Sonora, CA– Mother Lode Republican Congressman Tom McClintock was the keynote speaker on August 24th at the Tuolumne County Republican Women’s August meeting at Black Oak Casino Resort.
Nearly 70 members and guests attended the meeting, which featured presentations centered on the 250th anniversary of the United States, the Constitution, and individuals who have contributed to the country through public service and civic involvement. The meeting opened with a prayer by Pastor Dave Atkins of Anchor 242 Church, followed by remarks from Tuolumne County Republican Women President Melissa Compton. The August meeting traditionally serves as the organization’s fall kickoff. The club was established in 1938.
Club member Leanne Wolf presented a video about an April trip to Washington, D.C., that she and a small group took after the experience was offered as a live auction item at the Tuolumne County Republican Central Committee’s annual Reagan Dinner in September 2025. The trip included a private tour of the U.S. Capitol with McClintock. Wolf said a group of students from Tuolumne County’s Mother Lode Christian School happened to be in Washington, D.C., on a school trip at the same time. McClintock met with the students at the Capitol and provided historical information about the building and its operations. One of the students, Reagan Ritts, who is now a freshman at Summerville High School, spoke to the group about the school trip and meeting McClintock. Wolf then introduced McClintock, who spoke about the importance of upcoming elections. McClintock said he believes the next three elections will have consequences for the country well beyond the immediate election cycles.
“Today, two antithetical principles compete for the soul of our nation: Freedom and Socialism,” McClintock said.
He compared the political choices facing voters with the divisions that preceded the Civil War and argued that slavery and socialism share what he characterized as a common underlying principle. McClintock concluded by quoting President Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, saying he hoped the United States would experience “a new birth of freedom” and that government “of the people, by the people and for the people shall not perish from the earth.” The congressman received a standing ovation following his remarks.
The next Republican event scheduled in Tuolumne County is the annual Reagan Dinner, set for September 12. Those interested in the Tuolumne County Republican Women’s Club can contact Membership Chair Anne Crosby at Serenity9@icloud.com.
