by John Lyon, Arkansas News Bureau: The Republican Party of Arkansas (RPA) should do more to take advantage of former Gov. Mike Huckabee's legacy, Republican political observers say. During his 10 years in office, Huckabee appointed hundreds of people, most of them Republicans, to state boards and commissions. Some say those appointees constitute a group of potential political candidates that has been overlooked by the state GOP. "These are individuals that we have failed to tap, to engage them to continue on," said Dennis Milligan of Bryant, RPA chairman. Calling the Huckabee appointees a "farm team" for the Republican Party, Milligan said the GOP should make use of that resource by providing "training, guidance and advice" to any Republican whose appetite for public service has been whetted by a state appointment. "It's going to be a lasting legacy for a number of years. ... It doesn't mean they're going to end up being candidates, but they are people we can approach," he said.Regarding appointees to boards and commissions as a farm team for the party is a "fresh and innovative way of thinking," said Republican political consultant Bill Vickery of Little Rock." As opposed to the more traditional way of thinking which says 'state rep (representative), state senator, mayor, county judge' as the farm team, this is a little different twist on that, I think," he said. Vickery said he agrees with Milligan that Huckabee's appointees are "one of the untapped resources that the party can draw from" but added that quality should take precedence over quantity." I always think it's important not just to have candidates for candidates' sake, but to have people who are really committed to trying to make a difference," he said . . . [Read More]
Tags: Arkansas, Arkansas Republican Party, Bill Vickery, Dennis Milligan, Republican To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
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