From The Houston Chronicle, 6/25/05:
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/nation/
3240320
Young Republicans 'get party started' at D.C. convention
By SAMANTHA LEVINE
WASHINGTON -
They may be done cramming for exams, but the hundreds of College Republicans who gathered in Washington this weekend are hardly done with their assignments.
At a hotel just a few miles from the White House, the College Republican National Committee kicked off its biennial convention with a roster of high-powered GOP speakers meant to rally the fresh-faced troops in advance of the 2006 midterm elections.
After all, the College Republicans are viewed as a critical part of the GOP's grass-roots stampede and, as always, the source for the next generation of Republican leaders.
The CRNC, which many call the Crank, has nearly 200,000 members nationwide and has raised $20.1 million since 2001.
In the 2003-04 election cycle, the group raised $12.8 million, ranking it 12th in the nation among so-called 527 groups, according to PoliticalMoneyLine, which tracks money in elections.
The group's fund raising has generated some scrutiny, with reports showing that a portion of the money was received from elderly donors who were pursued with misleading appeals.
Regardless of such troubles, the convention began Friday with a fiery speech from House Majority Leader Tom DeLay of Sugar Land, who arrived at the podium to a standing ovation.
In front of a banner reading, 'We get the party started!', DeLay, like other speakers at the Friday event, rallied the young Republicans with harsh words about the Democrats.
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