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Democratic and Republican Party committee leadership elections, 2023-2024
| U.S. Senate leadership elections, 2023 U.S. House leadership elections, 2023 |
This page covers Democratic and Republican Party leadership elections leading up to the 2024 election cycle. Each party selects leadership responsible for leading the party's national, Senate, and House committees. The national committee's purpose involves oversight of the presidential nominating process as well as supporting party candidates with research, polling, and funding in races across the country. The House and Senate committees are dedicated to helping elect candidates from their party to Congress and helping incumbents win re-election.
Leaders can be selected in a variety of ways, but they are typically elected by party members or a party's congressional caucus. This page covers leadership elections for the following party committees:
National committees
Democratic National Committee (DNC)
The DNC did not hold an election for chairman in 2023.[1] The incumbent chairman was Jaime Harrison (D).
Republican National Committee (RNC) - March 2024
RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel resigned from her position on March 8, 2024. The RNC elected North Carolina Republican Party Chairman Michael Whatley to serve as the new chairman that day at their Spring Training meeting in Houston, Texas.[2]
Whatley was the only person to announce his candidacy for the position. In a February 26 letter to RNC members Whatley said, "I have been truly honored to receive President Trump’s endorsement for this position and I hope to earn your vote as we undertake the crucial work of winning up and down the ballot in 2024."[3]
Aftermath
Following Whatley's election as chairman, and Lara Trump's election as co-chairwoman, the committee engaged in staff layoffs. According to a March 11 report by Politico, around 60 staff members from the political, communications, and data departments were expected to be laid off, including five members of senior staff. Politico's Alex Isenstadt wrote, "The overhaul is aimed at cutting, what one of the people described as, 'bureaucracy' at the RNC. But the move also underscores the swiftness with which Trump’s operation is moving to take over the Republican Party’s operations after the former president all but clinched the party’s presidential nomination last week."[4]
Republican National Committee (RNC) - January 2023
The RNC leadership election took place on January 27, 2023.[5][6] Incumbent Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, Harmeet Dhillon, and Mike Lindell were nominated.[7] McDaniel was re-elected to a fourth term with 111 votes, followed by Dhillon with 51, and Lindell with 4.[8]
Leading up to the election, a spokeswoman for McDaniel said, "Just like the RNC, Chairwoman McDaniel’s decision to run for re-election was member-driven. Members of the 168 rallied around the chairwoman because of her unprecedented investments in the grassroots, election integrity and minority communities, and for taking on Big Tech and the biased Commission on Presidential Debates."[9]
Dhillon announced her candidacy on December 5, 2022. In a statement, she said, "After three successive terms of underwhelming results at the polls for the GOP, all the while with leaders congratulating ourselves for outstanding performance, I feel that we owe it to our voters to have a serious debate about the leadership of the party and what we must change to actually win in 2024."[5]
Lindell announced his candidacy on November 28, 2022, saying, "With all my due diligence and in prayer, I am 100% running for RNC chairman against Ronna McDaniel. [...] I’m all in and not only am I going to win, but it’s going to change real fast. We’re going to get our country righted really quick."[10]
Senate committees
Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC)
On January 9, 2022, incumbent chairman Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) said he would serve a second term for the 2024 cycle.[11] Previous to this announcement, Peters had said he didn't intend to do so.[12]
National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC)
The NRSC elected its chairman at the Senate Republican Caucus leadership elections on November 16, 2022. Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) was elected without opposition. Former incumbent Rick Scott (R-Fla.) did not seek another term.[13]
House committees
Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC)
At the House Democratic Caucus leadership elections, the caucus voted to allow the House Democratic leader, Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), to select a chairperson, whose selection would then be voted on by the full caucus. On December 20, 2022, Jeffries announced he had appointed Rep. Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.) to serve in the role.[14] The full caucus voted to approve the choice on December 22.[15]
Former incumbent Sean Patrick Maloney (D-N.Y.) did not win re-election to the House of Representatives in 2022.
National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC)
The NRCC elected its chairman at the House Republican Caucus leadership elections on November 15, 2022. Rep. Richard Hudson (R-N.C.) was elected without opposition. Former incumbent Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) did not seek another term.[16]
About party committees
Democratic National Committee (DNC)
The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is the principal governing organization of the Democratic Party of the United States.
The DNC is responsible for overseeing the process of writing and promoting the party platform every four years and providing national leadership surrounding campaign, fundraising, political activity, and election strategy.
The DNC is made up of the chairs and vice chairs of each state Democratic Party and more than 200 elected members from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the territories.[17][18]
The main counterpart of the DNC is the Republican National Committee (RNC).
To read about the DNC's recent political activity, click here. To read about the DNC's recent fundraising reports, click here.
Republican National Committee (RNC)
The Republican National Committee (RNC) provides national leadership for the Republican Party, one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States.
The RNC is responsible for developing and promoting the Republican Party platform as well as coordinating fundraising and election strategy. It is also responsible for organizing and running the Republican National Convention every four years.
The members of the RNC include the national leadership and the chair of the state Republican Party the District of Columbia, and each of the U.S. states and territories.[19][20]
The RNC's main counterpart is the Democratic National Committee (DNC).
To read about the RNC's recent political activity, click here. To read about the RNC's recent fundraising reports, click here.
Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC)
The DSCC took on its modern form as a comprehensive national campaign committee following the U.S. Supreme Court's 1976 ruling in Buckley v. Valeo.[21] Its role in elections includes organizing, recruiting candidates, and allocating funds to battleground races.[22]
As of February 2025, the group had the following mission statement:
| “ | The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee is the only committee solely dedicated to electing a Democratic Senate. From organizing to fundraising to candidate recruitment, the DSCC works around-the-clock to re-elect Democratic senators and send new leaders to Washington who will move our country forward.[22][23] | ” |
To read about the DSCC's recent political activity, click here. To read about the DSCC's recent fundraising reports, click here.
National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC)
The NRSC was founded in 1916 and took on its modern form following the U.S. Supreme Court's 1976 decision in Buckley v. Valeo.[24][25][26]
As of May 2024, the NRSC had the following mission statement:
| “ | We provide invaluable support and assistance to current and prospective Republican U.S. Senate candidates in the areas of budget planning, election law compliance, fundraising, communications tools and messaging, and research and strategy.[22][23] | ” |
To read about the NRSC's recent political activity, click here. To read about the NRSC's recent fundraising reports, click here.
Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC)
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) is an official subsidiary of the national Democratic Party. As a national political committee, the group makes political contributions to support the election of Democratic candidates to the U.S. House.[27][28]
The DCCC designs campaign contribution strategies in order to support vulnerable incumbents, bolster new recruits, and flip battleground seats.
To read about the DCCC's recent political activity, click here. To read about the DCCC's recent fundraising reports, click here.
National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC)
The NRCC was founded in 1866 by the Republican caucuses of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate.[27] According to the NRCC website, the committee:
| “ | ...supports the election of Republicans to the House through direct financial contributions to candidates and Republican Party organizations; technical and research assistance to Republican candidates and Party organizations; voter registration, education and turnout programs; and other Party-building activities."[27][23] | ” |
The NRCC's campaign contributions are targeted towards supporting vulnerable incumbents, bolstering new recruits, and flipping battleground seats.
To read about the NRCC's recent political activity, click here. To read about the NRCC's recent fundraising reports, click here.
See also
- Democratic National Committee
- Republican National Committee
- Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee
- National Republican Senatorial Committee
- Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
- National Republican Congressional Committee
- United States Congress elections, 2022
- United States Senate elections, 2022
- United States House of Representatives elections, 2022
Footnotes
- ↑ The Philadelphia Inquirer, "Democrats are looking to project unity in Philly this week after a bitter RNC meeting," February 2, 2023
- ↑ Republican National Committee, "RNC STATEMENT FROM CHAIRWOMAN RONNA MCDANIEL," February 26, 2024
- ↑ Politico, "Michael Whatley officially announces for RNC Chair," February 26, 2024
- ↑ Politico, "Bloodbath at RNC: Trump team slashes staff at committee," March 11, 2024
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Politico, "Ronna McDaniel set to get new opponent for RNC post," December 4, 2022
- ↑ Republican National Committee, "2023 RNC Winter Meeting - January 25-27, 2023," accessed January 10, 2023
- ↑ USA Today, "Under the shadows of Trump and 2024, the Republican Party faces a contentious leadership fight," January 25, 2023
- ↑ C-SPAN, "Republican National Committee Elects Chair & Other Officials," January 27, 2023
- ↑ NBC News, "Ronna McDaniel locked down votes for RNC chair despite the midterm debacle. Here's how she did it.," December 9, 2022
- ↑ New York Post, "‘MyPillow Guy’ Mike Lindell says he’s ‘100% running’ for RNC chair," November 28, 2022
- ↑ Politico, "Senate Dems tap Peters again as campaign chief in hopes of 2022 repeat," January 9, 2022
- ↑ Politico, "Dems agonize over Sinema 2024," December 12, 2022
- ↑ Axios, "McConnell re-elected as Senate GOP leader," November 16, 2022
- ↑ CNN, "Jeffries appoints DelBene to chair Democrats’ House campaign operation," December 21, 2022
- ↑ DCCC, "What They’re Saying: DCCC Chair Suzan DelBene Ratified by House Democratic Caucus," December 22, 2022
- ↑ Roll Call, "McCarthy backed for speaker, but has work to do before January," November 15, 2022
- ↑ Democrats.org, "Democratic National Committee," accessed May 9, 2016
- ↑ CNN, "Wasserman Schultz resigning as party leader," July 24, 2016
- ↑ P2016 Race for the White House, "Republican National Committee – 2015," accessed October 14, 2016
- ↑ Republican National Committee, "State leadership," accessed October 14, 2016
- ↑ Roll Call, "Senate Chairmen Try to Avoid Historic Home-State Losses," September 24, 2014
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 Cite error: Invalid
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- ↑ Roll Call, "Senate Chairmen Try to Avoid Historic Home-State Losses," September 24, 2014
- ↑ U.S. Senate, "Senatorial Campaign Committee Chairs," accessed June 18, 2019
- ↑ Google Books, "Campaign Finance Reform: The Political Shell Game," accessed June 18, 2019
- ↑ 27.0 27.1 27.2 Cite error: Invalid
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