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SENATE
Florida: Lara Trump Resigns RNC Position
Republican National Committee Co-Chair Lara Trump, daughter-in-law to President-Elect Trump, has resigned her party leadership position after serving through the 2024 election.
Rumors abound that Ms. Trump is a US Senate appointment prospect from Florida once Senator Marco Rubio (R), the Secretary of State-designate, is confirmed to his new position. Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) will then choose a replacement for Mr. Rubio.
Ms. Trump indicates she would be interested in serving, and her RNC move suggests preparation for such an appointment.
The person appointed will have to run to serve the balance of the term in 2026, and again in 2028 for a full six-year term. Therefore, the appointee will need to be in major fundraising mode for a four-year period considering that two expensive statewide elections will have to be conducted. Certainly, Ms. Trump has demonstrated such fundraising ability.
Senate Leadership Fund: Ex-Senator to Chair
Former US Senator Cory Gardner (R), who may be the last Republican Senator to serve from Colorado for a very long time as the state continues to move toward the political left, has agreed to chair the Board of Directors of the Senate Leadership Fund.
This group, founded by supporters of Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to provide a political foundation for his long tenure as Republican Leader, raised over $292 million for the 2024 election cycle and is the top outside support organization for GOP Senate candidates.
HOUSE
MA-4: Republicans May Have a 2026 Candidate
For the first time in literally 100 years, the Fall River, MA electorate voted Republican for President in the 2024 election. This, plus former Fall River Mayor Will Flanagan now switching his party affiliation from Democrat to Republican, suggest that the former local official may be preparing a bid to challenge US Rep. Jake Auchincloss (D-Newton), who was just re-elected to a third term. In 2024, Mr. Auchincloss was unopposed in the general election.
Despite the city of Fall River voting Republican in the just completed election, the 4th District is a long way from making such a conversion. The FiveThirtyEight data organization rates the seat as D+28, while The Down Ballot political blog statisticians rank MA-4 as the 95th safest seat in the House Democratic Conference.
If the local Republicans convince Mr. Flanagan to run, they will have a credible candidate for the first time in many elections, but he would still be considered a major long shot to defeat Rep. Auchincloss from a position on the GOP ballot line.
GOVERNOR
Oklahoma: Rep. Hern Decides Against A Gubernatorial Bid
It appeared a near-certainty that US Rep. Kevin Hern (R-Tulsa), who was just re-elected to a fourth term in November, would soon announce a bid for the impending open Governor’s race in two years. Yesterday, however, citing the small Republican House majority and the major agenda items the party wants to enact, Mr. Hern released a statement saying he would forego a statewide run in order to concentrate on his congressional duties.
During the leadership elections, Mr. Hern was elected as the Republican Policy Chair, so his increased Conference responsibilities also likely weighed in his decision to remain in the House.
Governor Kevin Stitt (R) is ineligible to seek a third term. Those viewed as potential Republican candidates include Lt. Gov. Matt Pinnell, Attorney General Gentner Drummond, state School Superintendent Ryan Walters, and state House Speaker Charles McCall (R-Atoka).
Jim Ellis is a 35-year veteran of politics at the state and national levels. He has served ss executive director for two national political action committees, as well as a consultant to the three national Republican Party organizations in DC, the National Federation of Independent Business, and various national conservative groups.
Born and raised in Sacramento, California, he earned a B. A. in Political Science from the University of California at Davis in 1979. Jim raised his daughter, Jacqueline, alone after his wife died following a tragic car accident. He helped establish the Joan Ellis Victims Assistance Network in Rochester, NH. Jim also is a member of the Northern Virginia Football Officials Association, which officiates high school games throughout the region.
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