Dear Republican Colleague:

As we begin our efforts to retake the majority, I ask that you support my candidacy for Policy Committee Chairman.

The election showed us that we must return to the core principles of our party and must reinvent the role of the Policy Committee in our Conference. It is imperative that we use the Policy Committee to produce sound alternatives to the agenda put forth by Democrats and their committee chairmen.

The Policy Committee needs to develop and articulate policies, focused on our core values, to give the American people a better vision for the future than Democrats have to offer. Our policies need to, again, embrace the values of fiscal restraint, limited government, lower taxes, and individual responsibility that earned us the majority 12 years ago.

In 2003, Democrats in California controlled all the key statewide offices and overwhelmed Republicans with gross advantages in fundraising and voter registration. Though many in my state were skeptical, I believed California could do better and Republican leadership could deliver. I invested my time, energy, and resources in building the Recall election that brought Arnold Schwarzenegger to the Governor’s mansion.

Supported by an outstanding communications and messaging shop that brought the most important issues to the forefront of discussion, day after day, I appeared on television and radio to tell voters about an alternative to failed policies by the Democratic Governor in Sacramento. My contribution to the Recall was only a part of a greater effort but, by working as a team, we succeeded and brought in Republican leadership that stood against, and defeated, Democratic opposition. We can have similar success as a Conference, and the Policy Committee has an essential role to play in this effort.

Thank you for considering my candidacy. I look forward to talking with you soon and listening to your ideas about the future of our party.

Your colleague,

Darrell Issa