Duval County Republican Party Chairman Lenny Curry was elected chairman of the statewide GOP Friday evening, succeeding Dave Bitner, who died earlier this month.
Curry, endorsed by Bitner as his successor, was nominated for the post by Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll and Florida Sen. John Thrasher, both of Northeast Florida, and elected unanimously.
Managing director of ICX Group Professional Resources in Jacksonville, Curry is focusing on the 2012 presidential and U.S. Senate elections, planning for the GOP to unseat President Barack Obama and U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson of Florida. Both are Democrats.
Republican candidates are traveling the country and the state raising money, visibility and issues.
At this past weekend’s Florida Republican Party straw poll at its Presidency 5 event in Orlando, businessman Herman Cain won the straw poll with 37.1 percent of the ballots cast.
Former House Majority Leader Adam Hasner won a U.S. Senate straw poll with 34 percent of votes cast at the Conservative Political Action Conference.
Curry met with Daily Record reporters at his office Monday.
What is the foremost task at hand for the Republican Party, now that you’re at the helm?
Winning the White House and taking the Senate, and then obviously beyond that, this will carry us into the governor’s re-election.
How do you get from here to winning the White House and the Senate seat?
You have to raise enough money to execute a ground game which includes messaging. Messaging is very important, because we need to be able to communicate not only with Republicans — we believe Republicans are going to vote for us — but also with independents and frustrated Democrats.
Our message, which is not only why we’re against Obamacare, but also what’s our solution? What’s our plan for health care? Health care costs are out of control. What’s our plan for the economy? That’s the No. 1 thing right now, the economy. But it’s all integrated. Health care and the economy are completely integrated. So we’ll have to message. We’ll also have technology upgrades, which will include voter ID and voter contact, and again, that’s not just Republicans, that’s independents and frustrated Democrats, and voter registration and a voter switch plan, which we’re actively working on right now.
It sounds like you have a big strategy.
Important strategy. Florida’s it. I think whoever wins our primary is going to be ultimately the nominee, and that will speak to the competitiveness and electability of our nominee, because of the diversity of Florida.
We represent the entire country — we’ve got small towns, we’ve got the South, we’ve got the immigrants here, we’ve got Hispanics, we’ve got African-Americans, we are a complete melting pot of the United States.
When is the Florida primary?
It will be early, and we will be alone, on a day when no other state is holding a primary. That’s how it should be, and I’m confident that’s where the Legislature and the governor are going to settle.
(CNN reported this morning the Florida primary could be held Jan. 31.)
How did you react to the Florida straw poll, won by Herman Cain?
Herman Cain came to the straw poll this weekend, and delegates told me they felt like he earned their vote. Not only did he attend the debate, but he gave a great speech the day of the straw poll, as did other candidates, but our delegates tell me that they saw more of him in the meeting halls, shaking hands, and showing up at caucus meetings, than any other candidate. It was retail politics, ‘Politics 101,’ what we all should know. He worked hard for the vote with every single person he could physically touch and meet.
Define retail politics.
It’s communicating with the voter. It’s showing the voter that you absolutely care. Shaking their hand, looking them in the eye and taking the time to answer their question, specifically. Not just a quick hello and goodbye, not just making a speech and leaving.
You can’t practice retail politics 24/7 because you wouldn’t have time to communicate your message in other forms and venues which matter, but it’s important.
Do you have any insights into who you think might be the eventual Republican nominee, or is it too early?
Too early. The process is long, and rigorous, which is intentional, because if a candidate performs well, or bad, on one day, that doesn’t make or break their campaign. And it shouldn’t. We want a president that’s consistent, right? Who can get through a crisis — multiple crises over a long haul, and that’s how the process plays out, so we’ve a ways to go.
What about the straw poll for the Senate? What do you make of Adam Hasner taking the lead on that?
That’s still a very competitive race. Same thing, though. When you hear them speak, they don’t all agree on everything, and that’s healthy. Whichever U.S. Senate candidate emerges from the primary … polling shows that they mirror the nation in terms of how they identify, whether it’s moderate or conservative, so that means they also mirror the state. That person will be the most competitive against Bill Nelson.
What are you, personally, going to be doing between now and the election in 2012? How much time are you going to be spending on this?
Are there more than 24 hours a day, seven days in a week?
Fundraising will be a key priority, and messaging, and integrating all that into a get-out-the-vote effort. Messaging is critical. Floridians need to hear from the party. They need to because the candidates are debating right now. The electorate needs to hear from the party and know where we specifically stand on issues, and our vision for a better Florida and a better country.
Sounds like a big job.
I’m excited about it. I came into this job under very unfortunate circumstances. Dave Bitner lost his battle with ALS. Dave became a friend of mine. I met him over a year ago, and in this process we got close. People that have been around him for years loved him. He was big, gregarious, likeable, charismatic, very loyal. Couple that with what he went through. He and I became very close in a very short period of time, so it’s a very bittersweet way of coming into this role.
But I get to serve out his term and execute his vision. This man traveled the state every day in a wheelchair. He didn’t have to. Most people would have given up early. So I get to execute his vision. He gave us a gift, and hopefully I can give the gift back to him as he looks down from heaven, and we win this thing.
What does it mean for Northeast Florida to have the chairman of the Republican Party in this area?
All 67 counties matter, because we’re going to need all 67 counties to win. I will be representative of all those counties. What’s helpful for me is there are a number of serious and effective people that just happen to be from North Florida, that can help get things done, and because I’m from Jacksonville, and they’re from Jacksonville, I have a relationship with them, so it’s going to be very easy for me to ask for help.
You remain chair of the Duval County Republican Party. How will that work?
I’ll remain in that role, and I have a good vice chairman, who’s Councilman Robin Lumb. He’ll pick up a bigger load. We will also look at how we employ folks at the party, and figure out where to best put them to effectively do what needs to be done here, and in my absence.
What do you see happening in Duval County and the surrounding counties from the Republican Party standpoint? The City elected a Democrat this year to the mayor’s office, the first in a while.
Some of the smaller counties go Republican, but we can’t just accept that those counties are going to go Republican. We need every vote out of those counties. We can’t look at Nassau County and say whether it’s 60 percent or 70 percent, we’re happy with that. No, because as we saw in 2000, if we can get another 200 votes out of a small county that’s Republican, add that up around counties all across the state, then that could make the difference in the presidential election.
In Duval County, yeah, we have a mayor that’s a Democrat, and we understand that it’s going to make things pretty competitive here. And we’re taking it pretty seriously.
Do you have any candidates in mind to field for the next mayoral race?
We’ve got a long ways to go on that. I’ve met Mayor Brown and I like him. Look, he’s talking about fiscal conservatism, so we will see what happens over the next few years.
What’s the relationship with the tea party?
It’s my view that everybody has a little bit of tea party in them, even some liberal Democrats. Anybody that finds himself frustrated with the way government is spending money has tea party in him.
It was obvious that we were spending too much money. It was obvious that there had to be an end to this, or our credit was going to be downgraded. The tea party was the group that stood up and shined the light on it when no one else would. So it’s been healthy. They effectively changed the conversation.
Two of your biggest supporters are Florida Sen. John Thrasher and Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll. What does it mean to have the lieutenant governor from this area?
We can quickly share ideas and help each other and effectively get things done that are better for the state. Because we’re here. We know each other. We don’t have to build any level of trust. It exists.
The lieutenant governor has been in the media recently for the comments about the media and Christianity. Do you have any observations about that?
I think our lieutenant governor’s doing a great job, I think our governor’s doing a great job.
What else would you like to say?
We’re going to win next year. I’m confident that we’re going to win next year.
The president has a lot of money, and he’s going to execute a ground game, but a number of Republicans voted for him last time, and independents, because they believed his message.
I watched him on TV. I didn’t vote for him, but he was likable, and people wanted to believe. He definitely lost any Republicans that voted for him last time, and it’s my view that he’s lost the independents. And it’s too late to get them back.
Where are the independents now?
We need them in the Republican Party. It’s our job now to share our message with them, show them that we’re serious and we’re committed to reform — and more important, jobs. Jobs.
You talk about the ‘American dream’ and the next generation. I think about this every day with my kids, to fix these problems for them.
But this is America. We also need to communicate with someone who’s 30 years old or 50 years old, or 60 years old, or 70 years old. If they’re out of work, they still need to have belief, and hope, and a dream, that this is America, that they can retrain and find a job. We need to be communicating also with a generation that’s even older. Their dreams matter. That’s the way America used to be and should be.
Two names in Florida that always surface when it comes to talking about presidential politics are Marco Rubio and Jeb Bush. Do you see either running for either the vice presidency or the presidency any time?
I think they’d both be great. There’s a buzz now about Sen. Rubio being asked to serve as the vice president. I would expect that that pressure’s going to heat up. He’ll talk to his family, and his advisers, and he’ll make the decision.
I think he’ll make the decision that’s not only best for his family, but also best for the country, because he ran for the U.S. Senate against a sitting governor, against all odds. He could have run for something else he would likely have been elected to; he made a decision on what is right for Florida. I think that’s the way he’ll approach this VP thing if it comes.
And Jeb Bush, he’s a force. If he decides to run for something, he’s going to have a lot of support. It’ll be a splash. It’ll be like the big gorilla just walked into the room.
Do you see that happening? Would you like to see that happen?
Right now, I think we have a great field of Republican candidates, and whatever Jeb Bush decides to do in the future is going to be great for the Republican Party.
What’s your future? You’re 41, and you’re head of the Republican Party in Florida. What’s next?
I have to win. Florida has to win the presidential (election) next year. That’s an absolute must. I mean, that is directly tied to me at this point. I own it now. So from there, I can make decisions. But my focus right now is that, when you talk about all the messaging, and the excitement of being part of this in a presidential year, bottom line, the only thing that matters is that we win in Florida. That’s it in my perspective. Because if we do all the other stuff, but we lose, then it won’t be good.
Obama pretty much changed the game when he came out in his election with the use of social media and texting. How has that changed the way you approach things?
The Republican Party recognizes that. We’ve been working on those efforts since Obama was elected. Social media’s critical, and needs to be properly utilized, and we need to properly invest the funds. It would be unwise of us to make the mistake of thinking that because we have the biggest Facebook page, and the best, the most Twitter followers, or use of YouTube, that that’s going to win an election. That’s simply a tool. If we don’t have a serious, sound message that resonates with voters, then none of that stuff will matter. None of that will matter.
How’s the money shaping up?
Good. Yeah, good. Actually, a lot of folks don’t like to ask, but I enjoy fundraising.
Why do you enjoy fundraising?
What I enjoy about my business is serving my clients, and serving them well, and competing against my competitors to be the best service provider, so working with donors is the same thing. If they believe that the party’s going to add value, it’s easy to ask. I believe it. I want donors to walk away saying, ‘yes, we’re going to write a check to the party, because the party’s going to deliver the White House next year.’
You’re hearing that a lot?
They’re expecting us to, yes. So, if someone’s willing to write a check to the party, that means they have confidence in the leadership, and what we’re doing.
Talk about your company.
My partner and I spent about eight or 10 years at PricewaterhouseCoopers as CPAs. He’s a chartered accountant and I’m a CPA. Our company now is staffing and recruiting, and managed IT. Someone might need a comptroller for three months, and we’ll bill them by the hour, or they might need a CFO, and we’ll find a CFO and they’ll pay us a fee for it, or they may need someone to manage their IT department, and we can do that as well.
How is business?
The unemployment rate is so high, nationwide, but we’re mostly CPAs, finance folks, MBAs, IT.
The demand is much higher than the supply. We can’t keep up with it.
What we’re seeing is quite different than what most industries in the country are seeing.
Why do you think that is?
We deal with most of the big companies in town, and throughout the state — big public companies — if they’re hiring CPAs, accountants and finance folks, it’s back-office they must be anticipating revenue growth, top-line growth, somewhere down the road. Last year was good.
You read the unemployment figures in the newspaper, what we’re seeing makes absolutely no sense. And these are good-paying jobs.
We’re seeing jobs in Jacksonville that we can’t keep up with, that are paying a $100,000, $150,000 a year.
The unemployment rate varies depending on the jobs, but also on the level of education, and the different demands on them.
I’m told it’s below 5 percent for engineers and accountants and IT folks. That makes sense. But again, if you don’t expect your company to grow, you’re not going to add accountants or engineers, right?
Maybe the economy is improving in some areas.
It’s all very confusing. And very uncertain. People don’t know what to make of this. Even our business is doing well, but I watch the stock market and that affects our decisions in terms of growth here.
How does your company handle the demands on your time?
My great partner and great employees are going to pick it up and make it happen. I’m going to be at the Republican Party, doing the business of the Republican Party.
What percentage of the time are you going to be traveling?
Probably over 50 percent. When I’m in Jacksonville, I’ll do Republican business right out of this office, because it’s easier. It’s integrated, and I just want to make sure that I see my kids as much as I can. I’m rushing back from Tallahassee Wednesday night for my daughter’s birthday, and Friday’s football practice, and Saturday’s football games, and those are non-negotiable.