On April 5, Chanel Prunier will stand for reelection as Republican National Committeewoman. Those of us who have “labored in the party vineyards” know that Prunier has been an outstanding, dedicated, and hard-working party representative in that office.
Chanel Prunier
Prunier has worked tirelessly to grow the state GOP where it counts: at the grassroots. She focuses on recruiting and supporting candidates for the state legislature and local offices. This is exactly what is needed to build the Massachusetts Republican Party at the city, town, regional, and state levels. This is what it means to bring new people, new activists, and former independents into our party.
Those of us who have run for elective office in recent years have benefited enormously from Prunier’s efforts. First, she has recruited or encouraged many us to roll up our sleeves and jump into the political arena. When a potential candidate is “testing the waters,” receiving advice and encouragement from someone like Prunier is invaluable. After making our decisions to run, Prunier is right there helping map out our campaigns, so that we know how best to use our time, energy, and campaign dollars. She has lists of volunteers who will help hold signs and stuff envelopes in each city, town, and district. And Prunier is the first one to arrange and contribute to fundraisers, so that Republican candidates can try to compete with union and lobbyist fueled Democrats.
There’s nothing tougher than being a first-time Republican candidate for office in heavily Democrat Massachusetts. Unless you are running in one of the few deep-red Republican districts, your campaign kick-off can be lonely, even discouraging. That’s when you most need support. That’s when Prunier has stepped-up time and again. Whether it’s setting up a campaign headquarters, campaigning door-to-door in your district, or distributing leaflets and mailers, Prunier gets your campaign off the ground. She recruits volunteers and contributors to turn your plans into a reality.
“Chanel Prunier has been an indispensable mentor to me. I can’t count the many hours she devoted to my campaigns with her tirelessly giving advice and fund-raising on my behalf. The confidence Chanel inspires, her unwavering conservatism combined with the quality and quantity of contacts she has acquired along the way are unrivaled! Chanel epitomizes the term grassroots by digging in at every level to assist ALL candidates, from the bottom level to the top. I strongly support her re-election for National Committeewoman!” — Tricia Vanaria, 2014 Republican nominee in the 8th Middlesex District
Chanel Prunier understands that the Republican Party can grow and expand only if it’s willing to run candidates for many local offices, even when an Election Day victory appears unlikely at best. That separates her from the many party insiders who are there for you if you win, or look like you might win, but are nowhere to be found in the uphill battles, in the insurgent efforts, in the grassroots campaigns.
That’s when Prunier steps into the breach. That’s what makes her so valuable. In this sense, she is irreplaceable. No one else has done this work so consistently and effectively. No one else is doing this work with her enthusiasm and energy. No one else will do this work in the future.
“Knowing I would face a tough re-election in the most democratic district represented by a Republican, Chanel helped me raise over $4,000 in 2012. Without her help, I may not have been successful in my first re-election. What was important to her was supporting a Republican, keeping the seat and building the party. We must have a National Committeewoman that will actively campaign for Republicans everywhere, raise money and activate volunteers, and that is Chanel Prunier.” – Rep. Shaunna O’Connell of Taunton
This is the hard stuff. This is campaigning with all you have to give – for a candidate that the smart insiders and Beacon Hill-types say is going to lose. And maybe that candidate will lose – this time. And next time, as well. But you are building a structure, widening the tent, inviting more-and-more voters and volunteers to join-up and come inside. Chanel Prunier is building a Republican Party for today, and she is building the GOP for the elections down the road – for a day when candidates are competitive and winning in places where the insiders and front-runners say the GOP would never stand a chance.
Any local candidate who has worked at the grassroots level knows the name Chanel Prunier; they know what she has meant to Republicans running for the legislature or for city and town offices. If this Republican Committee race were decided like an entrepreneurial, private-sector small business on the basis of effort, hard work, and results, there would be unanimous support for Chanel Prunier remaining in her position.
“Chanel is the most passionate political activist. She is committed to electing Republicans to all levels of government, works tirelessly and provides the leadership and support campaign after campaign. She is a woman determined to change the political landscape of Massachusetts and has the will and skill to get the job done. When I ran for state representative, Chanel was there from beginning to end. To stay on this path, we need to re-elect Chanel as National Committeewoman. I urge fellow Republicans to support her.” — Caroline Colarusso, Stoneham Selectwoman and 2014 Republican nominee for the 31st Middlesex District
But this is politics, and other things come into play. There are those who are uncomfortable with the grassroots influence in the Republican Party, both in Massachusetts and across the nation. There are those who prefer the old ways of top-down leadership. They feel uncomfortable with an entrepreneurial zest for politics, where grassroots play a pivotal role. They prefer the status quo, which concedes complete dominance to the Democrats, and awaits the statewide lift from political stars like Scott Brown, Mitt Romney, and others who have come and gone.
The GOP can go back to being run by what used to be called “country club” Republicans. Or we can join Chanel Prunier on a path that is more challenging, yet will ultimately be far more rewarding. We can work together to build a grassroots Republican Party that will become a more-and-more active player in local and legislative elections across the Bay State. We can erect an entrepreneurial GOP that will reflect its small-and-family business values at its vital core.
“When I was in a battle during my election to be State Representative, and when the Speaker of the House and the Beacon Hill power brokers endorsed my opponent, Chanel Prunier was there to help teach me how to run a grassroots campaign and raise the money we needed to have success. I may not be a State Representative today if it weren’t for Chanel Prunier. Our party can’t afford to lose her leadership.” — Rep. Marc Lombardo of Billerica
Prunier’s future will be determined by 80 voting members of the Republican State Committee. To anyone who is genuinely undecided, I would suggest phoning candidates who have run for local office, whether successfully or not. Ask those candidates whether Prunier or her opponent helped them in their campaigns. With that in mind, the questions we should ask ourselves is this: Who contributes more to growing the Republican grassroots, who has contributed more over the past decade? And who has proven that she is committed to building the Republican Party in the next decade?
If those are the questions, then the answer is unmistakable. We will join together and cast our ballots for a bright future in a reform-oriented, entrepreneurial-infused, grassroots-growing GOP. We will re-elect Chanel Prunier.
Jim Lyons
Jim Lyons (R-Andover) represents the 18th Essex District in the Massachusetts House of Representatives. Read his past columns here.
