• Former Sarasota County Commissioner Christian Ziegler won election as the new chairman of the Republican Party of Florida (RPOF), succeeding outgoing Chairman Joe Gruters.
• Ziegler plans to expand the party’s efforts to battle at the local level, targeting school board, city and county races as well as maintaining majorities at the state level.
• He now faces the difficult task of further cementing the party’s near-total dominance over the last two decades in Florida politics.

Former Sarasota County Commissioner Christian Ziegler has been elected as the new chairman of the Republican Party of Florida (RPOF). He will lead the party into the 2024 elections, succeeding outgoing Chairman Joe Gruters, who did not seek another term. Ziegler was elected as GOP chairman on Saturday during a meeting in Orlando, beating Leon County Republican Chairman Evan Power in the race to become state party leader. Power will serve as vice chairman, according to a press release from RPOF.

Republicans are coming off a red wave following the 2022 midterm election – a wave that was surprisingly absent in most other states – where Florida Republicans won races for governor, U.S. senator, and all three state Cabinet posts, as well as expanding majorities in the Legislature and congressional delegation.

Ziegler’s election gives him the difficult task of further cementing the party’s near-total dominance over the last two decades in Florida politics.

In a recent interview with The Capitolist, Ziegler discussed his vision for the party if elected as RPOF Chair. He emphasized his experience and unique background working at every level of government, as well as his passion to fight against what he sees as the “vile and extreme” nature of the left.

Ziegler plans to expand the party’s efforts to battle at the local level, replacing liberal elected officials with common sense leadership at the school board, county and city levels. He believes that this is necessary to protect the state’s families and children and develop the next generation of state leaders. He also praised Governor Ron DeSantis for his involvement in School Board races in 2022, which led to many school board wins and board majority flips for conservatives in several counties.

Democrats will choose their own new state party chair on February 25th, with four candidates vying to replace Manny Diaz, who stepped down as chairman in January. Among the candidates are former Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried and former state Sen. Annette Taddeo.