GROW Elect Candidates Win in April 8, 2014 Municipal Elections

Meet GROW’s Newest – and Youngest – Elected Official: 23-Year-old Bernadette Suarez Wins!

Bernadette Suarez, a bright and energetic 23-year-old Millennial Latina Republican, won a sweeping upset victory last night. Bernadette was elected City Clerk in her hometown of Lawndale by 10 percentage points over her opponent, an established community leader. GROW Elect helped develop voter targeting and an aggressive precinct walking program for Bernadette and worked with her to write and design a direct mail program to likely voters.

Bernadette started at a severe disadvantage in the campaign because of her youth and the fact that, unlike her opponent, she hadn’t submitted a ballot statement. But GROW Elect’s assistance was able to help her turn her initial deficit into a comfortable victory. A special shout out to GROW Elect consultant Moises Merino for his excellent work advising Bernadette.

A Great Night as Number of Successful GROW Elect Latino GOP Candidates Continues to Grow: Congratulations to Dante Acosta, Suzanne Fuentes and Bob Pacheco

Last night provided great election victories for several GROW Elect candidates in addition to Bernadette Suarez. GROW Elect has now supported the successful campaigns of over 50 Latino Republicans for local office throughout California! In a 13 (!) candidate field for the Santa Clarita City Council, Dante Acosta narrowly leads by 46 votes for the third of three slots in unofficial final results. In El Segundo, Suzanne Fuentes was the top vote-getter for City Council. In the City of Walnut, Bob Pacheco won election to a full City Council term in a fiercely competitive contest. Councilman Pacheco thanked GROW Elect and wrote President Ruben Barrales that, “GROW Elect was a big help. Please thank the team, you can put this one as a big win for the group.”

There were a couple of disappointments with two Latina Republican candidates who fell short. One, School Board Member Gloria Mercardo-Fortine came in a strong fifth in the thirteen candidate field for the Santa Clarita City Council. But these candidates are committed to their communities and we’re confident they’ll be back in the near future even stronger than before.

Barrales a Presenter at RNC’s Campaign Management College

Last week, GROW Elect President Ruben Barrales participated as a presenter at the Republican National Committee’s Campaign Management College (CMC) at the California Republican Party headquarters in Burbank. This is the first time this intensive political education program has been offered in California. Participants included some of the most dynamic campaign managers and county party executive directors throughout California and other western states. GROW Elect is proud to be part of the effort to provide training for the next generation of Republican political talent in the state. Contact us at info@growelect.com if you are interested in participating in future political education and training programs. GROW Elect’s next training session is planned for June.