ATLANTA — Joe Gruters, a Florida state senator and longtime ally of President Donald Trump, was officially elected Friday as chairman of the Republican National Committee during the party’s summer meeting here.
Gruters won the post without opposition after Trump endorsed him to replace outgoing RNC Chair Michael Whatley, who is running for the Senate in North Carolina next year.
Gruters, 48, has long been one of Trump’s biggest supporters. He not only co-chaired Trump's Florida presidential campaign in 2016, but named him “Statesman of the Year” in 2012 when he was chairman of the Republican Party of Sarasota County, well before Trump became the unquestioned leader of the party nationally.
“Today is not about one person, it is about our mission: The midterms are ahead, where we must expand our majority in the House and Senate and continue electing Republicans nationwide,” Gruters told RNC members after his election Friday. “And then we march forward toward the presidential election, where the stakes could not be higher.”
Gruters takes over the RNC ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, when Republicans will be tasked with protecting their narrow majorities in the House and Senate.
The RNC currently has a considerable cash advantage over the Democratic National Committee. Through July, the RNC had $84 million on hand, compared to just $14 million for the DNC, according to new campaign finance reports filed this week.
With Gruters, the White House has an RNC chairman that has long been in lockstep with its political goals and someone they deeply trust.
“We wish Chairman Wheatley much success and know the Republican National Committee will be stewarded well by Sen. Joe Gruters,” Trump chief of staff Susie Wiles told NBC News on Friday. “Joe has been a part of the Trump team since the very beginning and we appreciate his willingness to serve in this important leadership role as the GOP continues to grow and elect good Republicans to serve the country.”
