Brulte is stressing a back-to-basics approach to rebuild the party, which is riddled with debt and saddled with an ineffective party organization.

It's a message that has resonated not only with many of the delegates, but also with some of the new blood moving into party posts.

Among them is Marcelino Valdez, a 33-year-old Fresno insurance agent who posted an easy election win Saturday morning in his campaign to be the California Republican Party's new Central Valley Region vice chair.

Valdez -- who is Hispanic and speaks Spanish fluently -- was unopposed for the post after his lone challenger, Sacramento County's Ruth Crone, dropped out of the race weeks ago.

He said he plans to start his two-year term by visiting each of the 11 county Republican central committees and doing a needs assessment. The goal is to find out what the county committees need to help them succeed in next year's election.

Valdez's message: "I need to find out, 'What are your challenges? How can I help you?' "

He expects county committees will ask for help in addressing technology needs, getting out the vote and ethnic outreach.

Job two is getting those who are registered to vote to actually cast ballots on Election Day. And job three is helping the county committees raise funds, likely through shared strategies on what has worked elsewhere.

Finally, Valdez said he will take the concerns of each county party to the state Republican Party. He thinks the state party should work to assist the counties, and not the other way around.

This is especially important in the San Joaquin Valley.

"Our Valley sometimes feels like our voice isn't being heard," he said.

That's the ground-level, grass-roots hard work Rove chided the rank-and-file for failing to do, and the charge he gave them moving forward.

"We're due for a change, so let's see what happens," said delegate Ken May of Clovis. "We need a bigger tent. It's a little cliché, but it's the truth. I think there's a lot of people that are ready for it."