RNC Chairman Candidates Tech Index

The end

2009-01-30T17:12:00.002-05:00

Thank you to everyone who followed the Tech Index. It has obviously become obsolete as the vote was held today. Congratulations to Michael Steele, the new national chairman of the RNC. Whether or not this little chart had any impact on the selection, we may never know, but if it inspired anyone to get more involved in fighting for causes they believe in, then it was worth it. I'll see you all on Twitter!

Index Jan 27

2009-01-27T22:55:00.002-05:00

	Saul Anuzis	Ken Blackwell	Katon Dawson	Mike Duncan	Chip Saltsman	Michael Steele
Facebook	3309	4998	784	???	???	3865
Twitter Followers	3645	2443	1192	???	662	952
Follow Ratio	1:1	1:1.09	1:0.5	N/A	1:0.07	1:0.6
Update/Reply Ratio	1:1	1:2	0	N/A	0	0
Blog	yes	???	???	yes	yes	yes
RtP.ning	73	159	no	2	no	no

Index Jan 10

2009-01-10T00:44:00.000-05:00

	Saul Anuzis	Ken Blackwell	Katon Dawson	Mike Duncan	Chip Saltsman	Michael Steele
Facebook	3011	4433	672	???	???	2900
Twitter Followers	3157	1924	1057	???	552	799
Follow Ratio	1:1	1:1.09	1:0.6	N/A	1:0.08	1:0.7
Update/Reply Ratio	1:3	1:9	1:3	N/A	0	0
Blog	yes	???	???	yes	yes	yes
RtP.ning	64	140	no	2	no	no

Jan 4

2009-01-04T15:54:00.000-05:00

	Saul Anuzis	Ken Blackwell	Katon Dawson	Mike Duncan	Chip Saltsman	Michael Steele
Facebook	2880	4071	608	???	???	2585
Twitter Followers	2923	1701	976	???	507	643
Follow Ratio	1:1	1:1.7	1:0.65	N/A	1:0.08	1:0.7
Update/Reply Ratio	1:3	0	0	N/A	0	0
Blog	yes	???	???	yes	yes	yes
RtP.ning	59	128	no	2	no	no

Index Dec 27

2008-12-27T15:08:00.000-05:00

	Saul Anuzis	Ken Blackwell	Katon Dawson	Mike Duncan	Chip Saltsman	Michael Steele
Facebook	2799	3845	567	???	???	1991
Twitter Followers	2543	1999	925	???	464	643
Follow Ratio	1:1	1:1.3	1:0.7	N/A	1:0.1	1:0.8
Update/Reply Ratio	1:2.5	0	0	N/A	0	0
Blog	yes	???	???	yes	yes	yes
RtP.ning	59	119	no	yes	no	no

This index is a basic measure of the technological inclination of the candidates for chairman of the RNC. The fields in the index link to the candidate's information wherever possible. The Twitter followers row shows for each person following them, how many they are following in return. The updates to replies row shows how many updates they have posted compared to how many replies they have posted in the 24 hours prior to the update. The RtP.ning row shows how many friends they have if they are a member of the Rebuilding the Party ning site. This does not indicate whether or not they have endorsed the Rebuilding the Party plan. If you have any questions or new information that should be included, please leave a comment or email me.

Index Dec. 24

2008-12-24T16:12:00.003-05:00

	Saul Anuzis	Ken Blackwell	Katon Dawson	Mike Duncan	Chip Saltsman	Michael Steele
Facebook	2789	3807	567	???	???	1995
Twitter Followers	2483	1442	919	???	453	572
Follow Ratio	1:1	1:1.4	1:0.7	N/A	1:0.1	1:0.9
Update/Reply Ratio	1:1	0	1:1	N/A	0	0
Blog	yes	???	???	yes	yes	yes
RtP.ning	56	106	no	yes	no	no

Index Dec 21

2008-12-21T21:46:00.006-05:00

For new followers: This index is a basic measure of the technological inclination of the candidates for chairman of the RNC. The fields in the index link to the candidate's information wherever possible. The Twitter followers row shows for each person following them, how many they are following in return. The updates to replies row shows how many updates they have posted compared to how many replies they have posted in the 24 hours prior to the update. The RtP.ning row shows how many friends they have if they are a member of the Rebuilding the Party ning site. This does not indicate whether or not they have endorsed the Rebuilding the Party plan. If you have any questions or new information that should be included, please leave a comment or email me.

	Saul Anuzis	Ken Blackwell	Katon Dawson	Mike Duncan	Chip Saltsman	Michael Steele
Facebook	2761	3742	545	???	???	1998
Twitter Followers	2390	1223	890	???	437	572
Follow Ratio	1:1	1:1.6	1:0.7	N/A	1:0.1	1:0.9
Update/Reply Ratio	1:4	1:3	2:1	N/A	0	0
Blog	yes	???	???	yes	yes	yes
RtP.ning	56	106	no	no	no	no

Index Dec 14

2008-12-14T22:43:00.000-05:00

	Saul Anuzis	Ken Blackwell	Katon Dawson	Mike Duncan	Chip Saltsman	Michael Steele
Facebook	2692	3610	521	???	???	1399
Twitter Followers	1983	282	824	???	319	259
Follow Ratio	1:1	1:0.9	1:1.2	N/A	1:0.1	0
Update/Reply Ratio	1:1.4	0	1:1	N/A	0	0
Blog	yes	???	???	yes	yes	yes
RtP.ning	49	43	no	no	no	no

Index Dec 10

2008-12-10T22:40:00.003-05:00

	Saul Anuzis	Ken Blackwell	Katon Dawson	Mike Duncan	Chip Saltsman	Michael Steele
Facebook	2620	***	502	???	???	1399
Twitter Followers	1774	???	695	???	319	202
Follow Ratio	1.1:1	N/A	1:0.8	N/A	1:0.1	0
Update/Reply Ratio	1:2	N/A	1:3	N/A	1:0.5	0
Blog	yes	???	???	yes	yes	yes
RtP.ning	45	no	no	no	no	no

*** Indicates waiting on a friend accept on Facebook in order to get the necessary information.

I have tried to ensure that this is accurate as of the posting time. For new viewers, please note the RtP.ning row indicates if the candidate has not just endorsed the Rebuilding the Party plan, but is a member of the group as well. Facebook refers to the candidates user account on Facebook, not to any groups that may have formed in support of them.

Index Dec 5

2008-12-05T23:04:00.004-05:00

	Saul Anuzis	Katon Dawson	Chip Saltsman	Michael Steele
Facebook	2550	454	???	1107
Twitter Followers	1185	90	77	126
Follow Ratio	1.4:1	1:0.6	1:7	0
Update/Reply Ratio	1:3	1:4	1:4	0
Blog	yes	???	???	yes
RtP.ning	31	no	no	no

State and National Chairs

2008-12-03T16:57:00.005-05:00

Please note, names with asterisks following them have already joined the Twitter community.

National Chairman	Robert M. (Mike) Duncan
National Vice Chairman	Jo Ann Davidson
Alabama	The Honorable Mike Hubbard
Alaska	Randy Ruedrich
American Samoa	Su'a Carl Schuster
Arizona	Randy Pullen*
Arkansas	Dennis Milligan
California	Ron Nehring
Colorado	Dick Wadhams
Connecticut	Chris Healy
Delaware	Tom Ross
District of Columbia	Robert J. Kabel
Florida	Jim Greer
Georgia	Sue Everhart
Guam	Jesus Torres
Hawaii	Willes K. Lee
Idaho	Norm Semanko
Illinios	Andrew McKenna Jr.
Indiana	Murray Clark
Iowa	Stewart Iverson
Kansas	Kris Kobach
Kentucky	Steve Robertson*
Louisiana	Roger F. Villere
Maine	Mark J. Ellis
Maryland	Dr. Jim Pelura
Massachusetts	The Honorable Peter G. Torkildsen
Michigan	Salius Anuzis*
Minnesota	Ron Carrey
Mississippi	Brad White
Missouri	Doug Russell
Montana	Erik Iverson
Nebraska	The Honorable Mark Quandahl
Nevada	Sue Lowden
New Hampshire	Fergus Cullen
New Jersey	Tom Wilson
New Mexico	Allen E. Weh
New York	Joseph Mondello
North Carolina	Linda Daves
North Dakota	Gary Emineth
North Mariana Islands	Edward Tenorio
Ohio	Bob Bennett
Oklahoma	Gary Jones
Oregon	Vance Day
Pennsylvania	Robert A. Gleason Jr.
Puerto Rico	Carlos Mèndez
Rhode Island	Giocanni Cicione
South Carolina	Katon Dawson*
South Dakota	Karl Adams
Tennessee	Robin Smith*
Texas	Tina Benkiser
Utah	Stan Lockhart
Vermont	Robert Roper
Virgin Islands	Herbert Schoenbohm
Virginia	The Honorable Jeffrey M. Fredrick
Washington	Luke Esser*
West Virginia	Dr. Doug McKinney
Wisconsin	Reince Priebus
Wyoming	Diana Vaughn

Thank you

2008-12-03T16:27:00.004-05:00

Thank you to everyone who has contacted their state's committee members, so far several have joined the Twitter community. Remember, this list is just a starting point, contact any and all of your local and state conservative leaders and invite them to join the conservatech revolution! This movement is not simply about who can have the most friends or followers, but about encouraging an exchange of ideas as well as communication between party members and supporters across the country. This generation and the generations to come have been given the opportunity to be able to interact with other like minded people, regardless of location, so it is very important that we take full advantage of it. Keep up the good work!

Index Dec 2

2008-12-02T22:55:00.005-05:00

	Saul Anuzis	Katon Dawson	Chip Saltsman	Michael Steele
Facebook	2495	386	???	916
Twitter Followers	867	230	???	88
Follow Ratio	1.5:1	1:1	n/a	0.02:1
Update/Reply Ratio	1:2.3	1:1	n/a	0
Blog	yes	???	???	yes
RtP.ning	31	no	no	no

Chairman Selection Proccess

2008-12-02T01:30:00.005-05:00

The Republican National Committee shall have the general management of the Republican Party, based upon the rules adopted by the Republican National Convention. The members of the Republican National Committee shall consist of one (1) national committeeman and one (1) national committeewoman from, and the chairman of the state Republican Party of, each state.
For the purposes of this rule and all other rules, "state" or "states" shall be taken to include American Samoa, the District of Columbia, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands, except in Rule No. 13 and unless the context in which the word "state" or "states" is used clearly makes such inclusions inappropriate.
The officers of the Republican National Committee shall consist of:
A chairman and co-chairman of the opposite sex who shall be elected by the members of the Republican National Committee. The chairman or co-chairman need not be a member of the Republican National Committee.
The chairman, co-chairman, and all other officers shall be elected in January of each odd numbered year. All officers, except the vice chairman, shall be nominated from the floor and shall have at least the majority vote of the Republican National Committee members in each of three (3) states in order to have their names placed in nomination. There shall be no nominating committee.

Taken from Rules of the Republican Party pdf document available at www.GOP.com.

Committee Member Contact Information

2008-12-01T22:22:00.009-05:00

Here are the email addresses for contacting RNC committee members by state. The information is as complete as possible, if anything is incorrect, please leave a comment and it will be corrected post haste.***The chairman of each state's party are also voting members of the committee, their contact information is posted here.***

Members with stars next to their name have joined the Twitter community.

Alabama	Paul Reynolds	Bettye Fine Collins
Alaska	Ralph Seekins	Debbie Joslin
American Samoa	Te`o Fuavai	Amata Radewagen
Arizona	Bruce Ash	Sharon Giese
Arkansas	Jim Burnett	Reta J. Hamilton
California	Shawn Steel*	Linda Ackerman*
Colorado	Mark Hillman	Lilly Nuñez
Connecticut	Honorable John H. Frey	Pat Longo
Delaware	Laird Stabler, III	Priscilla B. Rakestraw
District of Columbia	Anthony W. Parker	Betsey Werronen
Florida	Paul Senft Jr.	Sharon Day
Georgia	Alec Poitevint	Linda Herren
Guam	Peter Ada	Mary Torres
Hawaii	Brennon Morioka	Miriam Hellreich
Idaho	Blake Hall	Cindy Moyle
Illinios	Patrick Brady	Demetra DeMonte
Indiana	James Bopp Jr.	Dee Dee Benkie
Iowa	Steve Scheffler	Kim Lehman
Kansas	Mike Pompeo	Helen Van Etten
Kentucky	Robert M. (Mike) Duncan	Gail Russell
Louisiana	Ross Little Jr.	Ruth Ulrich
Maine	The Honorable Richard A. Bennett	Janet Martens Staples
Maryland	Louis M. Pope	The Honorable Joyce L. Terhes
Massachusetts	The Honorable Ronald Kaufman	Jody Dow
Michigan	Keith Butler	Holly J. Hughes
Minnesota	Brian Sullivan	Evie Axdahl
Mississippi	Henry Barbour	Cindy Phillips
Missouri	Lance Beshore	Ann Dickinson
Montana	Errol Galt	Betti Hill
Nebraska	Pete Ricketts	De Carlson
Nevada	Joseph Brown	Heidi Smith
New Hampshire	Sean Mahoney	Phyllis Woods
New Jersey	David Norcross	Ginny Haines
New Mexico	George Buffett	Rosie Tripp
New York	Lawrence Kadish	Jennifer Saul
North Carolina	The Honorable David Lewis	Dr. Ada Fisher
North Dakota	Curly Haughland	Sandy Boehler
North Mariana Islands	Roman Palacios	Mary Lou Ada
Ohio	Bob Bennett	Jo Ann Davidson
Oklahoma	James Dunn	Carolyn McLarty
Oregon	Solomon Yue, Jr.	Donna Cain
Pennsylvania	Bob Asher	Christine Toretti
Puerto Rico	The Honorable Luis G. Fortuño	Zori Fonalledas
Rhode Island	Joseph Trillo	The Honorable Carol A. Mumford
South Carolina	Glenn McCall	Cindy Costa
South Dakota	Dana Randall	Mary Jean Jensen
Tennessee	John Ryder	Peggy Lambert
Texas	Bill Crocker	Cathie L. Adams*
Utah	Bruce Hough*	Enid Green-Mickelsen
Vermont	The Honorable George Schiavone	Susie Hudson
Virgin Islands	Holland Redfield II	Lilliana Belardo de O'Neal
Virginia	The Honorable Morton Blackwell	Kathy Terry
Washington	Jeff Kent	Fredi Simpson*
West Virginia	Jim Reed	Donna Lou Gosney
Wisconsin	Steve King	Mary Buestrin
Wyoming	The Honorable Diemer True	Jan Larimer

Index day 5

2008-12-01T17:10:00.005-05:00

Please note, Michael Steele's Twitter account has been changed to the Steele4Chair account. Also, for now, the update to reply ratio is based on the last 50 Twitter posts.

	Saul Anuzis	Katon Dawson	Chip Saltsman	Michael Steele
Facebook	2474	260	???	844
Twitter Followers	800	122	???	73
Follow Ratio	1.7:1	0.7:1	n/a	0
Update/Reply Ratio	1:4.5	1:0.3	n/a	0
Blog	yes	???	???	yes
RtP.ning	27	no	no	no

Anuzis for Chair

2008-12-01T16:36:00.002-05:00

***Disclaimer***Please keep in mind that this is solely my opinion, based on observations and personal taste. It is merely meant as a guideline to encourage critical thinking.***

Anuzis for Chair is the official site of Saul Anuzis's campaign for chairman of the RNC. The site is easy to navigate, and has plenty of information on what the candidate sees as important for the future of the RNC. There is a page for contacting the campaign as well as links to new clips and a bio. Of the three reviewed, this is the most comprehensive in providing the candidates plans and goals.

Katon Dawson website

2008-11-30T23:58:00.003-05:00

***Disclaimer***Please keep in mind that this is solely my opinion, based on observations and personal taste. It is merely meant as a guideline to encourage critical thinking.***

Katon Dawson's website is aesthetically pleasing, and easy to navigate. Contact information is displayed on each page, as well as having navigation links on each page. There is a nice bio about his experience and qualifications, and a series of links to various articles about his work. What I find lacking however, is any formal statement of what his goals and intentions are for the direction of the party. Hopefully this information will be added in the near future, in order for an informed decision to be made.

Steele for Chairman website

2008-11-30T18:29:00.003-05:00

***Disclaimer***Please keep in mind that this is solely my opinion, based on observations and personal taste. It is merely meant as a guideline to encourage critical thinking.***

Although the candidates are rarely directly responsible for the implementation of their campaign websites, the sites are a reflection on the candidate. The information provided needs to be accessible and well organized, and the site needs to be user friendly. That being said, review number one is of Steele for Chairman.

The home page is not unattractive, but does have a template feel to it. Navigation tabs at the top make it fairly easy to move around, although not necessarily to find what you want. There are some interesting features, like the local radio station look up, that comes with encouragement on how to call and get on the air, as well as a spot to send a text message to the site from your cell phone. Although there is a blog with several updates, they are all from the same day. Also, a nice bio of the candidate, which is good to see, but not much other information on his actual views or goals for the party. Most of the content seems to be clips and links from outside sources. Hidden in the bottom right corner is a small text box with "Quick Links" containing contact and donation information, as well as details on how to get involved. (One of the links, "Join the Fight" is broken, I notified the contact email address about this). This in particular should be made much more prominent. Overall it's not a bad site, it serves it's function of providing basic information on the candidate, but with a little work, it could be greatly improved.

Index day 4

2008-11-30T14:49:00.006-05:00

Added further info on Twitter use, including follow ratio (the number of those following to those followed) as well as ratio of updates to replies in the last 24 hours. This may be expanded to cover a greater period of time in the future.

	Saul Anuzis	Katon Dawson	Chip Saltsman	Michael Steele
Facebook	2414	321	???	594
Twitter Followers	542	90	???	30
Follow Ratio	1.6:1	0.2:1	n/a	0.02:1
Update/Reply Ratio	1:3	0	n/a	0
Blog	yes	???	???	yes
RtP.ning	22	no	no	no

Why?

2008-11-30T12:05:00.004-05:00

The RNC Candidates Tech Chart exists because this past election cycle our opponents used the tools of technology to defeat us decisively at the polls. We sat back and watched while they did. We can’t let this kind of defeat happen next time around. That’s why groups like this and this were created. Excellent first steps, but these groups will not be sufficient to secure electoral victory if the new leadership of the party is not receptive to change. This is why it is imperative to select a chairman willing to embrace the internet, and use it as fully and completely as possible to advance our cause. This index is designed to help members of the RNC decide which candidate is willing and able to do what we need, when we need it, to return the grand old party to electoral success.

Index day 3

2008-11-29T22:16:00.003-05:00

All caught up and moved over, here are today's numbers.

	Saul Anuzis	Katon Dawson	Chip Saltsman	Michael Steele
Facebook	2414	321	???	594
Twitter	542	90	???	30
Blog	yes	???	???	yes
RtP.ning	22	no	no	no

The ??? means to the best of my knowledge and research, they are not participating in this medium of tech communication. If anyone knows differently, please comment or contact me with the information.

Index day 2

2008-11-29T20:31:00.005-05:00

Day two evolved a bit, adding new categories as well as some notes, and a better set up. This is the rough first version of the chart, showing how the candidates compare in tech areas. Please note that I did not find a facebook page for Chip Saltsman, and I could not get the friend count for Katon Dawson, since his page is private and I am waiting on a friend confirmation. I found a blog for Saul Anuzis, and Michael Steele has a couple posts on a blog on his campaign page. I did not locate blogs for the other two candidates, however, I am planning on revising the information, so if you have information that is pertinent please comment or message me. I am also considering tracking changes in the information over time, although I would prefer this be a representation of the candidates inclination to utilize technology on a regular basis, as opposed to a contest to see who can ignore the most followers on Twitter.

	Saul Anuzis	Katon Dawson	Chip Saltsman	Michael Steele
Facebook	2395	(1)	(2)	596
Twitter	408	85	(3)	26
Blog	yes	(4)	(4)	yes
RtP.ning	20	no	no	no

(1) Facebook page requires friend status to view, waiting for confirmation
(2) Possible Facebook page found, awaiting confirmation
(3) No Twitter account found
(4) No blog found
***Edited*** Second version, contains updated info, corrections and links where applicable
***Edited*** Third version includes RebuildingtheParty.ning stats
(BDL Index™ Michael Patrick Leahy)

Brain Dead Luddite Index Chart of RNC Chairman Contenders

2008-11-29T20:22:00.000-05:00

This idea evolved from an idea of @michaelpleahy's about the tech savvy of the men who have decided to run for chairman of the RNC. It originally started as a blog post here which I was editing, however it seems a better idea to do a separate post daily. This will also allow for additional aspects of technological experience and inclination to be discussed. Hopefully this proves useful to the party and those making this critical decision. The original post:

This is the rough first version of the chart, showing how the candidates compare in tech areas. Please note that I did not find a facebook page for Chip Saltsman, and I could not get the friend count for Katon Dawson, since his page is private and I am waiting on a friend confirmation. I found a blog for Saul Anuzis, and Michael Steele has a couple posts on a blog on his campaign page. I did not locate blogs for the other two candidates, however, I am planning on revising the information, so if you have information that is pertinent please comment or message me. I am also considering tracking changes in the information over time, although I would prefer this be a representation of the candidates inclination to utilize technology on a regular basis, as opposed to a contest to see who can ignore the most followers on Twitter.