Report of the County Chairmen

Human Events, Mar 28, 2005 by Gizzi, John

After unsuccessful races for public office or even serving in a high federal job, some conservative activists find, as Reagan once said, that there are second acts in politics. Many of those who sought or held high positions have stayed involved politically, particularly as leaders of their county Republican parlies

Chandler, Ariz., lawyer and former U.S. Marine Tom Liddy, for example, lost a crowded GOP primary for Congress in 2000 that was won by fellow conservative and current Rep. Jeff Flake. Many pundits and pols were reluctant to support Liddy, son of G. Gordon Liddy, because he had been an Arizona resident for only two years. Over the last five years, Liddy has continued to build his law practice and also co-host a popular daily radio program on KFYI in Phoenix. Since 2003, Liddy has been GOP chairman in Maricopa. the state's most populous county.

Edwin G. Foulke, Jr. served in the first Bush Administration as chairman of the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. In that capacity, he oversaw appeals of decisions by OSHA. Returning to Greenville, S.C., and private law practice in 1993. Foulke plunged into local politics and is now Republican chairman of Greenville County.

Former advertising executive Danford Sawyer actually practiced what conservatives preach by increasing outside bidding and slashing the number of federal employees under his control while he was head of the Government Printing Office in the Reagan Administration. Now 65, Sawyer and wife Ruthanne settled in Elk Creek, Va., to raise their beloved horses. But before long, the passion for politics that Sawyer had pursued while in business in Illinois and Florida returned. He was recently elected Republican vice chairman of Grayson County, where he was an active campaigner for former NASCAR executive Kevin Triplett's strong-but-losing challenge to Democratic Rep. Rick Boucher last fall. Just two weeks ago, Sawyer oversaw the local party's annual auction dinner, at which a record $5,000 was raised. According to Sawyer, the most heated bidding at the dinner's auction was for an Ann Coulter doll.