Reince Priebus
| Reince Priebus | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 65th Chairman of the Republican National Committee | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 20, 2011 | |
| Preceded by | Michael Steele |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Reinhold Reince Priebus March 18, 1972 Dover, New Jersey, U.S.[1] |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Sally Priebus; 2 children |
| Alma mater | University of Wisconsin–Whitewater University of Miami School of Law |
| Occupation | Lawyer |
| Religion | Greek Orthodox |
| Website | www.gop.com |
Reinhold Reince Priebus (
i/ˌraɪns ˈpriːbəs/ RYNS PREE-bəs;[2] born March 18, 1972) is the chairman of the Republican National Committee.
Early life
Reinhold Reince Priebus was born in Dover, New Jersey, and grew up in Netcong, New Jersey, until his family moved to Wisconsin when he was seven.[1] His father is a former union electrician who works in real estate. Some sources identify his parents as Roula and Dimitra,[3][4] while others have used "Richard and Dimitra" for their names.[5][6][7] Priebus is of German and Greek descent.[8] At 16, he volunteered for several political campaigns in high school.[9] After graduating from high school, he attended the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where he majored in English and political science,[4] and joined the Delta Chi fraternity.[10] He graduated cum laude in 1994 and prior to that had been elected to serve as student body president.[11]
Professional life
After graduation from Whitewater, Priebus served as a clerk for the Wisconsin State Assembly Education Committee. He then enrolled at the University of Miami School of Law in Coral Gables, Florida. In 1998, he graduated with a J.D. degree cum laude from the University of Miami after serving as president of the Student Bar Association. He moved back to Wisconsin and became a member of the State Bar, and subsequently joined Michael Best & Friedrich LLP, a Wisconsin law firm, where he eventually became a partner, practicing in the firm's government and public policy division.[4] He ran for election to the Wisconsin State Senate in 2004 but lost to the Democratic incumbent, Robert Wirch.[12]
RNC chairman
2011 election
On Sunday December 5, 2010, Priebus stepped down as general counsel for the Republican National Committee (RNC). The next day he sent a letter to all 168 voting members of the RNC announcing his candidacy for chairman. Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker supported Priebus' bid from the beginning, attributing the party's victories in Wisconsin to "Priebus' leadership and involvement in the grassroots Tea Party movement that swept the state and the nation".[13] Priebus told delegates in his letter: "I will keep expenses low. I will put in strong and serious controls. We will raise the necessary funds to make sure we are successful. We will work to regain the confidence of our donor base and I will personally call our major donors to ask them to rejoin our efforts at the RNC."[14]
On January 14, 2011, after seven rounds of voting, Priebus was elected chairman of the Republican National Committee; incumbent chairman Michael Steele, the party's first African-American chairman, had bowed out of the race after trailing in the early rounds of voting. In his remarks, Priebus praised the outgoing chairman, for whom he had served as general counsel, saying: "I want to thank Chairman Steele for his leadership over the past two years. Thank you."[15]
| Candidate | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Round 4 | Round 5 | Round 6 | Round 7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reince Priebus | 45 | 52 | 54 | 58 | 67 | 80 | 97 |
| Saul Anuzis | 24 | 22 | 21 | 24 | 32 | 37 | 43 |
| Maria Cino | 32 | 30 | 28 | 29 | 40 | 34 | 28 |
| Ann Wagner | 23 | 27 | 32 | 28 | 28 | 17 | Withdrew |
| Michael Steele | 44 | 37 | 33 | 28 | Withdrew |
- Candidate won majority of votes in the round
- Candidate secured a plurality of votes in the round
- Candidate withdrew
Term as chairman
As chairman of the RNC, Priebus inherited a $23 million debt from his predecessor Michael Steele, as well as severely strained relationships with "major donors". By the end of 2011, however, Priebus had raised more than $50 million and cut the RNC's debt to $11.8 million.[16] Former RNC chairman Ed Gillespie described his work in glowing terms: "He's completely restored faith at the RNC amongst donors and activists, he's been on message and he has done a great job raising money, which is the principal role of the RNC chairman."[16]
During the 2012 State of the Union Address[17] and Presidential primary of 2012, Priebus and his RNC team were credited with keeping the focus on President Barack Obama.[18] Despite such focus, President Obama won re-election by soundly defeating his Republican opponent, Mitt Romney, by an electoral college voting margin of 332 to 206 (while the popular vote margin was four percent). Priebus has been actively engaged in pointing out what he considers errors and shortcomings in the work of President Obama and Democratic leaders.[19] In 2012 Priebus appeared on such political talk shows as Meet the Press, Face the Nation, Fox News Sunday, and State of the Union with Candy Crowley.[20][21]
2012 Presidential election
After Republican losses in 2012, Priebus ordered broad reviews of RNC operations. Of particular concern was voter outreach, including the party's failed messaging to young people, women, and Latinos. 2012 Republican Presidential nominee Mitt Romney lost each of these groups to President Obama.[22] The analysis of the election cycle will include gathering feedback from numerous volunteers and staffers who were involved at various levels.[23][24]
2013 election of chairman
On January 25, 2013, the election for the chairmanship of the Republican National Committee took place in Charlotte, North Carolina during the committee's winter meeting. Priebus was elected to serve another term.[25] Priebus was being challenged for the nomination by Maine's National Committeeman Mark Willis.[26][27][28]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Schoonejongen, John. "RNC Chairman Priebus touts his Jersey cred", Asbury Park Press Capitol Quickies, August 30, 2012. Accessed December 27, 2012. "“I have something in common I think a little bit with you all, I was born in New Jersey,” Reince Priebus told New Jersey Republicans at their delegation breakfast. “I was born in Dover, and some of my favorite childhood memories ... we moved when I was seven to Wisconsin, but I still remember very fondly, and I think about it, was growing up in Netcong. That’s where I grew up.”"
- ↑ Schouten, Fredreka (January 21, 2011). "Reince Priebus: Fundraising top job as RNC chairman". USA Today. Retrieved September 12, 2012.
- ↑ Gilbert, Craig (February 15, 2009). "GOP makeover gets fresh Wisconsin face State's party chairman working with new RNC chief". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved August 29, 2012.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "10 Things You Didn't Know About Reince Priebus". U.S. News. Retrieved October 6, 2012.
- ↑ "2011 Assembly Joint Resolution 5" (PDF). State of Wisconsin. January 25, 2011. Retrieved January 22, 2013.
- ↑ "Reince Priebus from Tremper High School to the National Stage". Kenosha News.
- ↑ "New RNC Chairman Elected". Orthodox Observer. February–March 2011. p. 21. Retrieved January 25, 2013.
- ↑ Zeleny, Jeff (15 January 2011). "G.O.P. Leader’s Promise: Humility and Hard Work". The New York Times. Retrieved 29 August 2012.
- ↑ "Reince Priebus". the Business Journal. Retrieved February 22, 2008.
- ↑ Otto, Aaron (Spring 2012). Reince Priebus Leads the Republican National Committee (PDF). Delta Chi. p. 4. Retrieved October 6, 2012.
- ↑ "Reince Priebus". Washington Post. Retrieved October 6, 2013.
- ↑ Simmons, Dan (August 26, 2012). "Reince Priebus' star keeps rising". Wisconsin State Journal. Retrieved August 17, 2013.
- ↑ "Wisconsin GOP head Priebus announces bid for RNC Chair". The Badger Herald. Retrieved December 7, 2010.
- ↑ "Wisconsin GOP Chair Reince Priebus Enters Race For RNC Chairman". ABC News. Retrieved December 6, 2010.
- ↑ "Reince Priebus elected RNC chairman; Michael Steele ends bid". Politico. Retrieved January 20, 2011.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 "Chairman Priebus leads RNC revival: From $23M in the red to $7M in the black". The Hill. Retrieved February 16, 2012.
- ↑ "RNC ad takes on president over State of the Union". CNN. Retrieved January 24, 2012.
- ↑ "RNC is keeping the focus where it belongs". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 25, 2012.
- ↑ "Busted! RNC catches Obama recycling rhetoric from past State of the Union speeches". Bill O'Reilly. Retrieved January 25, 2012.
- ↑ "May 13: Reince Priebus, Martin O'Malley, Gavin Newsom, Al Cardenas, Kathleen Parker, Jonathan Capehart, Chris Matthews, Jamie Dimon". Meet the Press. Retrieved May 13, 2012.
- ↑ "Face in the News: David Axelrod, Reince Priebus". Face the Nation. Retrieved June 4, 2012.
- ↑ "Obama takes key battlegrounds to win re-election". CNN. November 7, 2012. Retrieved December 2, 2012.
- ↑ "Republican Party begins election review to find out what went wrong". The Washington Post. November 8, 2012. Retrieved December 2, 2012.
- ↑ "GOP boss Priebus expected to stay". The Examiner. November 12, 2012. Retrieved December 2, 2012.
- ↑ "RNC to host winter meeting in Charlotte in January". The Hill. Retrieved November 28, 2012.
- ↑ "Mark Willis: Ready to rebrand the Republican Party". The Washington Times. Retrieved January 20, 2013.
- ↑ "Mark Willis, Reince Priebus Challenger, Jumps Into RNC Race". Huffington Post. Retrieved January 16, 2013.
- ↑ "Disenfranchised Maine Delegate Running for RNC Chairman". The New American. Retrieved January 17, 2013.
External links
- Chairman at GOP.com
- Profile at Michael Best law firm
- Appearances on C-SPAN
- Reince Priebus collected news and commentary at The Washington Post
- Reince Priebus collected news and commentary at The New York Times
- File at PolitiFact Wisconsin
- Reince Priebus for RNC Chair campaign site
- RNC fundraising, NewsMax
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Michael Steele |
Chairman of the Republican National Committee January 20, 2011 – present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
