Eustis Secedes from State Chair Race; Seeks Further Involvement in NYCRSC

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Friday, March 23, 2007

Argyle, NY – Kelly S. Eustis announced this morning that he will no longer be in the running for state chair of the New York College Republicans.  Eustis has released the following statement:

Fellow College Republicans,

After much thought and consideration, I have decided I am no longer seeking the chairmanship of the New York College Republican State Committee, Incorporated.

I have many reasons for why I am ending my campaign but the most prominent reason is for the well being of the organization.  The idea of choosing the best candidate for the job is part of democracy, but a spirited campaign for a position in the College Republicans causes division and infighting that only turns people away from wanting to be involved.

Since the day I announced, the enormous amount of disrespect and lack of civility that was targeted at me and my campaign was appalling.  Those who preach that the NYCRSC has “come a long way” were first to show that it has not strayed far from their view of previous administrations.  The negative claims made against me were absurd and I assure you that my intentions were right.

Unlike my opponent, I never engaged in menacing and aggressive tactics to gain endorsements and I feel sorry for those that have been affected in this process.  There is reason to believe that the attack blog and video was a project of a member of the McTiernan-Aiken campaign.  This person was an unsuccessful candidate for state chair years ago, but still inhabits the NYCRSC by functioning as a ‘power behind the power.’  More startling is the willingness to risk his reputation by putting out such nonsense. The coordination between the campaign blog and attack blog was almost too humorous to be true but sadly it is.

My opposition’s campaign has consistently dished out lies and exaggerations not only concerning the blog, video, and unsavory methods they have conducted, but also about the quality of their endorsements.  I stand by my press release which focused on the NYC Vice Chairman and it should not be seen as a personal attack.  Its purpose was to bring attention to the actions, or lack thereof, of a member of the current administration.  Once the negative online material is taken down, I will be eager to put this all in the past.  My campaign’s goal was to address issues and problems our organization faces and I, and many other CRs, still believe the NYCRSC should be in a better place than it is now.

The accomplishments asserted by my opponent’s administration are not very impressive.  If the little involvement the NYCRSC had in getting CRs to attend CPAC is the organization’s biggest triumph, then we are in big trouble.  Several events and activities that were planned for months never came about and those that did were minute at best.  Organizationally, the constitution is a disaster, there has been no financial transparency, and chapters still have no motivation to join the NYCRSC.  With myself being taken off the executive board mailing list months ago, chapter leadership being destroyed for not supporting my opponent, and with a few officers not participating and abiding by the constitution, I do not believe we are a united state federation like is rhetorically stated.

Though I am down, I am not out.  I seek to continue my participation in the New York College Republicans by acquiring a third term as Northern Region Vice Chairman.  By staying involved I vow to positively contribute in helping build a better College Republican federation.  The idea that we are a force in electing conservative Republican candidates to office is more important than petty internal politics.  To Erin McTiernan, I wish her the best of luck in her second term as state chair.  I am confident her plan for the next year will bring our federation to new heights.

I look forward to seeing you all at the NYCRSC convention next month.

Truly,
Kelly S. Eustis

Northern Region Vice Chairman,
New York College Republican State Committee, Incorporated

Chairman and Founder,
SUNY Potsdam College Republicans

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