WASHINGTON -- Reince Priebus, chairman of the Republican National Committee, told RNC members on Friday that he is running for a second term as head of the organization and said he'll make an official announcement after Thanksgiving. Here is the full letter sent to RNC members:
Dear RNC Members:
I want to thank you for granting me the opportunity to serve as Chairman of the Republican National Committee over the past two years. It has, and continues to be an honor and a privilege to serve you and our Party.
The RNC has come a long way since the Chairman’s election in January 2011. When we entered the building less than two years ago, we faced many difficult challenges. The RNC was over $22 million in debt with almost no cash on hand; much of our donor base lost confidence and stopped contributing to the RNC.
On day one, we quickly united behind our mission of electing and supporting Republican candidates up and down the ballot and began working together as a committee to get our Party back on track. We have accomplished a lot in the past 22 months, but obviously, there is much to do. We need to immediately assess and build our operations, get in the field and go on offense.
Through all of our hard work and focus we changed course and got our committee back on sound financial footing, breaking fundraising records, and restoring donor trust. We deployed a Republican ground game that was the strongest in history. We harnessed new technology and built upon our outreach efforts, reaching more voters and spreading the Republican message. However, there is still much more that needs to be done to strengthen and grow our Party, and to overcome new challenges we now face.
This past week many of you have reached out to me over the phone and by email, and I thank you for your support, encouragement, and commitment to our Party.
Also, I am humbled by the over 130 RNC Members who I have talked to who have pledged their support and public endorsement for me to continue on as Chairman so we can finish the job that we started and continue to grow our Party. I have tried to connect with most of you, but have not been able to connect with everyone. If we haven’t spoken or if we missed each other, I promise I will connect with you soon. I am leaving this afternoon for vacation to spend some much needed time with my family over the next week. When I return the week after Thanksgiving, I intend to make an official announcement that I am running to continue on as your Chairman, but I wanted to let you all know first.
Again, I want to thank all of you for your support and all of your hard work. I am honored and humbled by your continued trust and support. In the coming months and years we must overcome the challenges we face, and get our great nation back on a path to prosperity.
God Bless and Happy Thanksgiving!
Reince
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