Political strategist Ed Gillespie has been involved in Washington politics since his college days.
The former Republican National Committee chairman began at the bottom of the food chain. He worked as a Senate parking lot attendant while he was a student at the Catholic University of America.
Gillespie spoke at AU Feb. 7 about his own career and the future of his party in what he calls a “center-right nation.”
“The great thing about going to school in D.C. is being able to intern. The great thing about politics is that it’s a meritocracy and you can work your way up,” he said.
Gillespie, chairman of the Republican State Leadership Committee, said the state level is an important arena for politicians.
“It is a training ground for new Republicans. There are innovative ideas and policy proposals, as well as working to increase diversity.”
After winning a historic 690 new state legislative seats in 2010, Gillespie has high hopes for future Republicans.
“There are great opportunities in the Senate and whether President Obama re-elected or not, we’re likely to hold the House given the size of the margin and the nature of redistricting,” Gillespie said.
He predicted eight to 10 Republican candidates in the 2012 primaries.
“There are a lot of really good potential candidates that are going to run, bringing new faces to the party,” Gillespie said.
The most important issues in the election, he believes, will center around government spending, the economy and jobs.
“The most important factor will be what is the unemployment rate,” Gillespie said. “The real overarching dynamic is where are the jobs? Do people feel like they’re coming back?”
He said Republicans should recruit minorities and female candidates.
“It’s a long term concern, a demographic challenge. We need to do better with minority voters, most acutely with Hispanic voters,” Gillespie said.
But independent voters are important too, he said, saying the “overwhelming” support of this group was crucial to the 2010 victories.
Gillespie also said he believes the tea party movement will assimilate into the mainstream Republican Party, comparing them to Catholic Democrats joining the party in the 1980s and the Ross Perot supporters in the 1990s.
“Growing pains are better than shrinking pains,” he said.
kfroehlich@theeagleonline.com
