California Republican Party Chairwoman Corrin Rankin will not seek another term, she announced in a letter to party delegates, as GOP leaders move to reshape the state party after midterm election losses that further weakened Republicans’ standing in Sacramento.
Rankin’s decision clears the way for a leadership change that could put outgoing state Sen. Tony Strickland at the helm of the California GOP. Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Assemblyman Carl DeMaio are backing Strickland, who is expected to announce his candidacy soon, according to sources familiar with the discussions.
Strickland lost his reelection bid this month to represent Huntington Beach in the state Senate. He previously served in both the state Senate and state Assembly, and was a Huntington Beach mayor and councilmember. He also chaired the gubernatorial campaign of Steve Hilton, this year’s Republican candidate for governor.
Hilton told The California Post he would back Strickland if he enters the race for party chair.
“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.”
Rankin defended her fundraising and organizational record in her letter but warned that infighting among Republican-aligned groups is holding the party back.
“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 failed ballot measure for stricter voter ID laws, has clashed with state party officials for years over fundraising and spending strategy. A Strickland chairmanship backed by both DeMaio and Hilton could offer a path to resolving those disputes.
Other names floated as potential contenders for the chairmanship include former Assembly Republican leader James Gallagher, state party treasurer Jack Guerrero and David Serpa, a source said.
Rankin singled out Strickland by name as a capable 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.
She called for the party to move past its scattered, competing efforts.
“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, expanded its donor network, and deepened ties with the White House, the Republican National Committee and the National Republican Congressional Committee. She also pointed to new statewide voter data capabilities, new technology and a precinct-level volunteer program built under her leadership. California’s delegation raised more than $800,000 at the RNC’s midterm convention in Dallas, she wrote — the highest total of any state delegation.
Rankin will serve out her term through late February, when delegates will choose her successor at the party’s convention in Sacramento.
Not everyone is convinced a change at the top will be enough. Matt Klink, owner and president of Klink Campaigns, told The California Post the party needs a “complete reboot and a better understanding of California voters” following what he called a “disastrous 2026 election cycle.”
“Longtime one-party governance isn’t helping California — and that’s the opportunity for the GOP,” Klink said, “but only if they really understand why they lost and are prepared to make meaningful changes going forward.”
