Democrats' huge wins in the recent midterm elections and the resulting political soul-searching and questions about leadership have also made their way to the Republican National Committee, where Chairman Joe Gruters, President Trump's pick to lead the group into the 2028 presidential election cycle, is facing a challenge from co-chair KC Crosbie.  

Crosbie, who also is a former RNC treasurer, announced Thursday that she intends to challenge Gruters for the chairmanship at the committee’s January meeting. She has called for an examination of the party’s performance after Democrats captured control of both chambers of Congress in Tuesday's election.

The challenge sets the stage for a test of Trump’s influence over the Republican Party amid growing pressure to reconsider their political strategy heading into 2028.

Gruters, a longtime Florida Republican and close Trump ally, took over as RNC chairman in August 2025. He had expressed confidence in the party's prospects heading into Tuesday's elections, arguing that Republicans were poised to overcome historical trends.

Trump made clear Friday that he wants Gruters to remain in charge despite the party's losses.

“Joe Gruters should return as Chairman of the RNC to continue to build our Party,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. “As Chairman, Joe turned the RNC into an efficient, focused, and powerful machine that will continue to empower the America First Agenda for many years to come.” 

Crosbie, a Republican from Kentucky who has served as the state's national committee member since 2012, outlined her concerns after the election in a letter to the RNC's 168 members announcing her candidacy.

She argued that the party needed to take a hard look at why its election operation failed to produce better results.

“Tuesday’s results were a serious setback,” Crosbie wrote. “We owe ourselves an honest account of why. Voters were focused on the cost of living, and the direction of the country. Our improvements in field operations, voter contact, and election integrity infrastructure were valuable, but they did not address those concerns or deliver the results we needed.” 

She pointed to the economy and voters' concerns about the cost of living and the country's direction as issues the party had failed to adequately address.

Crosbie questioned whether Republican candidates had received sufficient support and whether the party had done enough to nominate candidates capable of winning competitive races.

She said there have been improvements in field operations, voter outreach and election integrity initiatives, but argued the party still came up short despite those efforts.

Crosbie moved from treasurer to co-chair in January 2025. She has also held leadership positions in Kentucky Republican politics, including serving three terms on the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council.

Her candidacy presents an unusual challenge to the traditional practice of sitting Republican presidents selecting the party's national chairman. Trump backed Gruters and Crosbie for their respective leadership positions.

The RNC's 168 members will ultimately determine who leads the organization when they gather in January in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Last week, House Speaker Mike Johnson reportedly told his staff that he will not remain in the post. The Louisiana Republican as of Sunday had yet to make a public announcement on the matter. But Majority Leader Steve Scalise, who is the No. 2 GOP leader, has already announced his bid for House minority leader.

“Last night’s election was far worse than any of us expected," he said in a letter Wednesday to GOP colleagues. “We will need to be honest with ourselves about what happened."

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, is also running for minority leader.