Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam speaks to supporters in Nashville after being re-elected Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2014.NASHVILLE – Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam was chosen as the new chairman of the Republican Governors Association Thursday afternoon, state Republican Party officials said.
Haslam succeeds New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie in the partisan role, in which his job will be to get Republicans elected to governorships in 2016. Haslam was just re-elected to his second and final term as Tennessee governor on Nov. 4.
“Republican governors are the standard bearers of truly meaningful reform, and from coast to coast, we’ve proven to be principled problem solvers, willing and ready to do what Washington has not,” Haslam said in a statement. “No one is achieving better results than our Republican executives in the states, and thanks to the RGA’s hard work, they can continue to drive America’s comeback.”
Haslam said this month’s election “was a resounding affirmation of the policies and the leadership Republican governors are providing, and I am honored and eager to build upon that momentum as I take on the chairmanship.”
Several other governors, including Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, appeared to be too busy running for their party’s 2016 presidential nomination to seek the chairmanship.