Three's Company Once Again: Derek Hall Dodges the Draft Movement

The field of potential candidates is back down to three tonight after Kentucky's Derek Hall opted not to seek a term as Chairman of the CRNC in 2007. Over the past few weeks talk had surfaced about Hall's national intentions at a fervor not seen since the summer of 2006, when a candidacy for Chairman by Hall was seen as very likely. With this announcement, the field is pared back down to include the team of Brian Siler and Brent Ludeman, Charlie Smith, and an ever looming bid by Dan Schuberth, who seemed very much a candidate at the December 2006 CRNC Board Meeting. Draft Derek Hall, the blog that really brought talk of a Hall candidacy back to the forefront of College Republicans, has the statement, as does Truth Caucus. Due to the eloquence of Hall's letter, it is being posted here also:

"The past two weeks have been quite a whirlwind experience for me. I have talked to many individuals about the possibility of running for the position of CRNC Chairman, but I felt it was necessary to officially announce that as of now I have decided not to run for the position. I have been extremely flattered by the outpour of support and kind words; I was not expecting to hear from so many individuals from across the country.

I have worked diligently for the College Republicans since stepping foot on the campus of the University of Kentucky, and I feel that I have an invested interest in the future of this organization. We all need to recognize its time to introduce sound, intelligent reform to the CRNC, and hopefully our candidates will continue to preach this message as they campaign over the coming months. At times, we over-complicate this organization, and I hope that our next crop of leaders realize its time to simplify each facet of the group. This means we need to put more emphasis on helping to win real elections and strengthening our local chapters. We need to stand together and proclaim that playing politics within the CRNC is the business of the past and promoting the Republican Party is the answer for the future.

Once again, I want to thank everyone for their support, and I hope we are able to come together to produce the best team for guiding the CRNC. Thank you and God bless."

Hall is still expected to find a place on someone's ticket, and a close relationship with Missouri's Justin Smith and Ohio's Brian Siler could play a large role in where Hall stands in the upcoming race. In the recent Truth Caucus poll, candidates from states supporting Real Reform, including Derek Hall, Brian Siler, and Brent Ludeman, won 78% of the vote, so a combination of the three on a ticket could prove formidable. It is also very refreshing to see someone talking of winning real elections and promoting the Republican Party over inter-organizational squabbles; for whatever reason this seems to have been absent for some time within the CRNC. We will continue to follow all of the potential candidates in the race, and have continuous updates on any decisions being made. No formal announcements are set as of yet, but it is rumored that all candidates are within days of making their final decisions.

Decision from Derek Hall Tomorrow?

Sources say that a decision on whether to run for CRNC Chairman in 2007 may come from Kentucky's Derek Hall as early as tomorrow. Hall's name has been on the tip of many a College Republican's tongue in the past week as many wondered about the strength of the Draft Derek Hall movement. In the recent Truth Caucus poll asking which potential candidate one would support, Derek Hall came away with 42% of the vote, to the combined support of Real Reform principals Brian Siler and Brent Ludeman's 36% and Charlie Smith's 22%. Hall has always been seen as a reluctant candidate, but it appears that there is at least a decent-sized segment of grassroots College Republicans that would support his candidacy.

-In other CRNC elections news, Colorado's Charlie Smith has released a letter detailing a few of his proposals for reform within the CRNC. Smith states that his New Year's resolution for the CRNC is to bring reform to it, and several of the points he proposes mirror the platform outlined by Real Reform principals Brian Siler and Brent Ludeman, simply with slightly differed wording. If you would like to see the entire letter, please head over to Truth Caucus, where the letter is linked in its entirety.

-Finally, it appears that another Internet domain name has been purchased by the Smith Camp, and this time the website is NewCRNC, seen at www.newcnrc.org. The placeholder page that is currently posted is that of the Unite the CRNC logo from the previously purchased domains www.unitethecrnc.com and www.unitethecrnc.org. It was thought that the Unite the CRNC slogan was abandoned, but it has apparently found employ once again as a page marker. We will continue to follow the development of all domains purchased by the Smith Camp.

Kentucky CRs in the News: Weber joins Real Reform; Draft Derek Hall?

Kentucky's Brian Weber today became the latest state chairmen to announce his public support for Real Reform, saying that " [these] principles of reform...are crucial to the success of the CRNC." While Weber does not hold Kentucky's vote on the National Board at this point, he may well hold that vote following Kentucky Federation of College Republicans elections in the spring of 2007. Currently, the National Committeeman from Kentucky is Derek Hall, who retained that post upon his resignation from his office of Chairman earlier this year. Weber, who was the second-in-command under Hall, is serving the rest of the term.

Derek Hall is making other CRNC news as well, after a blog popped up earlier this evening urging College Republicans to "Draft Derek Hall" to run for National Chairman. Hall was considered a front-runner for the nod heading during the summer of 2006, and still would be a very viable candidate. At this point, though, it appears he is already backing someone, although we cannot say who until it becomes public. You certainly could do much worse than a Chairman Hall, in our opinion. We will keep an eye on this blog, and any other developments related to this story.