Haslam says GOP group hauled in $63 million for governors' races nationally

Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam gives his final State of the State address in Nashville on Jan. 29, 2018. (Screenshot: Facebook.com/tennessean)
Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam gives his final State of the State address in Nashville on Jan. 29, 2018. (Screenshot: Facebook.com/tennessean)

NASHVILLE - Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam, chairman of the Republican Governors Association, said today the group broke its fund-raising record in 2017 and raked in $63.2 million for campaigns across the U.S.

"With a historic high number of Republican governors, GOP chief executives are transforming their states for the better, accomplishing meaningful reform, growing jobs and making government more efficient and accountable to taxpayers," Haslam said in an RGA news release.

He said the group's success "is a direct result of the hard work by every Republican governor and it puts the RGA in strong position to defend our incumbents and add to our ranks this November."

According to RGA officials, the group raised $27.2 million in the final half of 2017 to bring the total to the $63.2 million figure which "significantly eclipses" the $52.5 million.

The partisan group said that allows the RGA to strongly back GOP incumbent governors and target key Democratic-held governorships in the 36 gubernatorial contests scheduled in less than ten months.

RGA Executive Director Paul Bennecke said "Republican governors are America's Doers: They tell voters exactly what they are going to do, and then they do it. They take action and get results."

He said the money gives RGA the resources to "push back against liberal groups – led by Labor Unions - who have made defeating our Republican governors and candidates their top priority in 2018."

RGA says it has expanded the majority of our nation's Republican governors to 33, a historic high and more than twice the current number of 16 Democrat governors, which remains at a near-century low.

Haslam was elected the new RGA chairman last November, replacing outgoing Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker. It's the second time Haslam has served as chairman.

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