Who We Are
The Harris County Republican Party is an inclusive and diverse group of dedicated volunteers who believe in the conservative values our country was founded upon. We love our country, believe in the Bill of Rights, support the U.S. Constitution and stand for our Flag. We believe that all men, women and children are created equal. It was the leadership of the Republican Party that ended slavery over 150 years ago. The Republican Party continues to be the party of hope and opportunity because we stand for freedom and liberty for all Americans.
We believe in:
Freedom from an overreaching government
Unelected bureaucrats and our federal government should not overregulate and dictate how we live our daily lives. We believe that prosperity for all comes through the free market and policies that encourage job development, economic growth and entrepreneurship in the United States vs. promoting a global economy that sacrifices American jobs and national security.
Freedom from those who want to weaken the sanctity of our elections.
We believe that all Americans should have confidence in the integrity of our elections and that each vote cast is cast by a citizen who has the legal right to vote. Without elections that are fair, open and transparent, the very foundation of our democracy is at risk.
Freedom from crime.
The rights of criminals do not trump the rights of the law-abiding citizen. Activist judges and defunding police tears down the laws that are there to protect the rights of the individual and prevent mob rule. All Americans deserve to live their lives and raise their families in neighborhoods that are free from crime.
Freedom from failing schools.
Our children should have the right to an education that will give them the knowledge and skills to have a successful life and one that is free from indoctrination. We believe that teaching our country’s history (warts and all) is necessary to ensure mistakes are not repeated. We also oppose teachers and administration that impose their personal beliefs on our children and promote racism and division through policies like critical race theory. We believe that school policies should support educational achievement and provide parents the freedom to make the best academic choice for their children.
Freedom from democrats who want to limit our freedoms.
We believe in a limited government that allows every American the freedom to live their life in the way they choose. We believe the government and elected officials are there to serve and protect all Americans (including the unborn), not the elite few. We believe it is not the purpose of government to dictate our religion, how we raise our children, or how we live our lives.
Grand new party.
The name “Republican” was chosen, alluding to Thomas Jefferson’s Democratic-Republican Party and conveying a commitment to the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
The Party was formally organized in July 1854 by thousands of anti-slavery activists at a convention in Jackson, Michigan. And it was no accident that two years later, in 1856, the first Republican National Convention took place in Philadelphia, where the Constitution was written.
Party of Freedom.
Though popularized in a Thomas Nast cartoon, the GOP’s elephant symbol originated during the 1860 campaign, as a symbol of Republican strength. Republicans envisioned “free soil, free speech, free labor.” Under the leadership of President Abraham Lincoln, the GOP became the Party of the Union as well.
The early women’s rights movement was solidly Republican, as it was a continuation of abolitionism. They were careful not to be overly partisan, but as did Susan B. Anthony, most suffragists favored the GOP. The 19th Amendment was written by a Republican senator and garnered greater support from Republicans than from Democrats.
Party Of Prosperity.
President Dwight Eisenhower and congressional Republicans appreciated the fact that the private sector, not government, is the engine of wealth creation. With his bold tax-cutting agenda, President Ronald Reagan revived the economy after years of Democrat malaise.
Party Of Vision
President Eisenhower advocated groundbreaking civil rights legislation and vigorously enforced the Brown v Board of Education decision, sending the 101st Airborne to Little Rock when chaos erupted following integration at Central High.
Ronald Reagan explained the difference between Democrats and Republicans in a way that cannot be improved upon: “Two visions of the future, two fundamentally different ways of governing – their government of pessimism, fear, and limits, or ours of hope, confidence, and growth. Their government sees people only as members of groups. Ours serves all the people of America as individuals.”
President George H.W. Bush championed community and volunteer organizations and the tremendous power they have for doing good. He famously described them as “a brilliant diversity spread like stars, like a thousand points of light in a broad and peaceful sky.”
In the first decade of the 21st century, President George W. Bush made an unprecedented commitment to helping those in need beyond our shores through the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), an aid program for countries devastated by HIV/AIDS. Since its inception, PEPFAR has saved over a million lives and currently provides over 5 million people with life-saving treatments.
Party Of Strength
Party of the future.
Drawing inspiration from our Party’s history, today’s Republicans believe individuals, not government, make the best decisions; all people are entitled to equal rights; and decisions are best made close to home.
Nationally, Republicans recognize that the slow, bloated, top-down Washington bureaucracy is out-of-date in the 21st century. Our Party works to give Americans more choices—in healthcare, in education, in energy, and in the economy—and to free individuals and families from the intrusive overreach of federal bureaucrats.
The Party’s core principles of freedom and equal opportunity are as relevant today as at our founding, and they are the roadmap for American renewal in a new and interconnected world.
