The Republican National Committee has elected a new chairman to lead the national party.
Florida State Sen. Joe Gruters won the vote over the weekend to replace outgoing chairman Michael Whatley, who is running for a Senate seat in North Carolina, Fox News reported.
Gruters had the backing of President Donald Trump.
“Thank you all so much, now the party’s in great hands moving forward – the skies are clear,” Gruters joked. “No, I love the chairman, what an incredible honor.”
The vote to confirm Gruters as chairman took place at the RNC’s summer meeting in Atlanta, Georgia. He previously served as the RNC’s treasurer and ran unopposed with Trump’s endorsement.
“MAGA Warrior Joe Gruters, who has been with us from the very beginning, is running to become the next Chairman of the Republican National Committee,” Trump wrote on social media earlier this month.
The president gave Gruters “my Complete and Total Endorsement.”
Whatley, who Gruters is replacing, took over the RNC from Ronna McDaniel in 2024. McDaniel stepped down after tensions arose between her and Trump. Whatley is leaving the position to launch his campaign for the Senate in North Carolina after the announcement that Sen. Thom Tillis was retiring.
“Because of the incredible work of every member of the RNC, we had front-row seats to the greatest political comeback in American history,” Whatley wrote in comments marking his departure.
“After receiving a call from President Trump, I am proud to announce that I am stepping down from the RNC as chair, and going back to the old North state.
“With President Trump’s complete and total endorsement, I am running to be the next senator from the state of North Carolina.”
Gruters enters the chairmanship with a financial advantage. The RNC has $80 million in cash on hand, more than five times what Democrats have.
“Listen, we’re in great shape from a financial standpoint because of Michael Whatley, because our chairman has been grinding and has been doing fundraising meeting after fundraising meeting,” Gruters said at the meeting on Friday.
“President Trump has wholly endorsed Joe Gruters to serve as our next RNC chairman. Joe is a true conservative fighter, and he’s been a steadfast ally of President Trump’s since day one,” Whatley added.
One challenge for Gruters could be his rocky relationship with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
The two men have clashed on several issues.
If DeSantis makes another run for president, he would be seeking the nomination of a party partially controlled by an RNC leader he has previously battled with.
This month, Whatley said that Democrats have “learned absolutely nothing” from their significant losses in the 2024 election cycle.
“Well, the Democrats have learned absolutely nothing coming out of 2024. They have doubled down on the same failed agenda that they ran,” Whatley told Fox Business. “They are, right now, a party of open borders, inflationary spending, and a weak America.”
“Every single one of their leaders has turned to the left, and they’re taking the party further away from Main Street America,” he noted further, as reported by The Hill.
Whatley, who jumped into the open race for the North Carolina Senate seat in late July, said Republicans are “faring great” because Trump and GOP lawmakers in both chambers are “delivering every day for Republicans — for all voters, really, across the country.”
“Right now, we’re seeing economic growth, we’re seeing that the border has been secure, we’re seeing that America is respected across the world again,” the former RNC boss said.
“President Trump is delivering on every one of his campaign promises, and the Republican leadership in the House and the Senate are making sure that we are getting the votes that we need to get the Trump tax cuts done and strong support for our soldiers and our veterans, as well as securing that southern border,” Whatley continued.