Dear Members and Friends of the Republican Party of Virginia Beach!
At this evening's City Committee Meeting (May 12th), no business can be conducted; an explanation will follow.
I am Larry Lane, and as of Wednesday, May 7th, 2025, I have been appointed as Chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia Beach by the Second Congressional District Republican Committee as per the State Party Plan of the Republican Party of Virginia. Despite rumors on the Internet and elsewhere, the Republican Party of Virginia Beach has not been dissolved, but rather, only Laura Hughes has been removed from her position by the Second Congressional District Republican Committee.
At the February 10th, 2025 City Committee Meeting, a motion was made to conduct a comprehensive audit of the books and records of the Republican Party of Virginia Beach covering the past 5 years. The City Committee membership passed the motion by over a 2 to 1 margin. To accomplish the audit and to avoid the expense of a private auditor, the motion specified that the Second Congressional District Republican Committee would oversee this effort since the Committee is the supervisory committee over the Republican Party of Virginia Beach.
At the March 10th, 2025 City Committee Meeting, the Chairman of the Second Congressional District Republican Committee, Dennis Free, reported that the Republican Party of Virginia would conduct the Audit. Chairwoman Laura Hughes concurred and “welcomed the audit”. The Audit Committee comprised members of the Republican Party of Virginia’s State Central Committee, and none of the members of the Audit Committee resided in the South Hampton Roads area for objectivity.
The Audit Committee sent its unanimous recommendations to the Second Congressional District Committee for review and action. The Second Congressional District Committee reviewed and discussed the report and numerous other issues in Executive Session on Wednesday, May 7th, 2025, and then voted to remove Laura Hughes as Chair. Second District Chairman Dennis Free will discuss the report at this evening's meeting and will answer any questions.
As of the writing of this email, I have not yet received any of the membership and financial records from Laura Hughes. Without these official records, we cannot conduct or vote on any Official Party Business at this meeting since we do not have a complete list of all paid members. We are trying to reconstruct the list and will have sign-in tables to help facilitate this task.
At the meeting, I will discuss my new grassroots initiative that we will implement – “Operation GROW” – Get Republicans Out Working! This get-out-the-vote and membership recruitment plan will grow the number of our volunteers! The second part of Operation GROW will focus on Grassroots and Precinct Organization Training.
Afterwards, we will hear from our candidates for office, elected officials, and updates from our auxiliaries. Finally, we will then hear from our Second District Chairman, Dennis Free, who will discuss the Audit Committee Report and answer your questions. Please present any questions or comments in a respectful manner. Remember, we do not want to give the press any more cannon fodder. We must begin preparing to win in November!
At our following June 9th City Committee Meeting, we will elect and fill our vacant officer positions and organize teams to implement our new initiatives. To win in November for Winsome Sears, John Reid, Jason Miyares, the House of Delegates, and our Constitutional Officers, we must focus our efforts on rebuilding our precinct organization.
Becoming Chairman of the Largest City Committee in Virginia is a full-time job and I need a strong team to work with me to succeed. I can’t do it by myself. Fortunately, I am honored to have the support of all our Elected Republican Officials, the Republican Party Leadership in the Second Congressional District Republican Committee, and the Republican Party of Virginia. I am hoping that I will have the support of the RPVB as well. When I joined the party, I didn’t join a faction. I merely tried to make the party the best it could be, no matter who was in leadership. A party that cooperates and works as a team is destined to win.
I understand that some party members are upset with this action, and perhaps this meeting will soften your anger to a degree. Sometimes the fastest way through a difficult time is to go straight through it. We do have some very important races to win in 2025. The quicker we get to work, the better chance we will have to save the progress of the last 4 years in Richmond, led by Governor Youngkin. The alternative is unthinkable.
The good news is that through Operation GROW, we can win again! Focusing our firepower on our precinct organization will help our candidates and incumbents for the House of Delegates and our Constitutional Officers. I am excited to get to work, but I will need your help for us to succeed and keep Virginia in Republican control.
I look forward to seeing all of you tonight!
Very respectfully,
Larry Lane
Chairman, Republican Party of Virginia Beach
P.S. Every precinct counts. Your action—and the people you inspire in Virginia Beach—will shape Virginia’s House and our future. Let’s make history!
Contact Us: Email: info@rpvb.org
Website: https://rpvb.org