SCOOP: RNC members rally behind new leadership

The Republican National Committee (RNC) has its leadership in place ahead of the 2026 elections, with Florida’s Joe Gruters unanimously winning the election to succeed Michael Whatley, who recently announced his campaign to succeed Sen. Thom Tillis (R., N.C.).

Joining Gruters atop the GOP as co-chair is Kentucky’s KC Crosbie. Following Gruters’s ascension, several RNC committee members told the Washington Reporter that they are excited for what’s next for the organization.

“President Trump has placed his trust in Chairman Joe Gruters, and now the Republican National Committee has as well,” Emily Novotny Chance, an RNC National Committeewoman from Minnesota, told the Reporter. “I’m excited to work together to strengthen our party and deliver victories in 2026, especially here in Minnesota.”

Republicans across America told the Reporter that they are eager to get to work with Gruters and his new team.

“It's great to see a new RNC Chair who will continue the excellent work that Michael Whatley started and will lead us to success in the midterms,” Jackie Sackstein, the chair of the Maryland Young Republicans, told the Reporter. “We're all going to be better off if Chair Gruters can make America look more like his home state of Florida — and in Maryland, we're eager to work with him immediately.”

For his part, Whatley said that he’s “proud to be leaving the RNC in a stronger position than it was just 16 months ago because of the work that all of us have done together. So far this cycle, the RNC is already involved in over 90 election integrity related lawsuits, fighting to protect the ballot and make sure that our elections are more secure.”

And Gruters laid out his vision for the committee. “Through it all, we will stay true to our principles: faith, family, freedom, and opportunity,” he said. “These are not just Republican values, they are American values. Together, we will expand our Republican majority and deliver sweeping victories that will shape America for generations to come. So, let’s get to work, let’s win, and let’s save America.”