Republicans are gearing up for the upcoming midterm elections by celebrating the grand opening of a new local headquarters from noon to 4 p.m. Jan. 8 at 20655 Soledad Canyon Road.
Members of the 38th Assembly District Republican Party Central Committee will meet Republican clubs and community members.
“We’ve almost always had a headquarters,” committee Chairman Joe Messina said, adding that the building serves to connect seven Republican clubs in the Santa Clarita Valley.
The committee leadership includes Messina, Secretary Mark Hershey and Treasurer Carlo Basail. Committee board members include Messina, Hershey, Basail, DJ Hamburger, John Dorch and Patty Kelly. Congressman Steve Knight, R-Palmdale, state Sen. Scott Wilk and Assemblyman Dante Acosta serve on the committee as ex-officio members.
The committee’s website says its goal is to support volunteer Republican clubs, increase voter registration, identify and support candidates and increase voter turnout. Messina said GOP clubs gathered to make 6,000 to 7,000 phone calls in 10 days last month.
Messina said elected officials will be in attendance at the grand opening.
The headquarters will serve as a hub of campaign activity in the upcoming elections for state Assembly and Congress, which are expected to be among the most hotly contested statewide.
“2018 is going to be an important year, but we have solid candidates,” Messina said. “We have a good message.”
In the 2016 election, Acosta beat Newhall School Board member Christy Smith 52.9 percent to 47.1 percent and Knight beat attorney Bryan Caforio 53.1 percent to 46.9 percent, according to state voting records.