Schostak.

DEARBORN — According to Bobby Schostak, chairman of the Michigan Republican Party (MIGOP), outreach and involvement in the Arab American community is a priority for the party.

“We will be present in the Arab community in a greater way than ever before, so folks would know us better.” Schostak said in an interview with The Arab American News. “Because, frankly, in the past we have been remiss in not going deeper into the community here in Dearborn.”

Schostak added that the party will soon open a regional office in Dearborn, staffed with people from the community, who will help guide the republican leadership where it needs to be present and engage. He said the party also plans to have conversations and meetings with Arab American community leaders to address the challenges that Arab Americans face.

“With the Arab American community, we want to be investing ourselves with the goal of sharing with each other what issues might be out there that our candidates and elected officials ought to know more about, helping each other learn more about the respective needs of the community and making it a two-way street, where we can engage one another in meaningful discussion,” Schostak said.

He also said the Republican Party is engaged in outreach campaigns in communities across Michigan.

“We view opportunities to engage the voters in every community as a priority,” he said. “We’re opening up offices in communities to be closer to the voters, so we can get out there and share with them our values, our commonality. Our goals and objectives let them meet the candidates and let the candidates meet the community and get them more involved.”

Schostak was elected chairman of the Michigan Republican Party in 2011. Prior to that, he assisted with the campaigns of prominent state and national republican candidates. Before his political career, he served as the CEO of his family’s real estate company in Livonia.

The MIGOP chairman reiterated his denunciation of Michigan Republican National Committeeman Dave Agema, who has made anti-Muslim remarks. 

“Dave Agema’s comments were not acceptable,” Schostak said. “I made it clear, upfront. Picking on any individual community is inappropriate, and we will not tolerate it. We have asked him to step away. He chose not to.  That was his decision. That’s as far as we can take it. He’s elected. We can’t un-elect him. It will be up to folks at that point to decide— assuming he runs again— if they want him to continue or not. But we’ve made it crystal clear that he doesn’t represent our voice. He’s not speaking for me. He’s not speaking for the party. It was unacceptable and very unfortunate what he did.” 

Republican National Committee members are elected every two years at the state’s party convention.

Schostak said the party does not determine the policies of republican elected officials. 

“The party has no influence over the legislature at all. We’re not policy makers. We’re not lobbyists,” he explained. “We are communicators. We bring the message out. We use our email list, our website, our staff and our offices to communicate the base’s concern to the legislators; but we don’t dictate any policy to them or any specific legislation to take on.” 

Last month, Virginia Congressman Eric Cantor, the second ranking House republican, lost in the party primary to David Brat, a little-known Tea Party-backed college economics professor. Since its rise in 2009, the Tea Party, a political movement that advocates the reduction of government taxes and spending, has challenged republicans incumbents at the national and state level.

However, Schostak said traditional republicans and Team Party activists share the same values.  

“The Tea Party movement represents a section of our activists who are very strong on certain values,” he said. “These values are smaller government, less taxes— fiscal conservative issues that all republicans support. They have created a number of organizations that call themselves Tea Party around Michigan and around the country that are very vocal about these fiscal issues in Washington and Michigan.”

Schostak added that Tea Party members and republicans aim to achieve the same goals. 

“On a high percentage of issues that come up in governing, conservative, Republicans, Tea Party— call them whatever label you want— agree on the same things,” he said.  “We want less government. We want government out of our way, not dictating how our lives should be conducted. We want less regulation. We want less taxes, a fair tax system. We want to have our individual liberties and rights. We want to be left alone. And all conservatives, all Republicans, all Tea Party (members) agree on those fundamentals, as I think most citizens do in this country.”

He added that the Tea Party’s backing of candidates in the primaries is a part of the democratic process.

“In some cases [Tea Party activists] will not particularly align with some members’ voting record, and they choose to run in the primary against an incumbent. That’s their choosing. That’s democracy. It’s their right. That’s to be expected,” he said. “You’re going to have a competitive primary if someone thinks they can do a better job representing the values of their community, particularly on these fiscal issues.” 

Most electoral races in Wayne county will be decided after the primaries, with democratic candidates having no serious competition from republican opponents in the general elections. 

“With high percentage of the voters here being Democratic activists, there is a greater likelihood that democrats will be elected in most of Wayne county, certainly in the city of Detroit,” said Schostak. “We have candidates in every race in house and senate districts, in congressional districts, but we are realistic about what the results will be. At the same time we’re very supportive of those who are running and believe that if voters hear from these individuals who are running for office, they’ll receive support.”

He added that the MIGOP’s support for a candidate depends on that individual’s competitiveness against a democratic opponent, based on polling numbers after the primaries. 

The first national Republican Party convention was held in Jackson on July 6, 1854, with an anti-slavery platform. Schostak said the party has not strayed from its founding principles. 

“We stand for small business. We stand for entrepreneurship, choices in education for our families and fiscal responsibility. We align with most, if not all Americans,” he said. “Then, it’s a question of our candidates getting their voice out there; and, in certain cases, it’s difficult to do because the media pays more attention to and gives more opportunity to the candidates on the democratic side.”

Schostak said socially conservative stands, such as opposing abortion and gay marriage, remain core values for the party and many Americans from different communities, not only the “religious right.” However, he added that the party is welcoming of people who oppose those views. 

“To Americans across the board, the Arab community or the Black community or the Indian community, the value of life is taken very seriously; and marriage between one man and one woman is taken very seriously and it’s coveted,” he said.  “Many people will agree with us that these are core values that are important to our party platform. 

Schostak said that opinions evolve over time, but he is not sure that the republican stand on these particular issues is evolving.

“When you look at what the Republican Party stands for in its totality, in its aggregate, we stand for the value of life like we stand for fair taxes,” he said. “We stand for traditional marriage, the same way we stand for giving people their individual liberties and their own ability to make their life decisions. That doesn’t make a person who chose a different direction wrong or bad or less welcomed by us. That’s not the case. They’re equally as welcomed by us. These are just personal choices that they may face.”

Asked about a potential presidential bid by Gov. Snyder, Schostak said Snyder is dedicating his time and efforts to being the governor of Michigan.

“Governor Snyder has been an outstanding governor,” he said. “He’s accomplished in three and a half years what folks thought was not possible in rapid speed. I think he enjoys being governor a great deal and is focusing all of his energies on getting reelected as governor and doing the job. And, as a result, so am I.” 

Schostak added that the party is pleased with Snyder’s job, describing his tenure as “extraordinary.”

“Unemployment is down six percentage points,” he said. “Personal income is up 3.5 percent. We have population growth for the first time and 350,000 private sector jobs. The tax policies in the state have been reformed. The list goes on and on. These accomplishment have been done in only three and a half years with this administration and with the legislature that has been willing to step up.”

Polls show that Snyder has a slender lead over his democratic opponent, former congressman Mark Schauer, but Schostak said the most important poll is on election day.

“There have been seven or eight polls in the last four months; and, on average, Governor Snyder has a 4 to 6 point lead,” he said. “We’re not comfortable until election day. Right now we have a modest lead and we’re going to build up on that.” 

Schostak added that Snyder’s appointment of an emergency manager to oversee the city’s finances and bankruptcy filing works to his benefit.

“The fact that he grabbed the bull by the horns in Detroit is helping him. Not just in the suburbs of in northern Michigan but in the city of Detroit itself,” Schostak said. “I think the voters in Detroit appreciate that the governor has run on that he was going to deal with the city of Detroit and get the lights back on and provide the residents with services and get the trash picked up and see a future for the city. Three years into his term, we are almost watching the city come out of bankruptcy and off to a fresh start again. Nobody would have imagined four years ago that we would see this.” 

Schostak also praised republican U.S. Senate candidate Terri Lynn Land, the former secretary of state, who will be facing democratic Congressman Gary Peters in November. The two are vying for the seat held by retiring senator Carl Levin.

“We are in a wonderful position and Terri Lynn Land is a great candidate to win the U.S. Senate seat,” he said. “She has great name ID. She’s successfully won in two races state-wide. She was the top vote getter in both of those elections, even above [then-governor] Jennifer Granholm. She has done a great job campaigning across the state to get her message out; and on top of that, she’s raised a tremendous amount of money, which is what you need to get that message out.”

Republicans dominate the state government, but the last time a republican presidential candidate won the state was in 1988. Republicans have won numerous state-wide elections since them, including three gubernatorial races.

“Republicans do well in off years,” Schostak said. “We are able to get our message out and turn up our base in non-presidential years. We have to do a better job turning up out base in presidential years and push harder. Michigan is not a Republican-dominated voter state. It is a Democratic-dominated voter state, but we are able to get our message out and convince people why governor Snyder is a better choice.”