The Republican State Leadership Committee (RSLC) is a national organization focused on electing Republicans to down-ballot state offices of lieutenant governor and secretary of state, as statewide agriculture officials, as state judges, and to state legislatures. 1
Former George W. Bush administration official and political advisor Karl Rove is a board member for the organization. 1
The political organization, established in 2002, has focused heavily on recruiting women and minority Republican candidates to run for state-level offices. 1
Background
The Republican State Leadership Committee recruits, trains, and supports Republican candidates for down-ballot state offices in all 50 states. 1 The Democratic Party counterpart to the RSLC is the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee. 2
The RSLC focuses on state legislatures and on the offices of lieutenant governor, secretary of state, statewide agriculture officials, and elected state courts. 1
The RSLC is a strategic partner with the State Government Leadership Foundation. 2
Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm, an elected Democrat, targeted the Republican State Leadership Committee as one of 29 organizations named in a 2015 investigation of then-Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R). 3
Election Cycles
In 2022, the RSLC partnered with parties in Colorado, Florida, North Carolina, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania to set up a fundraising committee known as the State Republican Victory Fund. 4
The RSLC also established the Right Leaders Network to attempt to grow the Republican Party with more women and minority candidates and elected officials. 1 This led to the elections of 769 GOP women and minority candidates in 2022 state legislative races, which the committee claims is a party record for Republicans. 5
In 2021, the RSLC helped to flip seven seats in the Virginia House of Delegates to put the chamber in Republican control. The group helped to flip eight seats in the New Jersey state Legislature. It also held a Republican-defended Pennsylvania Supreme Court seat. 1
In the 2019 to 2020 election cycle, the Republican State Leadership Committee spent a record of more than $45 million on state races. 1
Subsidiary Committees
The Republican Legislative Campaign Committee, one of four caucuses under the RSLC’s umbrella, focuses on electing Republicans to state legislatures. It was established in 2003. As of January 2023, Republicans held majorities in 58 of 99 state legislative chambers. 6
The Republican Lieutenant Governors Association is also a part of the RSLC, which focuses on electing GOP lieutenant governors. The organization notes that, as of January 2023, 10 of the 27 Republican governors were previously lieutenant governors. 7
The RSLC’s Judicial Fairness Initiatives focuses on electing conservative judges to state courts across the country in states where judges are elected. It has spent more than $21 million since 2014 to elect conservative judges to state courts. 8
Republican Secretaries of State Committee is another RSLC caucus that tries to elect GOP secretaries of state. The caucus was established in 2007. As of early 2023, Republicans held 27 of 50 secretary of state offices. 9
Ag America is the arm of the RSLC that focuses on electing GOP agriculture officials. It was established in 2019. As of early 2023, Republicans held 12 of 12 elected agriculture official offices. 10
The Republican Attorneys General Association, once part of the RSLC umbrella, broke off in 2014 to become its own independent organization. 11
Leadership
As of 2023, Bill McCollum was the chairman of the Republican State Leadership Committee board. McCollum is a former Florida attorney general and former member of the U.S. House of Representatives. 1
Christopher Rants is the vice chairman of the Republican State Leadership Committee. Rants is the former Speaker of the Iowa House of Representatives. 1
Other board members included former Connecticut Gov. Jodi Rell, former U.S. Rep. Barbara Comstock (R-VA), former Florida House Speaker Steve Crisafulli, former Puerto Rico Gov. Luis Fortuno, former Nevada Lt. Gov. Mark Hutchison, former Republican National Committee Chairman and Trump White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, former advisor to President George W. Bush Karl Rove, former Texas state House Speaker Joe Straus, and Women Lead PAC founder Christine Toretti. 1
Indiana House Speaker Todd Huston was the chairman of the Republican Legislative Campaign Committee. Former Pennsylvania House Speaker Bryan Cutler was the vice chairman. 6
Oklahoma Lt. Gov. Matt Pinnell was the chairman of the Republican Lieutenant Governors Association. Ohio Lt. Gov. Jon Husted was the vice chairman. 12
Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett was the chairman of the Republican Secretaries of State Committee. Kentucky Secretary of State Michael Adams was the vice chairman. 9
Louisiana Commissioner of Agriculture and Forestry Mike Strain was the chairman of Ag America. West Virginia Commissioner of Agriculture Kent Leonhardt was the vice chairman. 10
References
- “What We Do.” Republican State Leadership Committee. Accessed January 21, 2023. https://www.rslc.gop/what-we-do
- Manchester, Julia. “State GOP campaign committee brings in $10.1 million in first quarter of 2022.” The Hill. April 11, 2022. Accessed January 21, 2023. https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/3263741-state-gop-campaign-committee-brings-in-10-1-million-in-first-quarter-of-2022/
- “Republican State Leadership Committee.” Ballotpedia. Accessed January 21, 2023. https://ballotpedia.org/Republican_State_Leadership_Committee
- Schneider, Elena “GOP state legislative campaign hub launches plan to turbocharge online fundraising.” Politico. Assessed January 21, 2023. https://www.politico.com/news/2022/05/26/gop-state-campaign-online-fundraising-00035182
- Contrera, Russell. “GOP women, people of color break records in state races.” Axios. December 12, 2021. Accessed January 21, 2023. https://www.axios.com/2022/12/21/gop-women-people-of-color-records-state-races
- “Legislatures.” Republican State Leadership Committee. Accessed January 21, 2023. https://www.rslc.gop/what-we-do/state-legislatures
- “Lieutenant Governors.” Republican State Leadership Committee. Accessed January 21, 2023. https://www.rslc.gop/what-we-do/lieutenant-governors
- “About JFI.” Republican State Leadership Committee.” Accessed January 21, 2023. https://www.rslc.gop/what-we-do/state-courts
- “Secretaries of State.” Republican State Leadership Committee. Accessed January 21, 2023. https://www.rslc.gop/what-we-do/secretaries-of-state
- “About Ag America.” Republican State Leadership Committee. Accessed January 21, 2023. https://www.rslc.gop/what-we-do/agriculture-officials
- Burns, Alexander. “Powerful GOP group splits apart.” Politico. January 21, 2014. Accessed January 21, 2023. https://www.politico.com/story/2014/01/republican-state-leadership-committee-split-102443
- [1] “Lieutenant Governors.” Republican State Leadership Committee. Accessed January 21, 2023. https://www.rslc.gop/what-we-do/lieutenant-governors