My thoughts on a Republican Primary

2/12/2010  By Alan Nunnelee

It has been three weeks since we kicked off our campaign for Congress and I am excited by the amount of support we have received for our effort. Since then, others have also announced that they will run in the Republican primary and many people have asked my thoughts on such a primary. We have a conservative district that is represented by a self-proclaimed "Moderate" who votes with Nancy Pelosi 82% of the time. It does not surprise me that we have more than one person who feels he or she could do a better job in Congress. I have every confidence in the voters. I believe that they will select the person who can best represent our views in Congress and who can wage an effective campaign against the barrage that the liberals will no doubt throw against us in November. I am proud that the voters of Lee and Pontotoc counties have examined my record of service and on five different occasions said, "Good job." I have learned that there is a big difference between talking about conservative values and converting those values into effective public policy. For the past seven years, I have stood shoulder to shoulder with Governor Haley Barbour as we have attempted to craft a budget that lives within our means. I know how to tell the liberals "no" when they want to overspend because I do it every day. I believe in our constitution and I am a strong advocate for the Second Amendment. Since entering public life I have been fortunate to be endorsed by the NRA every time I have run. Our founding fathers knew what they were doing when they wrote the Bill of Rights and the freedoms guaranteed in that document - freedom of speech, free press, the right to peaceably assemble, the freedom of religion, the freedom from unlawful search and seizure, trial by jury and the right to bear arms are all linked and we cannot weaken one of them without weakening them all. I'm excited about the prospect of a Republican primary because it will give me an opportunity to discuss with the voters what I've done, and not merely what I've talked about. It will allow me to discuss my beliefs and to continue working my way through North Mississippi meeting the good people of this district. I believe in Ronald Reagan's 11th Commandment and I will continue to live by it. I hope that we, as Republican's, learned our lesson from 2008. I'm looking forward to seeing you on the campaign trail. Working together we will defeat the Nancy team in November. Thank you for your interest in and your willingness to help our campaign.