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In preparation for this weekend’s Wisconsin College Republican’s state convention, I have asked the candidates to provide a quick biography and picture for GOP3.com readers. Here is the info on both candidates:

Ryan Wrasse

As I contemplated running for Chair of the Wisconsin College Republicans, I asked some of my CR friends what qualities they wanted to see in the next WICR Chair. Many, if not all, said they wanted someone with experience, time to commit to the orgnaizaiton, a devotion to the Party and the ability to follow through with promises. I strongly felt that I held those qualities, but it wasn’t until many of you expressed your confidence and trust in my abilities to lead and accomplish goals, that I trully decided to run for this position.

At a very young age I understood the fundamental principles of keeping government as far away from our personal lives as possible, believing in the American Dream and fighting hard for our strong morals and values…I just didn’t know how or where to express my ideas. I was looking for a way to help out and fight for what I truly believed in. With no young conservative groups around, my county party was the solution to what I had been looking for. I quickly moved up the ranks of leadership, and shortly after coming into the group, was elected chairman. As a young conservative working closely with the generation of Republicans ahead of me, I gained a unique perspective on where the Republican Party was headed, the challenges it faced and how the next generation of conservative leaders could be part of the solution.

One of the challenges our organization always faces is the turnover in leadership every single year. Early on, I decided that before making any distinctively new campaign promises, we should finish the promises we’ve already made. Mary Ellen Burke has done a fantastic job pushing our organization forward, but we have more to finish and more to improve on. My number one priority has been and will remain strengthening the communication between chapters and state leadership. Our organization only works successfully if the state and regional leaders hear what our chapters are saying.

As we continue to move up the ladder of leadership, we can never forget this fundamental principle: the most important work happens at the grassroots. The voter-to-voter contact that wins elections happens at the grassroots, on individual campuses. As state chair, I will always remember where I came from and how we win elections, and that’s why I will always think from the grassroots on up!

Ryan Wrasse is running with current treasuruer Brandon Goetzman of UW-Madison, who is seeking reelection..

Blog: www.wrasse4chair.com
Email: wrasse4chair@yahoo.com
Facebook

John Connors

John Connors is a Junior at Marquette University studying Business Finance and Entrepreneurship. He has been involved in campus and statewide leadership his entire college career. As a freshman, John served as a senator for the Marquette Student Government and interned for the Milwaukee County Executive, Scott Walker. He left the county to develop the youth campaign for Scott Walker’s race for governor. After Scott bowed out, John began working for Americans for Prosperity where he could continue his grassroots enthusiasm and apply his desires for public policy reform by getting students involved in AFP’s free market and limited government issues. John ran Perfecto Rivera’s late entry and up hill battle for the WI’s 4th Congressional District. As Treasurer of the MUCR’s, Connors brought in thousands of dollars for activites and this Spring, AG John Ashcroft. John is from a small town in Northern Wisconsin where his family owns a timber company and is an outdoors enthusiast in the winter months with a love of snowmobiling, skiing, and ice fishing.

[This biography had to be edited for length, John Connors is running with Tom Burton]

Why We are Running….
Because together, we will be not only the best leaders for Wisconsin’s Federation, but we will rebuild this organization so that the WICR’s become the model for other states across the country. Wisconsin becoming a national leader?

Absolutely.

It is clear, each of us has the leadership to accelerate the state CR committee to a new level but we will not undermine what the WI College Republican Federation is right now.

Currently, Wisconsin has one of the best group infastructures and one of the most solid grassroots network of college republicans in the country, all thanks to the current leadership team. But, improvements in organizational leadership, relationships with other groups especially the state party, communications to all members and the diversity of state wide membership is vital to making Wisconsin the model for the nation.

This is why we are running. We feel we can rebuild this group to a new level not just historically but nationally. To rebuild the Wisconsin CR’s we have to train our leaders. We will bring back fall leadership training and make it as extensive as ever- and with no doubt, it will be fun. Wisconsin is too big and our schools are too random to have Congressional Districts which is why we are working to regionalize our chapters and create regional chairs with more authority. Working with the state party and The Wisconsin Federation of Republican Women, we will diversify our membership with on-campus groups and through the technology, which should have long been implemented, we will provide a monthly e-newsletter and event/news updates via email. Also, 2007 will be a vital development year. To ensure that we can afford the training, communications and most importantly, the fun, we need to make sure we build lasting relationships with our best financial support. With our record as campus and state leaders, there’s no question.

We hope you will be eager to learn more about us and the future of the Wisconsin College Republicans. Visit our web site www.rebuildwi.org or our facebook group or by email to the campaign, rebuildwi@yahoo.com.

Chairman john.connors@mu.edu 414-708-1009
Vice Chairman burtonb@uwec.edu 715-456-1635

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