Last weekend Republicans from around Virginia gathered near Dulles for our annual Advance. It was a great time to catch up with friends and talk about the future of the Republican Party.

During the State Central Committee (SCC) meeting, we passed two party plan amendments. One addressed District Committee voting rights for Unit Chairs who are also SCC members.

The other party plan amendment provided for military voting rights at Republican conventions.

The need for this party plan change arose because the Pentagon has a directive on the books which essentially (and unfairly) prevents active duty military from being elected as a delegate to a convention. In the future, those who are active duty military will be able to cast a ballot that indicates their candidate preference without being elected as a delegate.

The SCC also elected Rich Nilsen, currently an 8th District SCC member, to serve as the RPV Treasurer. A hearty congratulations goes out to Rich.

An election to replace Rich here in the 8th will be held by the 8th District Committee in January so that we will have our full complement of representatives at the January 31st SCC meeting where we will elect a new RPV Chairman.

As we look forward to 2015, nearly 40 offices will be open across the 8th District. From School Board to Delegate to City Council to Senate, your unit Chairmen are looking for qualified candidates to run for office. If you are interested, you should reach out to Matt Ames (Fairfax), Chris Marston (Alexandria), Matt Wavro (Arlington) or Ken Feltman (Falls Church).

Mark Kelly
Chairman, 8th District Republican Committee