Republican National Committee
The Republican National Committee (RNC) is a U.S. political committee that leads the Republican Party of the United States. It is responsible for developing and promoting the Republican political platform, as well as coordinating fundraising and election strategy. It is also responsible for organizing and running the Republican National Convention. 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. Ronna McDaniel is the current committee chairwoman.[1]
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| Founded | 1856; 164 years ago |
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| Headquarters | 310 First Street SE, , Washington, D.C. |
Key people | Ronna McDaniel (Chairperson) Thomas Hicks Jr. (Co-Chairperson) Todd Ricketts (Finance Chairperson) Elizabeth Harrington (Spokesperson) |
| Website | www |
The RNC's main counterpart is the Democratic National Committee.
History
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.[2]
The only person to have chaired the RNC and later become U.S. president is George H. W. Bush. A number of the chairs of the RNC have been state governors.
In 2013, the RNC began an outreach campaign toward American youth and minority voters, after studies showed these groups generally perceived that the Republican Party did not care about their concerns.[3]
Chairs of the Republican National Committee
Elections
1993 election
| 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 |
- Candidate won majority of votes in the round
- Candidate secured a plurality of votes in the round
- Candidate withdrew
1997 election
| 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 |
- Candidate won majority of votes in the round
- Candidate secured a plurality of votes in the round
- Candidate withdrew
- Merrill and Norcross both dropped out after the fifth round, giving the chairmanship to Nicholson by acclamation.
2009 election
On November 24, 2008, Steele launched his campaign for the RNC chairmanship with the launching of his website.[8] On January 30, 2009, Steele won the chairmanship of the RNC in the sixth round, with 91 votes to Dawson's 77.[9]
Source: CQPolitics,[10] and Poll Pundit.[11]
| 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 |
- Candidate won majority of votes in the round
- Candidate secured a plurality of votes in the round
- 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.[12]
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.[13] 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.[14] After the fifth round, Steele held a ten-vote lead over Katon Dawson, with 79 votes, and Saul Anuzis dropped out.[15] After the sixth vote, he won the chairmanship of the RNC over Dawson by a vote of 91 to 77.[16]
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.[17]
2011 election
Michael Steele ran for re-election at the 2011 RNC winter meeting.[18] 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.[19][20] 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 |
- Candidate won majority of votes in the round
- Candidate secured a plurality of votes in the round
- Candidate withdrew
2013, 2015, and 2017 elections
Priebus won re-election with near unanimity in the party's 2013 meeting in Charlotte, North Carolina.[21] He was re-elected to a third term in 2015, setting him up to become the longest serving head of the party ever.[22]
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.[23]
Trump then recommended Ronna Romney McDaniel as RNC Chairwoman and she was elected to that role by the RNC in January 2017.
Current Republican National Committee members
A collapsible list of the voting members of the Republican National Committee follows, as of August 2018. 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[24] | Terry Lathan | Paul Reynolds | Vicki Drummond |
| Alaska[25] | Tuckerman Babcock | Peter Goldberg | Cynthia Henry |
| American Samoa[26] | Utu Abe Malae | Su'a Schuster | Amata C. Radewagen |
| Arizona[27] | Kelli Ward | Bruce Ash | Lori Klein Corbin |
| Arkansas[28] | Doyle Webb | Jonathan Barnett | Jonelle Fulmer |
| California[29] | Jessica Patterson | Shawn Steel | Harmeet Dhillon |
| Colorado[30] | Jeff Hays | George Leing | Vera Ortegon |
| Connecticut[31] | J. R. Romano | John H. Frey | Leora Levy |
| Delaware[32] | Mike Harrington | W. Laird Stabler III | Ellen Barrosse |
| District of Columbia[33] | José Cunningham | Robert Kabel | Jill Homan |
| Florida[34] | Blaise Ingoglia | Peter Feaman | Kathleen King |
| Georgia[35] | David Shafer | Jason Thompson | Ginger Howard |
| Guam[36] | Jerry Crisostomo | Jay Rojas | Margaret Metcalfe |
| Hawaii[37] | Shirlene Ostrov | Gene Ward | Miriam Hellreich |
| Idaho[38] | Jennifer Locke | Damond Watkins | Cindy Siddoway |
| Illinois[39] | Tim Schneider | Richard Porter | Demetra DeMonte |
| Indiana[40] | Kyle Hupfer | John Hammond | Anne Hathaway |
| Iowa[41] | Jeff Kaufmann | Steve Scheffler | Tamara Scott |
| Kansas[42] | Kelly Arnold | Mark Kahrs | Helen Van Etten |
| Kentucky[43] | Mac Brown | Mike Duncan | KC Crosbie |
| Louisiana[44] | Louis Gurvich | Ross Little Jr. | Lenar Whitney |
| Maine[45] | Demi Kouzounas | Alex Willette | Ellie Espling |
| Maryland[46] | Dirk Haire | David Bossie | Nicolee Ambrose |
| Massachusetts[47] | Jim Lyons | Ron Kaufman | Keiko Orrall |
| Michigan[48] | Ron Weiser | Robert Steele | Kathy Berden |
| Minnesota[49] | Jennifer Carnahan [50] | Rick Rice | Janet Beihoffer |
| Mississippi[51] | Lucien Smith | Henry Barbour | Jeanne C. Luckey |
| Missouri[52] | Todd Graves | Gordon Kinne | Susie Eckelkamp |
| Montana[53] | Debra Lamm | Art Wittich | Jennifer Fielder |
| Nebraska[54] | Dan Welch | J. L. Spray | Lydia Brasch |
| Nevada[55] | Michael J. McDonald | Lee Hoffman | Diana Orrock |
| New Hampshire[56] | Stephen Stepanek | Steve Duprey | Juliana Bergeron |
| New Jersey[57] | Doug Steinhardt | Bill Palatucci | Virginia Haines |
| New Mexico[58] | Ryan Cangiolosi | Harvey Yates | Rosalind F. Tripp |
| New York[59] | Nick Langworthy | Charles P. Joyce | Jennifer Saul Rich |
| North Carolina[60] | Robin Hayes | Mark Brody | Ada Fisher |
| North Dakota[61] | Rick Berg | Shane Goettle | Sandy Boehler |
| Northern Mariana Islands[62] | James A. Ada | Diego Benavente | Esther Fleming |
| Ohio[63] | Jane Timken | Jim Dicke | Jo Ann Davidson |
| Oklahoma[64] | Pam Pollard | Steve Curry | Carolyn McLarty |
| Oregon[65] | Bill Currier | Solomon Yue, Jr. | Chris Barreto |
| Pennsylvania[66] | Lawrence Tabas | Robert B. Asher | Christine Jack Toretti |
| Puerto Rico[67] | Jennifer G. Colon | Luis Fortuño | Zoraida "Zori" Fonalledas |
| Rhode Island[68] | Brandon Bell | Steve Frias | Lee Ann Sennick |
| South Carolina[69] | Drew McKissick | Glenn McCall | Cindy Costa |
| South Dakota[70] | Dan Lederman | Ried Holien | Sandye Kading |
| Tennessee[71] | Scott Golden | Oscar Brock | Beth Campbell |
| Texas[72] | James Dickey | Robin Armstrong | Toni Anne Dashiell |
| US Virgin Islands[73] | John Canegata | Jevon Williams | Lilliana Belardo de O'Neal |
| Utah[74] | Rob Anderson | Thomas Wright | Anne-Marie Lampropoulos |
| Vermont[75] | Deb Billado | Jay Shepard | Suzanne Butterfield |
| Virginia[76] | Vacant | Morton Blackwell | Cynthia Dunbar |
| Washington[77] | Caleb Heimlich | Jeff Kent | Fredi Simpson |
| West Virginia[78] | Melody Potter | Larry Pack | Kayla Ann Kessinger |
| Wisconsin[79] | Brad Courtney | Tom Schreibel | Mary F. Buestrin |
| Wyoming[80] | Frank Eathorne | Richard George | Marti Halverson |
Para Bellum Labs
In February 2014, during the chairmanship of Reince Priebus, the RNC launched an in-house technology incubator called Para Bellum Labs.[81] 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."[82]
See also
References
- National leaders - GOP.com
- Fox News.com
- Joseph, Cameron; Easley, Jonathan (March 18, 2013). "RNC: 'Drastic changes' needed if party hopes to remain competitive". The Hill. Retrieved March 18, 2013.
- The Political Graveyard web site, A Database of Historic Cemeteries, accessed July 17, 2006.
- "Campbell To Succeed Himself. He Will Probably Be National Committeeman from Illinois Again". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2012-09-30.
William J. Campbell of Chicago will succeed himself as the representative of Illinois on the National Republican committee. Mr. Campbell says he does not want the office and that he will make no effort for it, but he will be elected with few if any dissenting votes...
- "Campbell Will Not serve..." The New York Times. July 6, 1892. Retrieved September 9, 2013.
- "Campbell Picks His Nine..." The New York Times. July 8, 1892. Retrieved September 9, 2013.
- Reiter, Daniel. "Steele Website Goes Live". Politicker.com. Archived from the original on January 26, 2009.
- Burns, Alexander (2009-01-30). "It's Steele!". The Politico. Retrieved 2009-01-30.
- "Republican Choose Michael Steele as Party Chairman". CQ Politics. January 30, 2009. Archived from the original on February 3, 2009.
- "RNC Chairman Vote: Live Coverage". PollPundit.com. January 30, 2009. Archived from the original on February 2, 2009.
- Cillizza, Chris (November 13, 2008). "Michael Steele to Run For RNC Chair". The Fix. The Washington Post. Retrieved February 12, 2009.
- Armbinder, Mark. RNC Chairman Duncan Drops Re-Election Bid, January 30, 2009, The Atlantic.
- Cillizza, Chris. Steele Elected RNC Chair, January 30, 2009, Washington Post.
- Hamby, Peter. BREAKING: Steele picked to lead RNC, January 30, 2009, CNN Political Ticker. Archived February 4, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
- Burns, Alexander (January 30, 2009). "It's Steele!". The Politico. Retrieved January 30, 2009.
- York, Byron (November 13, 2008). "Palin, the Governors, and the New Power in the Republican Party". National Review Online. Archived from the original on January 9, 2009. Retrieved February 12, 2009.
- McKelway, Doug (December 13, 2010). "Steele Seeks Second Term As RNC Chair". Fox News. Retrieved March 12, 2014.
- Viebeck, Elise (November 27, 2010). "Steele faces opposition, dissent among RNC members". The Hill. Retrieved March 11, 2014.
- "The RNC Chairman's Debate". Americans for Tax Reform and The Daily Caller. January 3, 2011. Archived from the original on March 12, 2014. Retrieved March 11, 2014.
- Miller, Zeke J (December 8, 2014). "RNC Chairman Reince Priebus Set for Re-Election Bid". Time. Retrieved June 25, 2016.
Priebus was re-elected to his second term with near unanimity in 2013 at the party's meeting in Charlotte
- Preston, Mark (January 16, 2015). "Priebus overwhelmingly elected to third term as RNC chairman". CNN. Retrieved June 25, 2016.
Priebus was elected Friday in a resounding vote to serve a third term as chairman of the Republican National Committee, putting him on course to become the longest serving head of the national party in history.
- Jackson, Hallie; Tur, Katy; Jaffe, Alexandra (November 13, 2016). "Donald Trump Names RNC Chair Reince Priebus Chief of Staff". nbcnews.com. NBC News. p. 1. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
- "Alabama". Republican National Committee. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
- "Alaska". Republican National Committee. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
- "American Samoa". Republican National Committee. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
- "Arizona". Republican National Committee. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
- "Arkansas". Republican National Committee. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
- "California". Republican National Committee. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
- "Colorado". Republican National Committee. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
- "Connecticut". Republican National Committee. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
- "Delaware". Republican National Committee. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
- "District of Columbia". Republican National Committee. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
- "Florida". Republican National Committee. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
- "Georgia". Republican National Committee. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
- "Guam". Republican National Committee. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
- "Hawaii". Republican National Committee. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
- "Idaho". Republican National Committee. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
- "Illinois". Republican National Committee. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
- "Indiana". Republican National Committee. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
- "Iowa". Republican National Committee. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
- "Kansas". Republican National Committee. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
- "Kentucky". Republican National Committee. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
- "Louisiana". Republican National Committee. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
- "Maine". Republican National Committee. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
- "Maryland". Republican National Committee. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
- "Massachusetts". Republican National Committee. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
- "Michigan". Republican National Committee. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
- "Minnesota". Republican National Committee. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
- Montgomery, David (April 29, 2017). "Republicans elect outsider Jennifer Carnahan as party chair". Pioneer Press. Retrieved May 10, 2017.
- "Mississippi". Republican National Committee. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
- "Missouri". Republican National Committee. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
- "Montana". Republican National Committee. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
- "Nebraska". Republican National Committee. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
- "Nevada". Republican National Committee. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
- "New Hampshire". Republican National Committee. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
- "New Jersey". Republican National Committee. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
- "New Mexico". Republican National Committee. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
- "New York". Republican National Committee. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
- "North Carolina". Republican National Committee. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
- "North Dakota". Republican National Committee. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
- "Northern Mariana Islands". Republican National Committee. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
- "Ohio". Republican National Committee. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
- "Oklahoma". Republican National Committee. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
- "Oregon". Republican National Committee. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
- "Pennsylvania". Republican National Committee. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
- "Puerto Rico". Republican National Committee. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
- "Rhode Island". Republican National Committee. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
- "South Carolina". Republican National Committee. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
- "South Dakota". Republican National Committee. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
- "Tennessee". Republican National Committee. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
- "Texas". Republican National Committee. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
- "US Virgin Islands". Republican National Committee. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
- "Utah". Republican National Committee. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
- "Vermont". Republican National Committee. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
- "Virginia". Republican National Committee. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
- "Washington". Republican National Committee. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
- "West Virginia". Republican National Committee. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
- "Wisconsin". Republican National Committee. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
- "Wyoming". Republican National Committee. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
- "RNC Tries to Lure Tech Talent". WSJ.
The RNC Tuesday is announcing the formation of Para Bellum Labs, an in-house technology incubator that combines the committee's data-analytics arm with its digital-marketing unit.
- Johnson, Eliana (February 12, 2014). "RNC's Data Push Greeted with Skepticism". National Review. Retrieved November 6, 2015.
the RNC last week unveiled Para Bellum Labs — para bellum is Latin for 'prepare for war' — an initiative designed to help the party and its candidates bridge the technology gap
External links
- Official Website
- Republican National Committee: News clippings and publications, 1932-65, Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library
- Para Bellum Labs
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