RMSP History

The November 1994 mid-term elections were commonly referred to as the "Republican Revolution." Given the great gains made by Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate, a group of moderate House Republicans began informal meetings to discuss ways to further a centrist, pragmatic Republican agenda -- one that could accommodate bipartisan legislative results. At that time, there was great concern that a dramatic shift to the right was quickly approaching, given the new congressional leadership. The discussion group began to craft a moderate Republican agenda with a fiscally conservative background.

What began as a congressional discussion group started by Reps. Nancy Johnson, Steve Gunderson and Fred Upton has evolved into a national gathering of leaders from government, business and education who share a commitment to conservative, pragmatic approaches to business in a global context; to compassion in our communities and character in our national leaders.

Many of the original participants are now leaders of Main Street. The Chairman of the Board and original founder of the Partnership is former Rep. Amo Houghton of New York, who is the only former corporate CEO of a Fortune 500 company to have served in the House of Representatives. The past Chairman is John "Jock" McKernan, a former member of Congress, and two-term Governor of Maine. The other members of the Board of Directors can be found here.

Addressing a broad spectrum of issues, the Partnership attracts individuals interested in a thoughtful, centrist approach to Republican politics and demonstrates inclusion, respect, reason and compassion.

In the words of Gov. McKernan, the message of the Partnership is "one of quiet diplomacy, rather than wedge politics."