Van Hollen touts GOP's future

Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen isn't buying the notion that Republicans have failed to adequately reach out to young people.

He told delegates he looked at his table last night and saw GOP chair Reince Priebus at 36 years old, U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan at 38, Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker at 40 and himself at 42, the "old man at the table."

"Folks, we've got a future," Van Hollen said, adding that Assembly Speaker Mike Huebsch is 43 and 44-year-old John Gard has got a good shot at the 8th CD this fall.

Van Hollen ticked off a list of accomplishments at the state Department of Justice, telling delegates that the agency is cross training some agents with immigration and customs enforcement officials and he returned more than $1 million to state coffers by doing away with government waste. He also pledged to work for legislation that would allow retired police officers to carry concealed weapons and promised to continue efforts to ensure election integrity.

Van Hollen also said the DOJ has stopped being a reflection of the attorney general's political agenda and is instead focused on its core mission.

"We're being the lawyers for the state," he said.

He also dismissed the notion that Republicans want the same things as Democrats, but just less of it.

"We do need some taxpayer money and we do want far less of it," Van Hollen said. "But there are other things we want more of. We want more of prioritization, we want more of focusing on public safety, and we want more of integrity of government."

Listen to Van Hollen's speech: http://www.wispolitics.com/1006/Van_Hollen_speech.mp3

-- By JR Ross