Image Credit: elevate-2025.com
Press Release –
FRANKLIN, Tenn. (Feb. 12, 2025) — Eight grassroots conservative candidates running under the “Elevate 2025” banner have announced their candidacy for the biennial Williamson County Republican Party (WCRP) reorganization convention on March 4th at Liberty Hall in The Factory, Franklin.
These Elevate 2025 candidates are experienced and principled conservative grassroots leaders who have pledged to stay true to the values of the Republican Party and build on the tremendous progress made under the current leadership of the WCRP. A summary of accomplishments are listed on the Elevate website, www.Elevate-2025.com. They include the following:
- Increased membership 68%.
- Increased Chairman’s Circle donations by 62%.
- Quadrupled funding to Republican candidates with in-kind and cash donations.
- Quadrupled the party’s cash on hand from a starting balance of $40,000 in April 2023 to an estimated $160,000 by the end of their term.
- Reduced illegal crossover voting in Republican primaries by 43% with a targeted educational campaign to Williamson County voters.
The current leaders of the WCRP were elected by members of the party by a 2-1 margin in the 2023 reorganization. Five of the eight are seeking re-election on the Elevate 2025 slate. They are:
- Diane Chenard for 1st vice chair; currently serving as secretary.
- Elliott Franklin for 2nd vice chair; currently serving as 2nd vice chair.
- Courtney Laginess for 3rd chair; currently serving as treasurer.
- Tim Raynaud for treasurer; currently serving as assistant treasure.
- Brandon Bell for assistant treasurer; currently serving as 3rd vice chair.
The three new candidates are:
- Steve Hickey for chairman. Hickey is a retired Air Force fighter pilot with extensive leadership experience ranging from leading combat missions to developing a Pacific Air Forces-award winning fighter wing safety program to building vital military-to-military partnerships around the globe at Air Force International Affairs. He is a commercial pilot and has taken a leadership role in local politics, helping elect several conservative candidates to office and also serving as a poll watcher.
- Leigh Ann Cates for secretary. Cates is an award-winning realtor, volunteer coordinator for the Williamson County Republican Party and poll watcher in local elections.
- Peg Raciti for assistant secretary. Raciti is a professional photographer and graphic artist. She is communications director for Williamson County Moms for Liberty and Tennessee Fair Elections county leader. She formerly served as an award-winning library assistant for special collections for the Williamson County Public Library.
Full bios for each candidate are available at https://www.elevate-2025.com/candidates.
Meet the Candidates in the video below:
The group is proud to follow the progress made the past 22 months, particularly in the areas of transparency, accountability and enhanced communication with members. The Elevate team plans to build on the 2023 team’s outstanding fundraising, fiscal responsibility and faithful adherence to the Republican party’s platform. In addition, the current leadership has supported every Republican candidate in general elections in a fair and equitable manner, unlike the previous leadership.
The Elevate group will faithfully adhere to the Republican Party’s platform, which is seeking to expand the WCRP’s base and involve conservatives from all communities within Williamson County, ensuring their voices are heard and their concerns addressed.
“Our county party is as strong as it’s ever been,” Hickey said, “and we are excited to elevate it to even higher levels.In doing so, we will be respectful of any differences and build on the things that unite us as Republicans.”
He noted that the Elevate 2025 candidates offer valuable leadership experience and an excellent history of promoting and advancing conservative values.“Our team walks the walk, and we have the track record to back that up.”
As a candidate, Hickey has made truth a priority and aims to foster an environment where truth is sought, spoken and upheld at all levels of government.
An opposing group of candidates dishonestly claims on their website that they are “THE ONLY Conservative ticket” running for the WCRP board in the March 4 reorganization convention.
Whether these competing candidates are intentionally misleading local Republican voters with such a demonstrably false statement — or they lack the ability to recognize true conservatives — the Elevate 2025 candidates will continue to focus on the issues, emphasize party unity and promote truth over attempts to divide conservatives with deceptive statements.
“Political campaigns have a tendency to become hyperbolic, which is truly a shame for an electorate hungry for truth,” Hickey said. “We are confident our message and our actions will demonstrate to the conservative voters of Williamson County that the Elevate 2025 team is the right choice to lead the WCRP. We invite county Republicans to visit our site and learn more about us and our plans for the future of the WCRP. We are eager to engage with the Republican base who overwhelmingly elected Donald Trump our 47th president, giving a mandate to implement the will of the people.”
Bona fide Republican voters are encouraged to preregister to ensure eligibility. Registration opens at 4:30 pm and closes at 6 pm. People who are not in line by 6 pm will not be admitted or allowed to vote. To register, visit https://williamsongop.org/2025-wcrp-reorganization.
3 Responses
Don’t you just love it when REAL conservatives, challenge the RINO’s in our party, all because they simply have the ‘courage of their convictions’? Well as a staunch conservative, who is always scratching my head at the RINO’s in our county and state, who for some reason, just can’t seem to stay ‘conservative’ when they get a ‘cushy’ full time, part time, political job in the legislature, I am SUPER grateful to the current WCRP leadership for tackling the issues this past year (i.e., voter integrity, cross over voting, budget and education). I was elated to see their opposition to our governor’s so called “educational freedom” act, which at one time was ‘called’ UNIVERSAL, which was VERY misleading so they had to change the bill’s name! Keep up the great work WCRP and these ELEVATE 2025 candidates deserve to be elected! Williamson County Republicans who want real conservative leadership, should make every effort to VOTE the “ELEVATE 2025” slate!
I have been to a number of mix and mingle events this past season and I think the board members are doing a great job. So many interesting speakers and of course big Republican wins across the board. I got a card from these other folks and I am not getting it. Why is Brian Clifford even running? Isn’t he already a Williamson County Commissioner? Can they do that? They are saying all of these terrible things about the current board, but I just don’t understand. Aren’t we all Republicans? What is all of this back room deal stuff? I heard Brian Clifford voted to just place Cheryl Brown into a commissioner seat for good -without any election. That sounds so back room deal to me. I don’t know. There is just something fishy going on. I am going to vote for elevate this year. They have done a good job as far I am concerned.
There is no question which slate in the March 4th Williamson County Republican Party (WCRP) Reorganization is the conservative slate… and will get my vote.
The Elevate 2025 group has proven their ability to take a party that was run into the ground by the previous establishment leadership and completely turned it around by following conservative principles and doing what they said they’d do.
They’ve far exceeded expectations for membership growth, as well as fundraising, giving more money to Republican candidates and even reducing crossover voting, which is a huge problem for most truly conservative Republicans. Why would anyone let Democrats select our Republican nominees, which the previous leadership group did absolutely nothing about? Maybe that was/is because they needed Democrats to elect them and their RINO candidates? Check.
And the mud that Brian Clifford’s establishment slate has been slinging is so over the top. It truly underscores their desperation to get their power back. His group is the same establishment group that the current WCRP leadership deposed in 2023. What does Kamala Harris have to do with the WCRP per a recent mailer?
One more point that gives away Clifford’s group for who they actually are. If they are so conservative and interested in the grass roots, why aren’t they sending their news releases and disinformation ads to the Tennessee Conservative News?
Checkmate.