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I am writing in response to Brad Jewitt’s Nov. 16 letter to the editor [‘‘Republican Party must consider change,”] and a couple of rebuttal letters.

I am a Reaganite conservative, pro-life Republican. That said, I support Jewitt’s position. His letter hit the mark at a time when our party in Maryland was in need of direction. It appears to me he had three target audiences: the hard-line Republicans, moderate to conservative Democrats and independents. I look for leaders to emerge out of chaos and I am happy to report that Jewitt’s words of wisdom have been well received from virtually everyone I have talked to from all parties. In order for Republicans to win in the foreseeable future, we need to take heed to his advice. Although his vision was welcomed news to those I talked with, it appears to have been missed by those on the far right.

In his letter ‘‘People support politicians who stick to their guns” [Dec. 7], Pete Kuhnert’s arguments are riddled with issues. First, he tried to use John Giannetti as an example of a moderate Republican candidate who lost. Are you kidding me? I would never use Giannetti’s campaign or tactics as an example unless it was on how not to do things. There are more flaws with Giannetti, not the least of which is he is not a Republican at heart. Second, in today’s environment, to highlight Del. Don Dwyer and District 31 does nothing to move our party forward. Certainly the base can rejoice that their most outspoken critic (barely) won re-election, but the truth of the matter is the future of the party is bigger then District 31 and the handful of other districts he mentions. Look no further than the two races we lost in Southern Maryland in which we had two popular, sitting commissioner presidents get beaten handily.

Of course Kuhnert’s letter would not have been complete without getting to the real topic he wanted to discuss: abortion. What he does not realize is that as he dishes out his slanderous remarks, he sets the party as a whole back even further in Maryland. Good Republican candidates like Jewitt, (with whom you may not be completely aligned) who take on the longtime liberal Democratic incumbents, lose because they cannot get the support from the base. However, the real losers are those of us who believe so deeply in the cause. By not supporting candidates like Jewitt, we enable the incumbents to continue in office and, as a result, perpetuate their harmful policy positions. Jewitt said, ‘‘I am not asking anyone to abandon their principles,” which means that we have to vote smarter and wake-up to the reality of the political landscape in Maryland or we will fall even further behind.

In his letter ‘‘Why should the GOP change?” [Dec. 1] Ron Miller uses a flawed case about Gov. Robert Ehrlich being a moderate. The problem is that we viewed him as a moderate; everyone else viewed him as a conservative. In fact, the news media has portrayed him as both. A mixed message results in losses for us. You will not win in Prince George’s and Montgomery counties and Baltimore City with a duel identity. Jewitt is calling for candidates who will be viewed as moderate by the entire electorate. Another problem with Miller’s letter is that he writes off the District’s suburbs. Jewitt’s point was that if we are going to win in the future, we have to do well in these areas and we have to find ways to do it (e.g. more moderate candidates). Miller offers rationality not a vision or a solution. Finally, it is important to note that Miller ends his letter with a fairly moderate campaign pitch for his next campaign, making me feel a little more comfortable that he may just get it.

2006 was a referendum on the Iraq war. With the media focusing on all that is wrong in Iraq and paying no attention to any good news, the Republicans didn’t stand a chance. The country is still very conservative, socially and fiscally. If the Democrats revert to their tax-and-spend ways (and a leopard can’t change its spots), 2006 may prove to be a blip on the political radar. I still hold out hope to keep control of the White House in 2008.

I highly suggest that Jim Pelura, the new Maryland GOP Chairman, utilize people like Brad Jewitt to help rebuild the Republican Party in Maryland. If he does, I will have more hope for a bright future. The simple fact is politics are like a pendulum; rarely does it swing from one side to the other in one election. You have to believe it is making steady progress over a period of time. In the end, Jewitt makes the strongest case I have heard yet to help the Republican party of Maryland. We would be well served to follow his lead.