CAPE NATIVE DEEP IN GOP POLITICS AND ENJOYING IT

For a professional Republican political operative, now is an inspiring time to be in the nation's capital. President Bush is starting to push for the agenda that helped him win office, and the GOP controls both chambers of Congress.

And as the party aggressively promotes its initiatives, a Cape Girardeau native is in the thick of things.

Jack Oliver, the son of Cape Girardeau attorney John Oliver, last month went to Washington, D.C., to serve as deputy director of the Republican National Committee, which oversees the party's political activities across the country.

"It is an exciting place to be with a Republican president in office," Oliver said during a recent telephone interview. The RNC "is part of the communications vehicle that spreads the party's message and supports the president."

In his role, Oliver, 32, runs the day-to-day operations of the national party under Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore, the RNC chairman, and fellow Missourian Ann Wagner, the national co-chair.

In a bit of understatement, Oliver called the RNC "a big operation."

But the Vanderbilt University and University of Missouri School of Law graduate has some experience with "big" political operations. Most recently, Oliver was Bush's national finance director, overseeing the raising of hundreds of millions of dollars for the successful election effort. However, Oliver downplays his role in Bush's victory.

"It was a matter of honor being involved, which was only in a very, very small way," Oliver said. "A lot of people across the country worked very hard."

Oliver's previous political experience includes running the Missouri efforts for presidential hopeful Bob Dole in 1996 and serving on the campaign or staffs of Missouri U.S. Sens. Christopher Bond and John Ashcroft and the late U.S. Rep. Bill Emerson.

Despite winning the White House, Oliver said, "As a party, we've got a lot of work to do."

Those efforts include attracting new Republican supporters in key states and improving outreach to racial and ethnic minority voters, traditionally core Democratic constituencies.

Cycle never ends

For Oliver, the election cycle never ends. As he stepped into his new job, the RNC was heavily involved in special elections to fill vacant seats in the Missouri Senate. By helping encourage party loyalists to vote during low-turnout, off-cycle elections, the RNC played a role in the GOP's takeover of the Senate for the first time in more than a half century, Oliver said.

Oliver is now gearing up party efforts for some states' gubernatorial elections later this year and is laying the groundwork for Republicans to break the 50-50 tie with Democrats in the U.S. Senate in 2002.

Oliver said the party is targeting Democratic seats throughout the upper Midwest, but regaining the seat formerly held by Ashcroft is a key component of the Republican strategy. Ashcroft lost the U.S. Senate seat in November to Mel Carnahan, who died three weeks before the election. Carnahan's widow, Jean Carnahan, was appointed to serve in his place until the 2002 elections.

Oliver said the race, for which a strong candidate is being recruited, "will attract a lot of national attention and be a focus of ours."

State vital to GOP

Missouri, which went to Bush last year, is vital to national Republican successes, Oliver said.

"Missouri is the Show Me State, and in the year 2000 people in Missouri showed America it is a swing state," Oliver said. "So goes the state of Missouri, so goes the nation."

Oliver said he is proud of his home state and returns frequently. This weekend he is in St. Louis to attend the state party's annual Lincoln Days activities.

"My only regret about my job is it keeps me away from home," Oliver said.

But that won't last forever. Oliver said at some point he will return to Missouri to stay. He declined to say if upon that return he would run for political office.

"I have no idea what I'm going to do next," Oliver said. "I've been blessed with a lot of wonderful opportunities."

Oliver's father, John Oliver, joked that he is glad to see his son doing so well because that means he is self sufficient and won't call home asking for money.

"But seriously, at his age in particular, it is quite a testament to his skills and abilities," Oliver said. "I am really proud of him."