Trump ally Joe Gruters takes control of RNC

Republican National Committee members unanimously elected Florida State Senator Joe Gruters as chairman on Aug. 22, 2025. He replaces Michael Whatley, who resigned to run for U.S. Senate.

Trump endorsed Gruters in Jul. 2025, and no other candidates emerged after the endorsement. The unanimous vote demonstrated Trump's complete control over RNC leadership selection.

Gruters chaired Florida's Republican Party from 2019 to 2023. Under his leadership, Republicans flipped a 263,000 Democratic voter registration advantage to a 292,000 GOP advantage—a swing of over 555,000 voters.

The new RNC chairman takes control of $84 million in party fundraising infrastructure. This gives Gruters significant influence over Republican campaign strategy and resource allocation for the 2026 midterms.

Gruters becomes the first Republican National Committee chairman in history to support marijuana legalization. He backed Florida's Amendment 3 recreational marijuana initiative in 2024.

Gruters' marijuana position put him at odds with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis during the 2024 campaign. DeSantis opposed Amendment 3 and said he wouldn't appoint Gruters to state positions 'if George Washington rose from the dead.'

Amendment 3 received majority support from Florida voters but failed to reach the 60% supermajority threshold required for constitutional amendments. Trump endorsed the measure in Sep. 2024, months after Gruters backed it.

Gruters supports marijuana legalization with 'proper guardrails' and strict regulations on public use. He proposed legislation to ban smoking marijuana in all public places and previously led the fight to ban smoking on Florida's public beaches.