In the wake of widespread Republican defeats in the midterm elections, California GOP Chair Corrin Rankin announced Wednesday evening that she will not seek re-election next year.
“The recent election results reinforced what I have consistently said throughout my presidency,” she said in a statement. “We must move beyond competing organizations and disconnected efforts to a unified, coordinated strategy that prioritizes winning above all else. »
The party held eight seats in California’s 52-member congressional delegation and was expected to lose at least half of them. In the state Legislature, the Republican Party is projected to lose eight of its 20 Assembly seats and as many as three of its 10 Senate seats.
Such losses would result in the fewest Republicans in both state bodies since the 1875-76 session, according to Alex Vassar, communications manager at the California State Library.
Rankin, the former president of the California Bail Agents Assn., was elected president in March 2025. Her decision not to run for re-election comes at a difficult time for Republicans in California and across the country, with many questioning the party’s direction following this month’s election defeats.
The California Republican Party has seen staggering growth in voter registration and financial support for years. The party that launched the careers of Presidents Reagan and Nixon last elected Republican candidates to statewide office two decades ago. Registered Democrats outnumber Republicans by 20 percentage points, according to the California Secretary of State’s office as of October 19.
Rep. Carl DeMaio (R-Valley Center) questioned Rankin’s suitability for the leadership role, saying in an interview with The Times that the chairwoman “doesn’t know how to run a taco stand.”
DeMaio also took aim at the state party, saying it will take more than a new president to fix the GOP.
“What we need to do first is come up with a plan to fundamentally restructure the entire party,” he said.
He said “the new California Republican Party must have clearly defined roles and must reduce its budget to the bare minimum, with 100 percent of remaining resources going to candidate support.”
Rankin followed in the footsteps of two state party leaders who were able to raise significant funds through their connections: Jessica Millan Patterson, a close ally of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield), and powerful former legislative leader Jim Brulte.
Rankin had no such connections and fundraising suffered.
The state Democratic Party has received nearly $40.9 million in contributions this year through Oct. 17. The state GOP raised nearly $3.3 million during the same period, as Republicans overwhelmed Democrats nationwide with fundraising, according to the secretary of state’s office.
State Sen. Tony Strickland of Huntington Beach, who conceded his reelection race this week, is the name most mentioned as a potential successor to Rankin. Others include Rep. James Gallagher (R-Yuba City) and 2026 GOP gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton, both of whom also lost their bids last week.
Former GOP Chairman Ron Nehring highlighted Rankin’s roots as a GOP volunteer who rose through the ranks to become party leader during an incredibly difficult time for Republicans.
“She was baptized by boiling oil during this election cycle,” he said.
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