With Missy Shorey's Death, the Dallas GOP Lost an Inspiring, Determined Leader

She was a woman whose time had come.The first woman elected to chair the Dallas County Republican Party, Missy Shorey arrived at a moment when the local GOP faced the challenge of stemming a leftward lurch. She made clear from the starting blocks that she was up to the task, committing to a campaign of outreach that took nothing for granted and viewed no constituency as beyond reach.Not even the Beto O'Rourke surge could dim her enthusiasm as she prepared to recover from some of the accompanying blows of 2018. With 2020 races well underway, she held the reins of a Dallas County party eager to tap into presidential-race enthusiasm next year to regain lost ground.On Monday of last week, I was part of a lunch event that featured her remarks, an infectious call to action to make a strong pitch to new arrivals in particular, to remind them that conservative governance is part of why our state and our area are engines for growth. Her observations were equal parts hard data and irresistible optimism. "We're not surrendering any neighborhood or any group," she told a room full of Republicans who wondered if conservatism had hope of taking hold in various races, from the courthouse to Congress.I told a friend on the way out: "She almost makes you think it can happen." I intended it as the ultimate compliment. No one expects a Republican wave in Dallas County in 2020. But if the Trump base is motivated at the national level, and the GOP fields strong candidates echoing her courage and demeanor, anything is possible over a few election cycles.But she will not be here to lead the way.  Continue reading...

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