California Republican Party Chairwoman Corrin Rankin said in an email that she will not seek another term, setting the stage for a major leadership transition after painful midterm losses further weakened the party’s influence in Sacramento.
Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Assemblyman Carl DeMaio are supporting outgoing state Sen. Tony Strickland, who is expected to announce his candidacy shortly, according to sources familiar with the discussions who spoke with The California Post.
Steve Hilton, the Republican candidate for governor in this year’s election, told The Post that he would also support Strickland if he enters the race.
“Tony and I have worked closely together for years, and I strongly support anything he chooses to do,” Hilton said.
“As I’ve said since election night, one way or another, I’m fully committed to the long-term fight to turn California around, and I look forward very much to working with Tony on whatever he chooses to do.”
Strickland, who lost his reelection bid this month to represent Huntington Beach in the state Senate, served as chairman of Hilton’s gubernatorial campaign. He previously held seats in both the state Senate and Assembly, and later served as Huntington Beach’s mayor and a member of its City Council.
Rankin announced her decision in a letter to party delegates Wednesday. She defended her record on fundraising and organization while warning that competing groups and poorly coordinated efforts were limiting the party’s ability to win. KCRA was first to report her decision.
“After considerable reflection, I have decided that I will not seek reelection as Chairwoman of the California Republican Party,” Rankin wrote.
“The recent election results have reinforced something I have said consistently throughout my chairmanship: our future success depends not only on raising more money or working harder, but on fundamentally changing how we work together.”
DeMaio, who led the unsuccessful campaign for a state ballot measure imposing stricter voter ID requirements, and state GOP officials have clashed for years over how money should be raised and spent on candidates and ballot initiatives. A Strickland-led party, with backing from DeMaio and Hilton, could provide an opening to resolve those longstanding disputes.
Other potential candidates under discussion include former Assembly Republican leader James Gallagher, state party Treasurer Jack Guerrero and David Serpa, according to the source.
Rankin will remain in office through late February, when delegates are scheduled to elect her successor at the party’s convention in Sacramento.
The support building behind Strickland suggests the transition may leave established Republican figures in control rather than ushering in a complete overhaul. Rankin identified him as a possible successor in her letter.
“We have many talented leaders in our party, such as Tony Strickland, who can take up this mantle and lead the California Republican Party into the future,” Rankin wrote.
In her announcement, Rankin highlighted investments in the party’s infrastructure while offering a blunt assessment of its operations. She said that simply raising more money and working harder would not be sufficient.
“We must move beyond competing organizations and disconnected efforts toward a unified, coordinated strategy that puts winning ahead of everything else,” Rankin wrote.
Rankin said the party raised nearly $26 million during her tenure, broadened its donor base and strengthened ties with the White House, Republican National Committee and National Republican Congressional Committee.
She also credited her team with expanding statewide voter-data capabilities, developing new technology and establishing a volunteer program organized at the precinct level.
California’s delegation raised more than $800,000 at the Republican National Committee’s midterm convention in Dallas, Rankin wrote, calling it the largest fundraising total among state delegations.
Matt Klink, owner and president of Klink Campaigns, told The California Post that the GOP needs a “complete reboot and a better understanding of California voters” following what he described as a “disastrous 2026 election cycle.”
“Longtime one-party governance isn’t helping California — and that’s the opportunity for the GOP,” Klink said. “But that opportunity exists only if Republicans truly understand why they lost and are prepared to make meaningful changes going forward.”