Congratulations

Congratulations to this year's New Hampshire Young Republican Gipper Award Winner, Fergus Cullen.

In addition to being the Chairman of the New Hampshire Republican Party, Fergus is also a friend of mine from high school.

I will never forgive him for beating me out for Youth Speaker at the YMCA Youth & Government session in 1990. Okay, I'll get over it eventually.

Fergus is working hard to rebuild a party that's drifted from its core principles. At the State House and in Congress, we didn't give Republican voters a lot of reason to show up two years ago. We need to do better. Fergus is helping to put together the infrastructure we'll need to bring those voters back in November.

The Party Chairman has never won an election, but is responsible for every loss. For undertaking what is normally a thankless job, the New Hampshire Young Republicans today thanked one of the youngest state party chairman in the country.

I was proud to win the Gipper Award in 2002. I'm also glad to see the YRs as active and motivated as I've ever seen them. YRs were instrumental in Frank Guinta and Donnalee Lozeau's successful campaigns last year, and we'll need their energy this fall as well.

Congratulations, Fergus.