texas district. During the interview, Jorge-Tuñón and Prince breakdown what makes the RSLC a highly effective political team, how their crushing losses will only make the Democrats spend more next year, and what is important to focus on for 2022 and beyond.
“It’s Bigger Than You Think,” which is released bi-weekly and is available on Spotify, Anchor, iTunes, and Youtube, contains in-depth discussions with current and former state Republicans, national thought leaders, and top political strategists about the outsized impact state government has on the everyday lives of all Americans.
Watch the full episode HERE.
HIGHLIGHTS:
Edith Jorge-Tuñón on how early spending was a key to the RSLC's success in the 2021 elections:
“The old school way of campaigning was you hoarded all this money and waited to spend until September. This kind of newer way of thinking is you start really early on, as early as possible... You risk finding yourself in a situation where you do not find yourself sitting on as much money as you want to in September, but you'll have spent the last couple of months softening the ground and building a foundation with the electorate. So it is just a matter of just flipping that switch post-Labor Day to turnout those voters”
Kamilah Prince on the importance of focusing on messages that are important to voters and sticking with them:
“We identified these messages and we stuck with them. We stayed disciplined as a committee. We helped our candidates, especially in Virginia where we could coordinate with them, we helped them stay disciplined. There were a lot of things that arose throughout the campaign cycle, but we stayed focused on our three key issues across the districts.”
Kamilah Prince on the sweeping success of Right Leaders Network candidates:
“'That was the most exciting part of the election was to see the diversity within the successes we had. Look at Winsome Sears becoming the first woman lieutenant governor of Virginia... 71% of Virginia flips were Right Leaders Network candidates. New Jersey even better... 87% of the flips were Right Leaders Network candidates.”
Kamilah Prince on why the RSLC is a smart investment:
“We make smart decisions, we make tough decisions, and we stick to them and stand by them. We know sometimes they are unpopular, but we are making the right decisions for what is the best use of your dollars.”
Edith Jorge-Tuñón on Democrats spending a lot of money with nothing to show for it:
“There are some vendors on the Democrat side making a lot off of these decisions, I'll say that. I think about that constantly, if I'm a donor of the left, how are you not holding these people accountable. I mean 2020 was an absolute disaster for them, 2021 is I would argue worse. I said this after 2020, but if I was a Democrat donor I would be asking for my money back right now... I think they are going to spend more money. I think that is their resolution to what they think is this problem.”
Edith Jorge-Tuñón on the biggest takeaway from 2021:
“The key to success is the suburbs...Your college educated 30-45 year-old voter. What we've seen is they yo-yo...This year we were really able to get them back on our side. We started talking to them in a way that was relatable to them and issues that effected them.”
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