Hernst Joseph is among the most passionate volunteers now serving the Montgomery County Republican Party. His journey to political activism went into high gear during the Bush-Cheney campaign of 2004, but it was sparked by the ideals communicated by Ronald Reagan some twenty years earlier. At present Hernst serves as co-chair of Legislative District 14, along with Anne Kousoutis. According to Anne, “Hernst’s enthusiasm is contagious. He sees solutions where others see problems.” In fact, Hernst has spurred many to action, including Central Committee member Pat Fenati who says that Hernst was the catalyst to getting her involved in Montgomery County political work. Hernst has served innumerable hours in the political trenches, working the phone banks at MC Republican headquarters as well as going door to door to help reelect Gov. Ehrlich and to elect Michael Steele to the US Senate in 2006. Hernst has also organized Republican presence at various community events in District 14, including the Burtonsville Festival and Strawberry Festival in Colesville. He says it was Sylvia Darrow, former organization chair of MCGOP, who first involved him in Montgomery County politics by asking him to be a precinct chair in 2004, and later by asking him to help head up District 14 Republicans. Sylvia recalls “Hernst’s enthusiasm and dedication impressed me from the very beginning, and I was very fortunate that he agreed to the District 14 position.”

If you ever speak about politics with Hernst, you will be impressed with the breadth and depth of his knowledge, as well as his quickness with facts. He has been an an astute observer of the American political scene since he arrived in America from Haiti in 1973.

Hernst’s prime motivation in becoming a U.S. citizen was freedom of expression and the opportunity to “be all that you can be” that is unmatched around the world. “I found in the U.S. system an avenue to allow me to be politically involved without fear of persecution.” Then, by the time Ronald Reagan was reelected in 1984, Hernst concluded that if he were to belong to a national party, it would be the Republican Party. “Ronald Reagan was the person who inspired me as a Republican, and the one who really got me thinking about what it means to be an American.”

Hernst identifies three pillars of Reagan’s philosophy that match his own, and that clearly differentiate the GOP from the Dems. First, lowering taxes on the individual and businesses is the key to growing the national economy for all; second, strengthening our national defense and always giving full support to our armed forces are the key to our national security; and third, understanding that strong families are the key to a prosperous and secure society. Republican unity is extremely important to Hernst, and he believes that all GOP energy must be focused on winning the 2008 elections. He has even authored a list entitled Eight Steps to Republican Success in 2008 to address this problem as well as to articulate clear goals for the GOP.

Hernst works as an Electrical Engineer at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt. He and his wife have a son in high school. They have lived in Silver Spring since 1997 when they moved from Indiana. Prior to that, Hernst lived in Sunnyvale, California and in New Jersey. His very first residence in the U.S. was in “pre-Guiliani Manhattan,” where he lived for 11 years and survived a Central Park mugging.

The City College of New York is Hernst’s alma mater, at which he earned both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in electrical engineering.

Hernst is an avid Scrabble player and enjoys playing tennis. He roots for the New York Giants and the New York Mets.