Republican National Committee
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The Republican National Committee (RNC) is the primary committee of the Republican Party of the United States. Its members are chosen by the state delegations at the national convention every four years.<ref>"At the national convention, each of the parties formally chooses a national committee, elected by the individual state parties." Steffen W. Schmidt, Mack C. Shelley, Barbara A. Bardes 'American Government and Politics Today (Cengage Learning 2021) p 167.</ref> It is responsible for developing and promoting the Republican brand and political platform, as well as assisting in fundraising and election strategy. It does not have direct authority over elected officials.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> It is also responsible for organizing and running the Republican National Convention. When a Republican is president, the White House controls the committee. According to Boris Heersink, "political scientists have traditionally described the parties' national committees as inconsequential but impartial service providers."<ref>Boris Heersink, "Trump and the party-in-organization: Presidential control of national party organizations." Journal of Politics 80.4 (2018): 1474–1482.</ref><ref>Cornelius P. Cotter, and Bernard C. Hennessy, eds. Politics without Power: The National Party Committees (1964) excerpt Template:Webarchive.</ref>
Similar committees exist in every U.S. state and most U.S. counties, although in some states party organization is structured by congressional district, allied campaign organizations being governed by a national committee. Michael Whatley is the current committee chairman.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
The Democratic Party's counterpart to the RNC is the Democratic National Committee.
HistoryEdit
The 1856 Republican National Convention appointed the first RNC. It consisted of one member from each state and territory to serve for four years. Each national committee since then has followed the precedent of equal representation for each state or territory, regardless of population. From 1924 to 1952, there was a national committeeman and national committeewoman from each state and U.S. possession, and from Washington, D.C. In 1952, committee membership was expanded to include the state party chairs of states that voted Republican in the preceding presidential election, have a Republican majority in their congressional delegation (U.S. representatives and senators), or have Republican governors. By 1968, membership reached 145. As of 2011, the RNC has 168 members.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
While a number of the chairs of the RNC have been state governors, the only person to have chaired the RNC and later become U.S. president is George H. W. Bush. During Bush's time as RNC chair, Spiro Agnew was being investigated for corruption, which would later lead to Agnew's resignation as vice president. Bush assisted, at the request of Nixon and Agnew, in getting John Glenn Beall Jr., the U.S. Senator from Maryland, to pressure his brother, George Beall the U.S. Attorney in Maryland, to shut down the investigation into Agnew. Attorney Beall ignored the pressure.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
In 2013, the RNC began an outreach campaign towards the American youth and minority voters, after studies showed these groups generally perceived that the Republican Party did not care about their concerns.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
During the presidency of Donald Trump, the RNC showed staunch loyalty to President Trump, even at times when prominent Republicans did not. Under Ronna McDaniel's leadership, the RNC ran ads for Trump's 2020 campaign as early as 2018, put numerous Trump campaign workers and affiliates on the RNC payroll, spent considerable funds at Trump-owned properties, covered his legal fees in the Russian interference investigation, hosted Trump's Fake News Awards, and criticized Trump critics within the Republican Party.<ref name="Heersink">Template:Cite journal</ref> Two days after the January 6th riot at the Capitol following the controversial 2020 presidential election results, the RNC held an event where members expressed loyalty to the President.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In February 2022, the RNC censured two Republican representatives, Liz Cheney of Wyoming and Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, for their participation in the United States House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the US Capitol; the censure statement described the committee as a "Democrat-led persecution of ordinary citizens who engaged in legitimate political discourse."<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The censure of sitting congressmembers, and particularly the description of the January 6 events as "legitimate political discourse", received bipartisan criticism from politicians and media.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
In May 2024, The Associated Press reported that under Lara Trump, the RNC had "sought alliances with election deniers, conspiracy theorists and alt-right advocates the party had previously kept at arm's length."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> It also noted the prevalence of election deniers had increased among top Republican officeholders and RNC officials as part of a larger election denial movement in the United States.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
RoleEdit
The Republican National Committee's main function is to assist the Republican Party of the United States. It helps to promote the Republican political platform and the "party brand" or image. It is more focused on campaign and organizational strategy than public policy.
It helps coordinate fundraising and election strategy, as well as organizing and running the Republican National Convention.
According to Jim Nicholson, a former chairman of the Republican National Committee:
“The party can’t coordinate with these Super PACs and neither can the campaigns so there’s a lot more chaos . . . .And the party structure clearly has a diminished role because they don’t have the resources they used to have.”<ref>Quoted in Barbara A. Bardes, Mack C Shelley, Steffen W. Schmidt, American Government and Politics Today (18th Edition, Cengage Learning 2020) p. 330.</ref>
OrganizationEdit
Template:As of the Republican National Committee has been chaired by Michael Whatley and co-chaired by KC Crosbie.<ref name="klbrief">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
The previous chair of the Republican National Committee was Ronna McDaniel, serving from 2017 to 2024. McDaniel was chair of the Michigan Republican Party from 2015 to 2017.<ref name="RNC National Leaders">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
In January 2019, Thomas O. Hicks Jr. was elected co-chairman of the RNC. Hicks has a strong connection to former President Trump's campaigns and policy initiatives, having served as chairman of the America First Action PAC and America First Policies, and as national finance co-chairman for Donald J. Trump for President.<ref name="RNC National Leaders"/>
Similar committees to the RNC exist in each U.S. state and most U.S. counties. The RNC also organizes volunteer groups for specific interests, such as the Black Republican Activists, GOP Hispanics, RNC Women (not to be confused with National Federation of Republican Women), GOP Faith, Asian Pacific Americans, Young Leaders, and Veterans & Military Families.<ref name="RNC National Leaders"/>
Chairs of the Republican National CommitteeEdit
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ElectionsEdit
1993 electionEdit
| Candidate | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Haley Barbour | 60 | 66 | 90 |
| Spencer Abraham | 47 | 52 | 57 |
| Bo Callaway | 22 | 19 | 18 |
| John Ashcroft | 26 | 20 | Withdrew |
| Craig Berkman | 10 | 8 | Withdrew |
- Template:Color box Candidate won majority of votes in the round
- Template:Color box Candidate secured a plurality of votes in the round
- Template:Color box Candidate withdrew
1997 electionEdit
| Candidate | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Round 4 | Round 5 | Round 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jim Nicholson | 23 | 30 | 38 | 65 | 74 | * |
| David Norcross | 41 | 46 | 47 | 50 | 47 | Withdrew |
| Steve Merrill | 42 | 42 | 43 | 46 | 43 | Withdrew |
| John S. Herrington | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | Withdrew | - |
| Tom Pauken | 22 | 24 | 21 | Withdrew | - | |
| Chuck Yob | 17 | 18 | 12 | Withdrew | - | |
| Robert T. Bennett | 15 | Withdrew |
- Template:Color box Candidate won majority of votes in the round
- Template:Color box Candidate secured a plurality of votes in the round
- Template:Color box Candidate withdrew
- Merrill and Norcross both dropped out after the fifth round, giving the chairmanship to Nicholson by acclamation.
2009 electionEdit
{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} On November 24, 2008, Steele launched his campaign for the RNC chairmanship with the launching of his website.<ref name=PolitickerMD_Reiter>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> On January 30, 2009, Steele won the chairmanship of the RNC in the sixth round, with 91 votes to Dawson's 77.<ref name=BURNS>Template:Cite news</ref>
Source: CQPolitics,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and Poll Pundit.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
| Candidate | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Round 4 | Round 5 | Round 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Steele | 46 | 48 | 51 | 60 | 79 | 91 |
| Katon Dawson | 28 | 29 | 34 | 62 | 69 | 77 |
| Saul Anuzis | 22 | 24 | 24 | 31 | 20 | Withdrew |
| Ken Blackwell | 20 | 19 | 15 | 15 | Withdrew | - |
| Mike Duncan | 52 | 48 | 44 | Withdrew |
- Template:Color box Candidate won majority of votes in the round
- Template:Color box Candidate secured a plurality of votes in the round
- Template:Color box Candidate withdrew
On announcing his candidacy to succeed RNC Chairman Duncan, former Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael Steele described the party as being at a crossroads and not knowing what to do. "I think I may have some keys to open the door, some juice to turn on the lights," he said.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Six people ran for the 2009 RNC Chairmanship: Steele, Ken Blackwell, Mike Duncan, Saul Anuzis, Katon Dawson and Chip Saltsman. After Saltsman's withdrawal, there were only five candidates during the hotly contested balloting January 30, 2009.
After the third round of balloting that day, Steele held a small lead over incumbent Mike Duncan of Kentucky, with 51 votes to Duncan's 44. Shortly after the announcement of the standings, Duncan dropped out of contention without endorsing a candidate.<ref>Armbinder, Mark. RNC Chairman Duncan Drops Re-Election Bid Template:Webarchive, January 30, 2009, The Atlantic.</ref> Ken Blackwell, the only other African-American candidate, dropped out after the fourth ballot and endorsed Steele, though Blackwell had been the most socially conservative of the candidates and Steele had been accused of not being "sufficiently conservative." Steele picked up Blackwell's votes.<ref>Cillizza, Chris. Steele Elected RNC Chair Template:Webarchive, January 30, 2009, The Washington Post.</ref> After the fifth round, Steele held a ten-vote lead over Katon Dawson, with 79 votes, and Saul Anuzis dropped out.<ref>Hamby, Peter. BREAKING: Steele picked to lead RNC, January 30, 2009, CNN Political Ticker. </ref> After the sixth vote, he won the chairmanship of the RNC over Dawson by a vote of 91 to 77.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Mississippi Governor and former RNC chair Haley Barbour has suggested the party will focus its efforts on congressional and gubernatorial elections in the coming years rather than the next presidential election. "When I was chairman of the Republican National Committee the last time we lost the White House in 1992 we focused exclusively on 1993 and 1994. And at the end of that time, we had both houses of Congress with Republican majorities, and we'd gone from 17 Republican governors to 31. So anyone talking about 2012 today doesn't have their eye on the ball. What we ought to worry about is rebuilding our party over the next year and particularly in 2010," Barbour said at the November 2008 Republican Governors conference.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2011 electionEdit
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Michael Steele ran for re-election at the 2011 RNC winter meeting.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Other candidates were Reince Priebus, Republican Party of Wisconsin Chairman, Ann Wagner, former Ambassador to Luxembourg, Saul Anuzis, former Republican Party Chairman of Michigan, and Maria Cino, former acting Secretary of Transportation under George W. Bush. Steele's critics increasingly called on him to step down as RNC Chair when his term ended in 2011. A debate for Chairman hosted by Americans for Tax Reform took place on January 3 at the National Press Club.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The election for Chairman took place January 14 at the RNC's winter meeting with Reince Priebus winning on the seventh ballot after Steele and Wagner withdrew.
| Candidate | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Round 4 | Round 5 | Round 6 | Round 7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reince Priebus | 45 | 52 | 54 | 58 | 67 | 80 | 97 |
| Saul Anuzis | 24 | 22 | 21 | 24 | 32 | 37 | 43 |
| Maria Cino | 32 | 30 | 28 | 29 | 40 | 34 | 28 |
| Ann Wagner | 23 | 27 | 32 | 28 | 28 | 17 | Withdrew |
| Michael Steele | 44 | 37 | 33 | 28 | Withdrew |
- Template:Color box Candidate won majority of votes in the round
- Template:Color box Candidate secured a plurality of votes in the round
- Template:Color box Candidate withdrew
2013–2023 electionsEdit
Priebus won re-election with near unanimity in the party's 2013 meeting in Charlotte, North Carolina.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He was re-elected to a third term in 2015, setting him up to become the longest serving head of the party ever.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
After winning in November 2016, President-elect Donald Trump designated Priebus as his White House Chief of Staff, to begin upon his taking office in January 2017; David Bossie of Maryland was seen as a potential next RNC chairman.<ref name="cos">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Trump then recommended Ronna Romney McDaniel as RNC Chairwoman and she was elected to that role by the RNC in January 2017. McDaniel was re-elected in 2019 and 2021.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Mike Lindell announced that he would challenge McDaniel in 2023. Lindell accused McDaniel of not denying the legitimacy of the 2020 presidential election forcefully enough, and criticized her for presiding over the RNC during three disappointing election years.<ref name="Lindell">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> McDaniel was re-elected in to a fourth term in January 2023, easily defeating Lindell and California RNC committeewoman Harmeet Dhillon.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
| Candidate | Round 1 |
|---|---|
| Ronna McDaniel | 111 |
| Harmeet Dhillon | 51 |
| Mike Lindell | 4 |
| Lee Zeldin | 1 |
Template:Color box Candidate won majority of votes in the round
2024 electionEdit
On February 6, 2024, The New York Times reported that McDaniel intended to resign after the South Carolina Republican presidential primary held on February 24, 2024, following dissatisfaction from former president Donald Trump, who publicly supported North Carolina Republican Party chair Michael Whatley.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
McDaniel confirmed these reports when, on February 26, 2024, she and Drew McKissick announced their resignations as chair and co-chair of the RNC effective on March 8, 2024.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Later that same day, Michael Whatley, chair of the North Carolina Republican Party, announced that he would seek the position of RNC chair.
Lara Trump, daughter-in-law of former president Donald Trump, also announced on February 28 that she would seek to succeed McKissick as co-chair of the RNC.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Both Whatley and Trump gained the endorsement of former President Trump.
Whatley and Trump were both elected via acclamation as chair and co-chair of the Republican National Committee on March 8, 2024.
2025 electionEdit
Whatley was reelected as RNC chair on January 17, 2025, and KC Crosbie, whom Donald Trump endorsed, was elected as co-chair, after Lara Trump chose not to continue in the role.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Current Republican National Committee membersEdit
A collapsible list of the voting members of the Republican National Committee follows, Template:As of.<ref name="rncmem">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The state chair, national committeeman and national committeewoman each receive one vote at RNC meetings and vote for RNC chairmanship.
| State | Chairperson | Committeeman | Committeewoman |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | John Wahl | Bill Harris | Vicki Drummond |
| Alaska | Carmela Warfield | Brian Hove | Cynthia Henry |
| American Samoa | Will Sword | Frank Barron | Amata Radewagen |
| Arizona | Gina Swoboda | Jake Hoffman | Liz Harris |
| Arkansas | Joseph Wood | Eddie Arnold | Mindy McAlindon |
| California | Corrin Rankin | Shawn Steel | Vacant |
| Colorado | Brita Horn | Randy Corporon | Christy Fidura |
| Connecticut | Ben Proto | John H. Frey | Annalisa Stravato |
| Delaware | Julianne Murray | Hank McCann | Mary McCrossan |
| District of Columbia | Patrick Mara | Tim Costa | Joanne Young |
| Florida | Evan Power | Joe Gruters | Kathleen King |
| Georgia | Josh McKoon | Jason Thompson | Amy Kremer |
| Guam | Shaun Gumataotao | Juan Carlos Benitez | Sam Mabini-Young |
| Hawaii | Tamara McKay | Nolan Chang | Laura Nakanelua |
| Idaho | Dorothy Moon | Bryan Smith | Vicki Keen |
| Illinois | Kathy Salvi | Dean White | Rhonda Belford |
| Indiana | Lana Keesling | Victor Smith | Anne Hathaway |
| Iowa | Jeff Kaufmann | Steve Scheffler | Tamara Scott |
| Kansas | Danedri Herbert | Mark Kahrs | Wendy Bingesser |
| Kentucky | Robert Benvenuti | John McCarthy | KC Crosbie |
| Louisiana | Derek Babcock | Roger Villere | Gena Gore |
| Maine | James Deyermond | David Whitney | Lauren LePage |
| Maryland | Nicole Harris | David Bossie | Nicolee Ambrose |
| Massachusetts | Amy Carnevale | Brad Wyatt | Janet Fogarty |
| Michigan | Jim Runestad | Robert Steele | Hima Kolanagireddy |
| Minnesota | Alex Plechash | AK Kamara | Emily Novtony-Chance |
| Mississippi | Mike Hurst | Frank Bordeaux | Lesley Davis |
| Missouri | Peter Kinder | David Lightner | Maryam Mohammadkhani |
| Montana | Don Kaltschmidt | Tanner Smith | Debra Lamm |
| Nebraska | Mary Jane Truemper | William Feely | Fanchon Blythe |
| Nevada | Michael McDonald | James DeGraffenreid | Sigal Chattah |
| New Hampshire | Jim MacEachern | Bill O'Brien | Mary Jane Beauregard |
| New Jersey | Bob Hugin | Bill Palatucci | Janice Fields<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> |
| New Mexico | Amy Barela | Jim Townsend | Tina Dziuk |
| New York | Ed Cox | Joseph G. Cairo Jr. | Jennifer Rich |
| North Carolina | Jason Simmons | Ed Broyhill | Kyshia Brassington |
| North Dakota | Sandra Sanford | Steve Nagel | Lori Hinz |
| Northern Mariana Islands | Ramon Tebuteb | Edward Deleon Guerrero | Irene Holl |
| Ohio | Alex Triantafilou | Jim Dicke | Jane Timken |
| Oklahoma | Charity Linch | Larry Murray | Vacant |
| Oregon | Connie Whelchel | Dan Mason | Tracy Honl |
| Pennsylvania | Greg Rothman | Andy Reilly | Christine Toretti |
| Puerto Rico | Angel Cintrón | Luis Fortuño | Zoraida "Zori" Fonalledas |
| Rhode Island | Joe Powers | Thomas Carroll | Sue Cienki |
| South Carolina | Drew McKissick | Glenn McCall | Cindy Costa |
| South Dakota | Jim Eschenbaum | Ried Holien | Heidi Engelhart |
| Tennessee | Scott Golden | Oscar Brock | Beth Campbell |
| Texas | Abraham George | Robin Armstrong | Debbie Georgatos |
| US Virgin Islands | John Yob | Vacant | April Newland |
| Utah | Robert Axson | Brad Bonham | Kim Coleman |
| Vermont | Paul Dame | Josh Bechhoefer | Deb Billado |
| Virginia | Mark Peake | Morton Blackwell | Patti Lyman |
| Washington | Jim Walsh | Mathew Patrick Thomas | Marlene Pfiefer |
| West Virginia | Matt Herridge | Larry Pack | Beth Bloch |
| Wisconsin | Brian Schimming | Terry Dittrich | Pam Travis |
| Wyoming | Frank Eathorne | Corey Steinmetz | Nina Webber |
Para Bellum LabsEdit
In February 2014, during the chairmanship of Reince Priebus, the RNC launched an in-house technology incubator called Para Bellum Labs.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> This new unit of the RNC was first headed by Azarias Reda, an engineer with a PhD in computer science from the University of Michigan. The effort is designed to help the party and its candidates bridge the technology gap. "Para bellum", translated from Latin, means "prepare for war."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Federal "pay-to-play" investigationEdit
In September 2019, McDaniel emailed Doug Manchester, whose nomination to become Ambassador to the Bahamas was stalled in the Senate, asking for $500,000 in donations to the Republican Party. Manchester responded, noting that his wife had given $100,000 and that his family would "respond" once he was confirmed by the Republican-led Senate to the ambassadorship. Manchester copied the email to aides of two U.S. senators whose support he needed to win confirmation. CBS News described McDaniel's action as a "possible pay-for-play scheme" for the ambassadorship.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The San Diego Union-Tribune reported in May 2021 that a federal grand jury had issued a subpoena in a criminal investigation into Manchester's nomination, apparently focused on the RNC, McDaniel and RNC co-chair Tommy Hicks, "and possibly members of Congress". The Union-Tribune reported the investigation began in 2020.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
See alsoEdit
- Democratic National Committee
- Green National Committee
- Libertarian National Committee
- Republicans Overseas
ReferencesEdit
Further readingEdit
- Cotter, Cornelius P., and Bernard C. Hennessy, eds. Politics without Power: The National Party Committees (1964) excerpt
- Galvin, Daniel J. "The Transformation of Political Institutions: Investments in Institutional Resources and Gradual Change in the National Party Committees," Studies in American Political Development 26 (April 2012) 50–70; online
- Galvin, Daniel J. Presidential Party Building: Dwight D. Eisenhower to George W. Bush (Princeton UP, 2010).
- Goldman, Ralph M. The National party Chairmen and Committees: Factionalism at the Top (M.E. Sharpe, 1990)
- Heersink, Boris (2023). National Party Organizations and Party Brands in American Politics: The Democratic and Republican National Committees, 1912-2016. Oxford University Press. {{#invoke:doi|main}}. Template:ISBN.
- Heersink, Boris. "Examining Democratic and Republican National Committee Party Branding Activity, 1953–2012." Perspectives on Politics (2021): 1–18.
- Heersink, Boris. "Trump and the party-in-organization: Presidential control of national party organizations." Journal of Politics 80.4 (2018): 1474–1482. online
- Heersink, Boris. "Party Brands and the Democratic and Republican National Committees, 1952–1976." Studies in American Political Development 32.1 (2018): 79–102. online
- Hejny, Jessica, and Adam Hilton. "Bringing contention in: a critical perspective on political parties as institutions." Studies in Political Economy 102.2 (2021): 161–181.
- Hennessy, Bernard C. "The Republican National Committee and Party Policy, 1920-1963." in Politics Without Power (Routledge, 2017) pp. 191–210.
- Herrnson, Paul S. "The Evolution of National Party Organizations," in The Oxford Handbook of American Political Parties and Interest Groups, edited by L. Sandy Maisel and Jeffrey M. Berry. (Oxford University Press, 2010) pp. 245–264.
- Klinkner, Philip A. The Losing Parties: Out-Party National Committees, 1956-1993 (Yale University Press, 1994)
- Pavlov, Eugene, and Natalie Mizik. "Brand Political Positioning: Implications of the 2016 US Presidential Election." Available at SSRN 3696652 (2020). online