Last year a Republican ranked choice-instant runoff convention nominated Glenn Youngkin, who in turn pulled an upset win in the general election that swept Republicans into power in the House of Delegates.
Thursday, TBAF National Field Director Lars Wiechmann and President John Pudner
split up for meetings at the Virginia State Capital, including two long-time friends who Youngkin has nominated for his cabinet.
Kay Cole James (pictured with Pudner in the top photo) Youngkin's appointee as Secretary of the Commonwealth and co-chaired his transition team. She was President of the Heritage Foundation and ran National Right to Life when Pudner was a Congressional Chair for them in Virginia.
Bryan Slater is Youngkin's appointee as Labor Secretary.
Slater was the first to hire Pudner as a field director for a convention that nominated Jim Gilmore for Attorney General, the first of 16 winning conventions (against 5 losses) with Pudner as Field Director or Campaign Manager.
The previous day Pudner met with leaders of dozens of conservative organizations in Washington DC, and the day after, Pudner will be joined by TBAF Chair Charles Hellwig as well as Wiechmann for the same in North Carolina before Pudner returns to Wisconsin.