WASHINGTON, DC – With the mid-terms less than a week away, The Ripon Society held a luncheon discussion yesterday afternoon with two veteran campaign strategists, who previewed the upcoming election and shared their thoughts on some of the key House and Senate races around the country.

The strategists were Guy Harrison and Rob Jesmer. Harrison is the former Executive Director of the National Republican Congressional Committee. In this role, he steered the NRCC through the 2010 election cycle, when House Republicans took back the majority by gaining a net 63 seats in the largest turnover in the US House of Representatives since 1948. He is currently a partner at OnMessage, Inc.

Jesmer is the former Executive Director of the National Republican Senatorial Committee reporting directly to then-Chairman and Senator John Cornyn. During his four years directing the campaign committee, Jesmer oversaw an effort that netted five seats for Republicans and raised over $200 million. He is currently a partner at FP1 Strategies, LLC.

“Guy and Rob have spoken to our members before,” stated Jim Conzelman, the President & CEO of the Ripon Society. “We certainly appreciate their taking the time to join us again and give us their assessment of the political landscape six days out from the election. As always this time of year, the landscape is somewhat murky. Guy and Rob did a great job providing clarity to some of the key races and explaining where things stand in some of the critical states.

“The stakes of this election could not be higher, and it is critical for every Republican — and indeed every American — to be engaged. The results on Tuesday will determine not only who controls Congress, but the direction of America in the coming years.”

“The stakes of this election could not be higher, and it is critical for every Republican — and indeed every American — to be engaged.  The results on Tuesday will determine not only who controls Congress, but the direction of America in the coming years.”

According to Conzelman, yesterday’s discussion was attended by a crowd of over 80 people. The discussion was held as part of The Ripon Society’s 2014 Policy & Politics Series, and was the 24th discussion held as part of the series this year. He added that the next event in the series will be a breakfast discussion with Deputy Majority Whip Patrick McHenry (NC-10) that will be held on Thursday, December 11th and focus on the legislative agenda on Capitol Hill next year.

The Ripon Society is a public policy organization that was founded in 1962 and takes its name from the town where the Republican Party was born in 1854 – Ripon, Wisconsin. One of the main goals of The Ripon Society is to promote the ideas and principles that have made America great and contributed to the GOP’s success. These ideas include keeping our nation secure, keeping taxes low and having a federal government that is smaller, smarter and more accountable to the people.  RS