(The Center Square) – State Sen. Joe Gruters of Florida has been elected chairman of the Republican National Committee.
He succeeds Michael Whatley, the North Carolinian running for a U.S. Senate seat in 2026. Both were tapped by Donald Trump, Whatley as the 2024 presidential cycle heated up and Gruters in Atlanta on Friday as Trump’s wingman for the party in the 2026 midterms.
Gruters, 48, is an accountant by trade. He is not required to resign his state Senate post; in the “resign-to-run” state law, he would need to if still planning to run for state chief financial officer in 2026.
That post was given to state Sen. Blaise Ingoglia on July 16 by second-term Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. Jimmy Patronis resigned the position and Ingoglia serves until the 2026 midterms.
Trump, a Palm Beach resident when not at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., had encouraged DeSantis to choose Gruters for CFO.
In a network broadcast interview after elected, Gruters said, “This is the president’s party. This is the president’s vision, overall. The party fully embraces the president. We’re going to ride the president all the way to victory in the midterms, and we are going to win big.”
Whatley called his time as chairman “the honor of a lifetime.”
“I am immensely proud of the work we accomplished, and I am excited to pass the torch on to Chairman Gruters,” he said. “Now, it’s time to get to work and fight for the people of North Carolina.”
Gruters had no opposition for election. On social media, Trump called Whatley “incredible” and again pledged his support for the senatorial campaign.
“As state senator and chairman of the Republican Party of Florida,” Trump said of Gruters, “Joe helped us deliver massive and historic victories across the state, including my big six wins, including primaries, in 2016, 2020 and 2024, and has helped us turn Florida red as red can be!”
The connection between Gruters and Trump dates more than a decade. History traces it in earnest to a Sarasota County Statesman of the Year dinner in 2012. He followed with support in 2015 while Marco Rubio, now secretary of state in the Trump administration, and Gov. Jeb Bush were presidential candidates.
Gruters is a former member (2016-18) of the state House of Representatives. He has served in the state Senate since 2018.
