Amanda Oien just became the youngest duly elected Precinct Committeeperson in Arizona at the age of 18. Amanda Oien is a young Republican.
Yes, they exist; a young, female, conservative. They aren’t supposed to. The Democrats would have you believe that they don’t exist, that they can’t exist. But Amanda would tell you that yes, they do, and they are going places…lots of places.
Amanda registered to vote this year when she was 17 ½ so she could vote this past primary Election. She missed the CD8 Special Election by just two days. She would have voted for her role model, another Republican woman, Retired Lt. Colonel Martha McSally.
Some might say Amanda was destined at birth to take on what she sees as her patriotic duty; her birthday is Flag Day.
She caught the political bug when her mom, another Republican woman, Lori Oien, ran for a seat on the Tucson City Council. “Both my girls walked precincts with me all over Tucson when I ran for Tucson City Council in 07′ All over, Southside, west side my husband’s old neighborhood at Ajo and 12th.”
So, when Lori went to turn in her signatures at the GOP Headquarters for Precinct Committeeperson, and discovered that there were 6 positions open only 5 had filed, she knew just what to do. She called Amanda.
Amanda collected her signature in one night and had them back to Pima GOP the next day.
Amanda has filled the years between her mom’s run and her run with her Sabino young Republican group STARs (Sabino Teen Age Republicans). The club was started by a group of seniors and as a sophomore, Amanda jumped right in.
Last year, during her term as the group’s president, STARs hosted a City Council Forum, donated 2 American Flags to Sabino, collected and donated over 2 tons of food to the Community Food Bank, before Thanksgiving, and then hosted the CD8 Special Election Forum at Sabino High School with 500 in attendance.
Amanda had met Governor Brewer, Congressman Schweikert, and Trent Franks. She has hobbed nobbed with presidential candidates; had lunch with Senator McCain and recently met Mitt Romney. 2 years ago she was VP for the STARs and last year was the President.
Amanda was chosen to be the Outstanding Teen Age Republican for the State of Arizona. The STARs club, under her leadership and the help of her fellow young Republicans, was recognized as the Outstanding TARs club for the state of Arizona.
In July, Amanda was awarded a $500 scholarship to travel to the nation’s Capitol for the National TARs Leadership Conference. The total cost was about $1500, she raised an additional $975.to attend. Her family could not afford to write a check and so Amanda raised it all in about 2-3 days from other Republicans, who donated about $50 each.
Her trip to DC was her first trip away from home at 18 it was her first sleep over. Her parents are the protective type.
Her sister Elizabeth made a sign for her hotel room that said” Presidential Suite” she made some lifelong Conservative friends from all around the country.
At the conference Amanda won the Lee Atwater Award for “Outstanding Service to the Republican Party and the Conservative Movement.”
Every single one of her sponsors received a thank you note with pictures included.
Amanda is currently studying at Pima College and plans to transfer her general studies credits to the University of Arizona. She has had 2 years of French 2 years of Russian. Her plans are to Major in Russian with Political Science as a Minor. She thinks she would like to become a translator…. unless bigger things come along.
Recently a friend introduced her to someone at a political event and said “meet your next Congresswoman” Her mom says, “When we got home that evening, she told me the story and said that had never occurred to her but it certainly now on her radar. I smiled and said you have lots of time, get to know your community you are going to represent.”
Amanda’s 93 year old grandmother, another Republican woman, voted for her granddaughter and her daughter on the same ballot. They both won.