Welcome!

My name is Mark McCaig and for the past 2 years, I have had the honor of representing Senate District 18 on the State Republican Executive Committee (SREC), the governing body of the Republican Party of Texas. Each State Senate district elects a Committeeman and a Committeewoman at the state convention and I am asking for your vote as I seek reelection in Dallas on June 12^th.

At 27, I am the youngest member of the SREC (and am proudly the first SREC member to have been born during the Reagan administration!). I am a lifelong conservative who believes in the conservative values articulated in our state platform. I have a proven record of fighting for these values over the years. As a student at Texas A&M University, I served as a state officer and campus leader in the Young Conservatives of Texas and the Texas Federation of College Republicans. After graduating from Texas A&M, I continued my activism as a volunteer for a number of conservative causes and candidates and became a precinct chair in the Fort Bend County Republican Party, a position I continue to serve in.

With the state convention quickly approaching, I want to make you aware of some issues regarding the party’s financial situation and operations. On our most recent campaign finance report filed with the Federal Election Commission, we reported a debt of over $500,000. Additionally, when you compare this most recent campaign finance report from the report filed for the exact same time period 2 years ago, you will find that the Republican Party of Texas is nearly $700,000 worse off now than we were 2 years ago.

I have been one of the few members of the SREC who has consistently and actively raised questions and voiced concerns about party operations and the way we do business. For example, the Republican Party of Texas, until very recently, had a contract with a former party executive director that paid him $550 a week for 3 hours a week of “consulting” (that’s $183.33 per hour). Additionally, this consultant was given title to an automobile by the party as part of his contract. This consultant has also provided political consulting services to the campaigns of our current and immediate past state chairs. The contract was not cancelled until I discovered via an open records request that this consultant was making $13.94 per hour in his full time job with Tarrant County and publicized this information.

Another former party executive director, now an Austin lobbyist, is under contract with the party for a significant amount of money to oversee the state convention. One of our direct mail vendors has apparently made so much money off the party in recent years that they provided mail services for our previous state chairman’s reelection campaign for free- a campaign contribution valued at $6,728.64. I have not seen any evidence of competitive bidding for any contract during my 2 years on the SREC.

Some may say that talking about the party’s problems publicly only helps the Democrats. I disagree. The Democrats win when our party leaders either try to cover up bad behavior or look the other way when our party and elected leaders are not governing in a conservative manner. For example, recent problems regarding the spending practices and operations of the RNC would not have been corrected had they not been disclosed publicly. Even our current state chair acknowledges that state party finances were in “disarray” when she assumed office. Had more SREC members been asking questions and challenging the leadership, perhaps we would not be in the mess we are in. While I applaud efforts by our chair to cut costs and reduce the debt, there is much work left to be done. I am the only candidate in this race with the knowledge and experience needed to effectively serve as a watchdog over party finances.

I will also be making several proposals to the Rules committee that I would ask you to support. These include proposals that would make the SREC aware of any contract worth more than $10,000, require SREC approval for any contract worth more than $50,000, and require the party to solicit multiple bids for any contract or project worth more than $5,000.

The State of Texas is undergoing demographic changes that the Republican Party must adapt to in order to remain a political force. We must cultivate a younger generation of party leaders as well as improve our outreach efforts in minority communities. As a member of the Coalitions and Auxiliaries committee of the SREC, I have worked closely with the College Republicans to support their efforts Texas and made sure that the hard work of a new organization, the Latino National Republican Coalition, was recognized by granting them Auxiliary status. I also believe that these outreach efforts must be based on building relationships and gaining the trust of members of these constituencies, not by watering down our values or pandering.

Additionally, our state legislature will be facing many important issues during the next legislative session. These include redistricting, an estimated $18 billion budget shortfall, voter ID, and others. I have been active at the legislature for many years and have strong working relationships with legislators from across the state. Three members of the Texas House who represent parts of SD 18 have even endorsed me. This makes me uniquely qualified to help represent our district and make sure our voice is heard in Austin.

When looking at the experience and qualifications of the candidates seeking this position, you will find that I am the best choice to represent you effectively on the SREC. I have attended every SREC meeting and have been actively engaged in Party business. Now that I have graduated from law school, I will have more time and a more flexible schedule to travel across the district. If anybody has any questions or if I can be of assistance in any way, please do not hesitate to contact me. I look forward to seeing everybody in Dallas!