The National Committeewoman from New Hampshire acts in the role of ambassador for New Hampshire along with the National Committeeman and the State party chairman. The duties of the committeeman and committeewoman are spelled out quite clearly in our New Hampshire State Committee Bylaws under the following article:
ARTICLE III: The National Committeeman and Committeewoman
The National Committeeman and Committeewoman shall be elected by a majority vote of the New Hampshire Republican State Committee at the Republican State Committee meeting immediately prior to the Republican National Convention. Candidates at the time of the nomination need not be convention delegates to be eligible. In the event of resignation, death or incapacity of a National Committeeman or Committeewoman, the State Committee Chairman shall call and conduct a meeting of the State Committee pursuant to this Article to elect a replacement to serve until the time of the next meeting called pursuant to the first sentence of this Article. This method of election of the National Committeeman and Committeewoman shall take effect beginning in January 2004.
The National Committeeman and Committeewoman shall have the same responsibility along with the Chairman to represent New Hampshire's interest on the National Committee and to work to preserve our first in the nation primary. During all Presidential and State Primaries the Committeeman and Committeewoman must remain strictly neutral and may not publicly or privately support, assist or endorse any one candidate over another. In the event that the Committeeman or Committeewoman resigns in order to participate in a Primary, he or she will not be eligible to run for election at the immediate subsequent election of the National Committeeman or Committeewoman.
Your main role as a national committee member is to represent your state party on a national level; and in turn to represent the national party on a state and local level - thus serving as a vital liaison between the state party leadership and the national party.
Information and resources you receive at the national level should be communicated to the appropriate individuals in your state. ÊIt is your responsibility as an RNC member to serve as a communicator of information, ideas and resources to state party members, candidates and campaigns at all levels. ÊIn order to fully accomplish this task, the National Committeewoman, National Committeeman, and State Chairman need to act as a team.
On a National Committee level, the essential function of RNC members is to elect the Chairman and Co-Chairman of the Republican National Committee, create and maintain national party policies and rules, interpret these policies for the state and local parties, and to prepare for the Republican National Convention. ÊRNC members should attend all meetings at the state and national levels, and keep each other informed.
On a state and local level, national committee members serve as leaders of the party. ÊWith this leadership position comes great responsibility. RNC members will need to be prepared to serve in a number of different roles: advisor, implementer, fundraiser, moderator, cheerleader, counselor, activist, and motivator. ÊRNC members should also be prepared to act as spokespersons for the national committee and respective state party. ÊWhile the importance of the role you play and scope of responsibilities you will have can't simply be described in a manual, some suggested guidelines for you to follow are listed here:
- Attend all RNC Meetings
- Deliver the RNC message to the state committee
- Ensure that your party is utilizing information and resources available to them through the RNC
- Meet often with the leaders of the state and local parties
- Communicate with your RNC Regional Political Director
- Act as a moderator - internal disputes are inevitable, but your role as a RNC member is to
facilitate and eliminate disputes
- Help implement the programs of the national committee in your state
- Act as a spokesperson for your state party
- Be willing to travel and give speeches
- Maintain a presence and be involved in state and local activities such as executive committee
meetings, district caucuses, County Lincoln Day dinners, etc.
- Serve on the state finance committee
- Serve as a surrogate when needed and campaign for state and local candidates
- Assist in fundraising (including donating yourself)
- Stay in touch with grassroots activists and actively recruit new volunteers
