Top Trump Ally Tapped To Co-Lead RNC
Lara Trump may be gone from her co-chairmanship at the Republican National Committee, but the party’s governing body isn’t about to become less deferential to the president-elect anytime soon.
The 186-member body voted on Friday to elect one of its own, a top ally and former RNC treasurer who has bided her time in the wings while other pro-Trump national committee members like Harmeet Dhillon previously challenged former chair Ronna McDaniel for the mantle. After paying her dues, Kentucky’s leading Republican woman has been thrust atop the party’s hierarchy alongside Chairman Michael Whatley.
With the support of President-elect Donald Trump, K.C. Crosbie was voted in as RNC co-chair, a title that allows the MAGA matron to dole out both carrots and sticks to members who she believes should be answering Trump’s beck and call. The former Lexington, KY councilwoman will replace the president-elect’s daughter-in-law immediately.
“I am just so blessed to follow in the footsteps of an incredible leader,” said Crosbie, thanking her colleagues for their vote in her first speech as co-chair.
Crosbie’s ambitions are nothing new to folks in the know. Last month, media outlets obtained an internal email circulated by Crosbie to RNC members seeking their vote ahead of the chairman’s election.
“This position demands leadership, communication, and the ability to unify our diverse membership while supporting President Trump and his Administration’s bold initiative to ‘Make America Great Again,’” Crosbie wrote, according to a copy seen by The Hill. “I am committed to fulfilling the responsibilities of RNC co-chair with the same dedication I have brought to the role of Treasurer.”
Her selection means Crosbie will cede her responsibilities as chief party treasurer to Florida State Sen. Joe Gruters, who is also running to be his state’s next chief financial officer. Jimmy Patronis, the state’s current top fiscal watchdog, recently announced his campaign to fill Matt Gaetz’s old U.S. House seat.
Together, Whatley and Lara Trump were credited with delivering a long-awaited red wave last year, seizing the White House and wresting control of the U.S. Senate away from Democrats. House Republicans held on to their majority with the smallest of margins, and earlier this month Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) retained the gavel for another two-year term after losing just one vote, the most he could afford.
The Republican Party of Kentucky released a statement Friday praising its local leader for “earning the confidence of the president and the 168 members of the RNC,” according to the KY Lantern. Andy Westberry, a spokesperson for the RPK, said in a statement that the party is “proud and excited to see KC lead the RNC to greater success, just as she did here in Kentucky.”
“KC has spent decades promoting and protecting conservative values in Kentucky and across the nation. As co-chair, she will bring invaluable perspectives to the RNC,” Westberry said. “She will also prioritize ensuring that our elections remain fair and secure. Additionally, she will work to strategically allocate RNC resources to win close races in battleground states and build on President Trump’s historic electoral gains.”