The Republican National Committee unanimously elected Florida state senator Joe Gruters as its new chairman during its summer meeting in Atlanta on Friday. The 48-year-old accountant and former RNC treasurer ran unopposed and was backed by President Donald Trump, succeeding Michael Whatley, who stepped down to pursue a U.S. Senate seat in North Carolina. Gruters told reporters he will keep his state Senate seat but will suspend his campaign for Florida chief financial officer. His elevation further solidifies Trump’s grip on the party ahead of the 2026 midterm elections and the 2028 presidential race, responsibilities he said will require travel “five days a week.” As chair of the Florida GOP from 2019 to 2023, Gruters oversaw a swing of roughly 556,000 voter registrations that helped turn the state firmly Republican. An internal financial report presented at the meeting showed the RNC holding $84 million in cash on hand, compared with the Democratic National Committee’s $15 million. Gruters, an early Trump supporter who also backs marijuana legalization, said his focus will be to “make it as easy as possible to vote and as hard as possible to cheat” while advancing the president’s agenda. He will guide the party’s fundraising and ground-game strategy as Republicans seek to defend their control of the White House and Congress next year.