College Republicans from throughout the state will converge at Ohio University next month — and they might bring a few politicians with them.
OU has been selected to hold the 2011 Ohio College Republican Federation Convention from April 16-18, said Bob Kosek, president of OU’s College Republicans. Representatives from the 45 chapters throughout the state will converge at the university, which beat out Ohio State University and Case Western Reserve University for the bid, he said.
“The great thing about OU’s chapter is it did outstanding work in our field program for the 2010 election,” said Josh Burton, the federation’s co-chair. “A lot of alumni from OU’s chapter have gone on to work for the Republican Party.”
OU’s chapter mobilized volunteers for the party during the 2010 election, at one point making 15,000 phone calls in a day, Burton said.
The convention will allow College Republicans to elect new leaders for the state agency as well as gain a better understanding about what direction to take the party in the upcoming year.
“The 2012 election is coming up; it’s going to be a pivotal year for Republicans in Ohio, and College Republicans will play a pivotal role,” Burton said. “It’s going to be a pivotal year for politics around the country, and you know the saying, ‘Whoever wins Ohio wins everything.’”
The convention normally attracts several Republican politicians from throughout the state, Kosek said. All of the Republicans on the 2010 ticket will be invited, and local representatives — including Bill Johnson (R-6th), Jimmy Stewart (R-20th) and Bob Gibbs (R-18th) — will be invited to speak, along with Gov. John Kasich.
Neither the list of speakers nor the cost of the convention is known, but Kosek said the convention will be “relatively cheap.”
“(The party) can and will see the effect Southeast Ohio has,” Kosek said. “Southeast Ohio will have more visibility in the statewide political scene.”
The convention won’t be open to only College Republicans.
“We’re expecting a lot of students in Southeast Ohio and Central Ohio,” Burton said. “But, it’s also for people who live in the area who are Republicans and organizations who support Republicans.”
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