Indiana Republican Party Chairman Kyle Hupfer lost his bid for Republican National Committee co-chair Friday in a third-round vote.
Drew McKissick of South Carolina received 90 votes compared to Hupfer’s 76.
On the first two ballots, Hupfer received 52 votes. A third candidate, Mike Whatley of North Carolina, withdrew his name after the second round — leading to McKissick’s win.
Earlier in the day at the Republican winter meetings, Ronna McDaniel was easily re-elected chairwoman. It will be her fourth two-year term.
Hupfer has been Indiana Republican Party Chairman since 2017. Under his leadership, the GOP controls every statewide office; has supermajorities in the House and Senate; has nine of 11 federal seats and more than 80% of all county offices.
He has served as general counsel for the RNC since February 2021.
“I just think that we are at a unique crossroads for the party. 2024 is going to be a critical election,” he told the Indiana Capital Chronicle in December. “I served … as an officer for the RNC. I am familiar with how it works and a broad swath of the party. I think I can help out.”
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Swamp Republicans saved their queen alligator, shocking.
Hupfer cited the GOP “successes” in Indiana his quest for a higher position in the national party, as though he was mostly responsible for electing all those Republican office holders to national, state, and local offices. The real credit goes to gerrymandering (executed by state legislators), Super PACs (which enable dark money to fund the party that best caters to their interests), and an electorate defined demographically as largely rural, white, poorly educated, and ill-informed.
This is in fact the same environment that exists in most other red states – few of which can be described as economically thriving unless they are sunbelt states, where it is likely the weather and not the politics that is appealing. So it’s no wonder Indiana is rarely ranked high in any category…except that it has produced the second-most vice presidents (6, compared to New York’s 11). And we all know what VP John Nance Garner thought of the office was worth.