Republican National Committee facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Republican National Committee

Founded	June 1856; 169 years ago
Location	310 First Street SE, Washington, D.C., U.S.
Key people	Michael Whatley (chair) Lara Trump (co-chair) Duke Buchan (finance chair)
Affiliations	Republican Party

The Republican National Committee (RNC) is the main group for the Republican Party in the United States. Its members are chosen by state representatives every four years at the national meeting.

The RNC helps to create and share the Republican Party's ideas and goals. It also helps with raising money and planning how to win elections. The RNC is also in charge of putting together the big Republican National Convention meeting. When a Republican is president, the White House usually guides the committee.

Similar groups exist in every U.S. state and most counties. Michael Whatley is the current leader of the committee. The Democratic Party has a similar group called the Democratic National Committee.

How the RNC Started

The first RNC was formed in 1856 at the 1856 Republican National Convention. It had one member from each state and territory. This idea of having equal representation for each state, no matter its size, has continued ever since.

Over the years, the number of members grew. By 1968, there were 145 members, and as of 2011, the RNC has 168 members.

Only one person has led the RNC and later became a U.S. president: George H. W. Bush.

In 2013, the RNC started a special effort to connect with young people and minority voters. This happened after studies showed that these groups felt the Republican Party didn't understand their concerns.

During Donald Trump's time as president, the RNC was very supportive of him. For example, they ran ads for his 2020 election campaign early on. They also put many of his campaign workers on the RNC payroll. The RNC also spent money at properties owned by Trump. They even spoke out against Republicans who criticized Trump.

In February 2022, the RNC took action against two Republican representatives, Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger. This was because they were part of a special committee looking into the events of January 6th at the U.S. Capitol. The RNC said this committee was a "Democrat-led persecution." Many politicians and news groups from both sides criticized this statement.

What the RNC Does

The main job of the Republican National Committee is to help the Republican Party. It works to promote the party's ideas and its overall image. It also helps to organize fundraising efforts and plan election strategies.

Another key role is organizing and running the Republican National Convention. This is a major event where the party officially chooses its presidential candidate.

A former RNC chairman, Jim Nicholson, explained that the party's role has changed. He said that outside groups now have more money, which means the party itself has less control and fewer resources than before.

How the RNC is Organized

The current leader of the Republican National Committee is Michael Whatley. He became chairman on March 8, 2024. Before this, Whatley led the North Carolina Republican Party from 2019 to 2024.

The previous chair was Ronna McDaniel, who served from 2017 to 2024.

In January 2019, Thomas O. Hicks Jr. was chosen as co-chairman of the RNC. He has strong ties to former President Trump's campaigns.

Similar committees to the RNC exist in every U.S. state and most U.S. counties. The RNC also creates volunteer groups for specific interests. These include groups like Black Republican Activists, GOP Hispanics, RNC Women, GOP Faith, Asian Pacific Americans, Young Leaders, and Veterans & Military Families.

Other Important Leaders

• Treasurer: Kristin Crosbie
• Secretary: Vicki Drummond
• General Counsel: Michael Whatley
• Senate Republican Leader: Mitch McConnell
• Senate Republican Whip: John Thune
• Senate Republican Conference Chair: John Barrasso
• Senate Republican Policy Committee Chair: Joni Ernst
• Senate Republican Conference Vice Chairwoman: Shelley Moore Capito
• National Republican Senatorial Committee Chair: Steve Daines
• House Republican Conference Leader: Mike Johnson
• House Republican Floor Leader: Steve Scalise
• House Republican Whip: Tom Emmer
• House Republican Conference Chairwoman: Elise Stefanik
• House Republican Policy Committee Chairman: Gary Palmer

Leaders of the Republican National Committee

List of Republican National Committee Chairs

#	Chair		Term	State
1		Morgan, EdwinEdwin Morgan	1856–1864	New York
2		Raymond, HenryHenry Raymond	1864–1866	New York
3		Ward, MarcusMarcus Ward	1866–1868	New Jersey
4		Claflin, WilliamWilliam Claflin	1868–1872	Massachusetts
5		Morgan, EdwinEdwin Morgan	1872–1876	New York
6		Chandler, ZachariahZachariah Chandler	1876–1879	Michigan
7		Cameron, DonaldDonald Cameron	1879–1880	Pennsylvania
8		Jewell, MarshallMarshall Jewell	1880–1883	Connecticut
9		Sabin, DwightDwight Sabin	1883–1884	Minnesota
10		Jones, BenjaminBenjamin Jones	1884–1888	New Jersey
11		Quay, MatthewMatthew Quay	1888–1891	Pennsylvania
12		Clarkson, JamesJames Clarkson	1891–1892	Iowa
13		Campbell, WilliamWilliam Campbell	1892	Illinois
14		Carter, ThomasThomas Carter	1892–1896	Montana
15		Hanna, MarkMark Hanna	1896–1904	Ohio
		Payne, HenryHenry Payne (Acting)	1904	Wisconsin
16		Cortelyou, GeorgeGeorge Cortelyou	1904–1907	New York
17		New, HarryHarry New	1907–1908	Indiana
18		Hitchcock, FrankFrank Hitchcock	1908–1909	Ohio
19		Hill, JohnJohn Hill (Acting: 1909–1911)	1909–1912	Maine
20		Rosewater, VictorVictor Rosewater	1912	Nebraska
21		Hilles, CharlesCharles Hilles	1912–1916	New York
22		Willcox, WilliamWilliam Willcox	1916–1918	New York
23		Hays, WillWill Hays	1918–1921	Indiana
24		Adams, JohnJohn Adams	1921–1924	Iowa
25		Butler, WilliamWilliam Butler	1924–1928	Massachusetts
26		Work, HubertHubert Work	1928–1929	Colorado
27		Huston, ClaudiusClaudius Huston	1929–1930	Tennessee
28		Fess, SimeonSimeon Fess	1930–1932	Ohio
29		Sanders, EverettEverett Sanders	1932–1934	Indiana
30		Fletcher, HenryHenry Fletcher	1934–1936	Pennsylvania
31		Hamilton, JohnJohn Hamilton	1936–1940	Kansas
32		Martin, JosephJoseph Martin	1940–1942	Massachusetts
33		Spangler, HarrisonHarrison Spangler	1942–1944	Iowa
34		Brownell, HerbertHerbert Brownell	1944–1946	New York
35		Reece, CarrollCarroll Reece	1946–1948	Tennessee
36		Scott, HughHugh Scott	1948–1949	Pennsylvania
37		Gabrielson, GuyGuy Gabrielson	1949–1952	New Jersey
38		Summerfield, ArthurArthur Summerfield	1952–1953	Michigan
39		Roberts, C. WesleyC. Wesley Roberts	1953	Kansas
40		Hall, LeonardLeonard Hall	1953–1957	New York
41		Alcorn, MeadeMeade Alcorn	1957–1959	Connecticut
42		Morton, ThrustonThruston Morton	1959–1961	Kentucky
43		Miller, WilliamWilliam Miller	1961–1964	New York
44		Burch, DeanDean Burch	1964–1965	Arizona
45		Bliss, RayRay Bliss	1965–1969	Ohio
46		Morton, RogersRogers Morton	1969–1971	Maryland
47		Dole, BobBob Dole	1971–1973	Kansas
48		Bush, George H. W.George H. W. Bush	1973–1974	Texas
49		Smith, MaryMary Smith	1974–1977	Iowa
50		Brock, BillBill Brock	1977–1981	Tennessee
51		Richards, DickDick Richards	1981–1983	Utah
		Laxalt, PaulPaul Laxalt (General Chair)	1983–1987	Nevada
52		Fahrenkopf, FrankFrank Fahrenkopf (National Chair)		Nevada
		Fahrenkopf, FrankFrank Fahrenkopf	1987–1989	Nevada
53		Atwater, LeeLee Atwater	1989–1991	South Carolina
54		Yeutter, ClayClay Yeutter	1991–1992	Nebraska
55		Bond, RichardRichard Bond	1992–1993	Missouri
56		Barbour, HaleyHaley Barbour	1993–1997	Mississippi
57		Nicholson, JimJim Nicholson	1997–2001	Colorado
58		Gilmore, JimJim Gilmore	2001–2002	Virginia
59		Racicot, MarcMarc Racicot	2002–2004	Montana
60		Gillespie, EdEd Gillespie	2004–2006	Virginia
61		Mehlman, KenKen Mehlman	2006–2007	District of Columbia
		Martínez, MelMel Martínez (General Chair)	2007	Florida
62		Duncan, MikeMike Duncan (National Chair)		Kentucky
			2007–2009
63		Steele, MichaelMichael Steele	2009–2011	Maryland
64		Priebus, ReinceReince Priebus	2011–2017	Wisconsin
65		Romney McDaniel, RonnaRonna Romney McDaniel	2017–2024	Michigan
66		Michael Whatley	2024–present	North Carolina

Recent Elections for RNC Chair

2009 Election

On January 30, 2009, Michael Steele won the election to become the RNC chairman. He won in the sixth round of voting.

     Candidate won majority of votes in the round

     Candidate secured a plurality of votes in the round

     Candidate withdrew

2011 Election

Chairman of the Republican National Committee Reince Priebus at a conference in October 2011 in Las Vegas

Michael Steele ran for re-election in 2011. Other candidates included Reince Priebus, Ann Wagner, Saul Anuzis, and Maria Cino. Many people felt Steele should step down. The election happened on January 14 at the RNC's winter meeting. Reince Priebus won on the seventh ballot after Steele and Wagner left the race.

     Candidate won majority of votes in the round

     Candidate secured a plurality of votes in the round

     Candidate withdrew

2013–2023 Elections

Reince Priebus was re-elected as RNC chair in 2013 and again in 2015. This made him the longest-serving head of the party.

After winning the 2016 election, President-elect Donald Trump chose Priebus to be his White House Chief of Staff. Then, Trump suggested Ronna McDaniel to be the next RNC Chairwoman. She was elected in January 2017. McDaniel was re-elected in 2019 and 2021.

In 2023, Mike Lindell challenged McDaniel for the position. Lindell felt McDaniel had not done enough to question the 2020 presidential election results. He also criticized her for leading the RNC during three difficult election years. However, McDaniel was re-elected for a fourth term in January 2023. She easily defeated Lindell and Harmeet Dhillon.

     Candidate won majority of votes in the round

2024 Election

In February 2024, news reports said that Ronna McDaniel planned to step down as RNC chair. This came after former President Donald Trump expressed his unhappiness and supported North Carolina Republican Party chair Michael Whatley.

McDaniel confirmed her resignation on February 26, 2024. She and co-chair Drew McKissick announced they would leave their roles on March 8, 2024. That same day, Michael Whatley said he would seek the RNC chair position.

Lara Trump, who is former President Trump's daughter-in-law, also announced on February 28 that she would run for co-chair. Both Whatley and Trump received support from former President Trump.

Whatley and Trump were both chosen by agreement to be chair and co-chair of the Republican National Committee on March 8, 2024.

Chair

Co-Chair

Current Republican National Committee Members

Below is a list of the voting members of the Republican National Committee, as of March 2024^[update]. The state chair, national committeeman, and national committeewoman each get one vote at RNC meetings. They also vote for the RNC Chairmanship.

Para Bellum Labs: Tech for the Party

In February 2014, when Reince Priebus was chairman, the RNC started a special technology group called Para Bellum Labs. This new team was first led by Azarias Reda, a computer science engineer. The goal of this group is to help the Republican Party and its candidates use technology better. The name "Para Bellum" comes from Latin and means "prepare for war."

See also

In Spanish: Comité Nacional Republicano para niños

• Democratic National Committee
• Green National Committee
• Libertarian National Committee
• Republicans Overseas