Olivia Upp The Republican Party of Texas at its recent state convention approved term limits for national committee members and replaced party chairman Cathie Adams with Steve Munisteri, a retired Houston lawyer and longtime Republican activist.

Munisteri, the founding chairman of Young Conservatives of Texas, defeated the incumbent party chairman, a member of several conservative organizations who was named state GOP chairman in October 2009.

The leadership change reflected healthy debate among party members, said Lampasas County Republican Party Chairman Skipper Wallace, who attended the recent state convention. Munisteri differs from Mrs. Adams, Wallace said, not so much in political beliefs as in offering a “totally different perspective to growing the party” and raising funds.

Wallace believes Munisteri will improve the Republican Party’s ability to attract Hispanic voters and to involve young voters in GOP campaigns.

Raymond Upp President Barack Obama’s success with young voters during his presidential campaign, Wallace said, illustrates the importance of burnishing the Republican Party’s reputation with that demographic category.

“That’s one area where we really have to do better,” he said.

In his bid for state party chairman, Munisteri brought about 150 young volunteers to the state convention, Wallace noted.

Ray and Olivia Upp, Lampasas County delegates to the state convention, favored Mrs. Adams in her reelection bid and said the incumbent had received a nearly unanimous vote of support at the convention earlier this year. Despite Mrs. Adams’ defeat, the county delegates said Texas Republicans remain unified as they prepare to support advocates of limited government in upcoming state and national elections.

“This is an opportunity for us,” Upp said of November elections, “and we have to take advantage of it. If we don’t, we’re in big trouble.”

Among other issues, immigration policy attracted significant discussion at the recent convention, the Upps said. Delegates strongly emphasized the need to secure the United States’ borders, the Lampasas County Republican volunteers said.

In an issue that may affect Lampasas County — as several natural gas companies are exploring potential gas fields in the area — Republicans adopted a party platform plank that states GOP opposition to certain energy regulations. The platform advocates opposition to restrictions on the “construction of refineries, power grids, and location of gas and oil drilling,” the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported last week.

The Texas Democratic Party platform, in contrast, calls for “state minimum standard distances as a requirement for oil & gas wells, collection, and condensate tanks in relation to schools, hospitals, parks, and other vulnerable community locations,” the Star- Telegram reported.

Also at the GOP convention, delegates approved a rules change that will limit the national committeeman and committeewoman to two four-year terms. The Upps opposed the change, as they said serving several terms can help committee members establish seniority and rapport with national party officials.

Wallace was pleased, however, with a platform change he believes will hold Republican officeholders accountable for their votes. In conjunction with the Republican House Conservative Coalition, the party will release “report cards” before primary elections to show how well state and national legislators’ votes align with the Republican platform.

“We need to know how they’re voting, not how they say they’re voting,” Wallace said.