by TONY RENTERIA

James Dickey has a quiet confidence about him that has resonated throughout his political career. Dickey does not back down from any challenge, nor does he show any signs of panic, he simply smiles and takes care of business. Dickey is the Chairman of The Republican Party of Texas (RPT) a role that puts him in a national spotlight. Nothing about Texas is small, and neither is Dickey’s vision for growing the Republican Party. Dickey has accomplished just about everything he has wanted to do from raising money to growing the party, recruiting, electing candidates and protecting conservative values; but, not without some unforeseen bumps in the road.

When most people hear the term, trial by fire, they picture chaos at the beginning of a term that causes a person to receive “on the job training”, expediting the learning curve in their role. In the case of the RPT and Dickey, it has been all fire and no trial, and yet, Dickey and the RPT have grown in character, size, and functionality. In the face of all the adversity, Dickey has seen an increase in volunteerism and finances which is a direct result of his leadership. Dickey was also an active voice in protecting our freedoms and conservative values.

When it comes to basic constitutionally protected freedoms, such as our 2^nd Amendment right to keep and bear arms, Dickey and the RPT have been vocal about preventing government overreach. James Dickey stated, “Texans have long fought for the right to keep and bear arms. During the Battle of Gonzales, a self-organized group of patriots refused to give up their cannon in the fight for freedom and told their enemies to ‘Come and take it!’ Now is not the time for us to cede the ground our forefathers fought for, defended, and won. The Republican Party of Texas stands with law-abiding citizens who wish to exercise their God-given rights without government intrusion.”

The election of Donald Trump as President in 2016 also paved the way to reverse the course of religious persecution which had become prevalent under the Obama Administration. On June 26, 2017, The Supreme Court of the United States ruled in favor of religious liberty, Dickey and the RPT were obviously elated with the decision.

“Today’s Supreme Court ruling in favor of religious liberty is a momentous victory for religious rights in our country. Religious liberties fell under attack during the Obama Administration, from the Little Sisters of the Poor to Hobby Lobby,” said Dickey the day the announcement was made. “Today’s ruling further proves that while our nation believes in the separation of Church and State, it was also founded based upon the principles of freedom of religion. Here in Texas, we stand strong for freedom of religion protected by the First Amendment, and our state legislature upheld these beliefs by passing the Sermon Protection Act (SB 24) in May during the 85th Legislative session.”

“We would like to see the Texas Legislature take up the banner of the First Amendment Defense Act in the upcoming special session, strengthening the protections that businesses and organizations have to freely profess and adhere to their sincerely-held religious beliefs,” Dickey added.

Dickey was steadily growing the Republican Party from the onset of his Chairmanship, but he hit a roadblock on August 25, 2017, when Texas and its coastal residents were hit hard by Hurricane Harvey. The category 4 hurricane made landfall along the Texas coastline and dropped a staggering 27 trillion gallons of rain on Texas causing an estimated $125 billion in damage. The RPT, under the leadership of Dickey halted everything they were working on and immediately, along with many Texans, jumped into action to help.

“When Hurricane Harvey devastated the coastal areas, we again reached out to our volunteers and elected officials and coordinated relief efforts all over the region, proving by our actions that Republican ideals of freedom, opportunity, and responsibility – not government programs – are the way to maintain strong communities,” said Dickey. “Hundreds of volunteers amassed thousands of hours coordinating and delivering tons of much-needed supplies, often pulling off amazing and heroic feats in the process.”

His ability to organize volunteers and communicate with past RPT leaders to coordinate these efforts is a major reason why the Delegates for the state Republican Party have put their trust in Dickey.  In August of 2018, Dickey and the RPT took the Democrats head on. Dickey’s first target was Pete Gallego.  A complaint against Gallego alleged he made false statements to a financial institution to secure a home loan – a violation of federal law. The RPT filed a complaint with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, per the direction of the office of the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas. Gallego claimed in his application to Chase Bank that he was going to be using his home in Austin, Travis County, as his primary residence. However, when the RPT brought suit against Gallego claiming he was, therefore, ineligible to run for office in Senate District 19 since he clearly didn’t live there, Gallego stated in a notarized document that he has lived in Alpine which was in Brewster County. Dickey immediately challenged Gallego on his statement.

“Pete Gallego simply cannot have it both ways. He is either lying to the Secretary of State and the SD19 voters, or he is lying to the bank,” said Dickey. “Just this week we’ve seen high profile cases where federal prosecutors have obtained convictions and guilty pleas based upon lying to financial institutions. It is entirely appropriate that the FBI look into these serious allegations given that Pete Gallego essentially confessed to the offense in a sworn affidavit and a Travis County District Court.”

Dickey’s efforts were among the many factors that helped to elevate Pete Flores, the Republican Party candidate who  was able to win Gallego’s seat and flip what many previously believed was an unwinnable district for Republicans and in doing so prevented another Democrat candidate from exploiting the voters of Texas by circumventing the laws of the state.

Dickey was very vocal and happily through another Democrat under the bus that August when Robert Francis O’Rourke, the Irish Democrat with the Hispanic nickname, “Beto,” made a callous remark at a town hall meeting in Houston. O’Rourke, then candidate for U.S. Senate, stated that he believes there is “…nothing more American…” than kneeling during the National Anthem.  Dickey immediately took “Beto” to the mat on his ridiculous assertion.

“Robert ‘Beto’ O’Rourke’s perception of what is ‘American’ is utterly flawed,” said Dickey. “Comments like his are a slap in the face to every man and woman who has ever served our nation and put their lives on the line to defend American values.”

Dickey continued, “this further demonstrates his failure to comprehend the values held by the voters of Texas while he runs tenaciously farther and farther to the left every day. Come November, it’s clear the voters of Texas will support Senator Ted Cruz because he represents the conservative values that have made Texas so great.”

Dickey was correct, the voters elected Cruz even though O’Rourke raised over $70 million and Cruz raised less than half that amount. Dickey and the RPT made many strides in advancing the Republican cause throughout 2018. He even took a figurative poke at the liberals and posted an Obituary for the Texas Democrat Party (TDP) in the Fort Worth Star Telegram which recognized the long controversial life of the TDP. Dickey even added the use of a hearse to carry the remains of the TDP adding a little insult to injury.

Dickey managed to reach across the aisle in what many thought was the unachievable, endearing himself to the Hispanic population and growing the party across ethnic lines and thus helping to strengthen the resolve of a growing population of conservatives who walked away from the far leftwing socialist ideology of the Democrat Party. Dickey earned the trust of Hispanic leaders of many communities throughout the state. This was another feather in the cap of the RPT further diluting the control of the TDP among the Hispanic Population. One of his goals is to grow the party by expanding its base throughout the state. Hispanics are an ideal target because based on their culture, Hispanics faith and family values align with the conservatives of the Republican Party. Dickey realized this and met with several Hispanic leaders throughout his tenure as Chair of the RPT and has forged many strong relationships in the Hispanic communities statewide.

“James Dickey is very approachable, and there is a sincerity when he engages in conversation with us. He takes the time to get to know everyone on a personal level and in politics that is very rare,” said Rachel Lopez, Co-Founder of Poder Latino, a Texas non-profit organization. “Politicians tend to go through the motions without truly getting to know the people in our culture. Dickey takes the time to get to know all of us. He spent a great deal of time with our members because he cares about what they have to say. Some members of our organization stay in contact with him and he is always willing to help. He is a very genuine person and cares about the Latino community. He is definitely a friend to the Hispanic Community.”

The Coronavirus (COVID-19) was a complete shock to the entire state, and to the country and even the world. When it became apparent that COVID-19 was going to have a profound affect on Texas residents, Dickey worked not only to juggle the schedule and preserve a convention as well as make alternate plans if necessary, but he also rolled up his sleeves again, and found the best way to help the most people.

“During Hurricane Harvey, #RPTServes delivered volunteers, food, and other vital resources to communities in need,” said Republican Party of Texas Chairman James Dickey in a press release prior to the event. “Now that our state and nation are facing unprecedented challenges, we will be launching RPT Serves Volunteer Week again April 27th through May 2nd to deliver food, resources, and most importantly hope to our fellow Texans.”

With so many unknowns regarding COVID-19, many individuals feel that donating blood is a safe and effective way to ensure that plasma is available if or when hospitals need it. To expand the reach of potential blood donors, the Food and Drug Administration recently announced that they would be easing restrictions on blood donations from gay and bisexual men, a demographic that has been prohibited from donating blood since the beginning of the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

Regardless of where one lands on the political spectrum, many would agree that food is a common denominator. The RPT continues to encourage individuals across the state to reach out to their local food bank or church pantry to make a donation of canned goods, cleaning supplies, or offer a few hours of volunteering.

Many members of the Republican Party are pro-life. In line with their party’s platform, the RPT has partnered with pregnancy centers across the state that serve young mothers and their infants. These donations include diapers, formula, and other supplies.

The efforts of Dickey have become very evident during the COVID-19 pandemic. With overreaching elected officials throughout the state, Dickey and his RPT volunteers hard work in finding qualified candidates throughout the state are more important than ever – Texas needs elected officials who espouse the values which this country was founded. The hard work by Dickey and his RPT team of staff and volunteers is most evident in the work of the people he has surrounding the RPT.

The RPT volunteer staff under the leadership of Dickey has been vigilant in their efforts to grow the party through voter registration and phone banks.  Dickey’s hard work fundraising has put the Republican Party in a strong position for victory in November, despite the pandemic.  His candidate recruiting team has excelled at finding qualified electable candidates. This is especially gratifying since there is a Republican challenging the judge in Dallas who put Texas favorite patriot salon owner, Shelley Luther in jail. Voters in the 14^th Judicial District now have Jessica Lewis, a very qualified Republican candidate on the ballot to oust the overreaching pompous Democrat judge whose arrogance shamefully jailed a mother trying to support her family and the family of her salon workers.

“This will be my second time voting for James Dickey. I chose him over Cindy Ashe at the last convention and after seeing everything he has accomplished I know I made the right choice,” said Nathaniel Sisler, a delegate from Lubbock, Texas. “I will proudly vote for him, again. It’s not a slight against his opponent, I just trust Dickey because he brought us this far. The Presidential election is coming up and I just feel more comfortable knowing that someone who already knows the ins and outs of Texas politics, and has been through the fire for our state is in charge of the party at such an important time in our country.”

“The Presidential Election is looming this November and it should be slam dunk for Trump, and there are no absolutes, so I am not taking anything for granted,” Sisler continued. “Texas is considered a battleground state. It seems ill-advised to change the Republican Party Chair after he has successfully prepared Texas for victory and his track record is stellar in winning the tough battles.”

“Dickey is battle-tested and has the political scars to prove it, he is a proven winner and pulls the Republican Party across the finish line with him,” Sisler continued. “Is it really a good idea to change out a very strong and effective party leader after a pandemic with the November elections just around the corner? Logic says no. I’m certainly not willing to take that chance.”

Sisler concluded, “Dickey built the RPT into a formidable force at a vulnerable time in our country. He has made us fiscally stronger than ever before in the history of the organization when most other organizations have become much weaker for very good reason. Let that soak in for a minute… our RPT is in a much stronger financial position than ever before…during a pandemic. It is awesome what he has accomplished. Yes, he has my vote.”

Texas delegates have a monumental task and the race will be hotly contested and every vote will be important. Both candidates are very formidable, both candidates are very well liked, both candidates are household names in Texas, and this will be a political battle that without a doubt will be monumental for the Republican Party. Delegates choose wisely.

In order to re-elect Dickey or to vote for his opponent, voters must attend their County Convention and/or request to become a Delegate to the state convention where the vote for the party chair will take place. Expect a battle, attend the convention, it will be historic and it will be entertaining, but mostly, it will be very important, and it is highly probable that it will be the most important Party Chair race in our lifetime.

//pf