NASHVILLE - Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam was elected Thursday to serve as chairman of the Republican Governors Association in 2018.
Again.
This is the second time in three years for Haslam after he served as RGA chairman in 2018. The first time was in 2015, an off-election year in which there were just three governors' races on the ballot.
Spearheading RGA fundraising to help GOP candidates will be a major task for Haslam in the 2018 cycle.
There are 36 gubernatorial contests this cycle, including the governor's home state in Tennessee, where Democrats hope to mount an aggressive effort to succeed the term-limited Haslam.
Thursday's RGA chairmanship vote came as GOP governors gathered for their annual conference in Austin, Texas.
Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts was elected to serve as RGA vice chairman. Both assumed the one-year appointments immediately.
Haslam said in an RGA news release that he is honored to serve with recent elections having shown the RGA "is the most effective political organization in the country.
"I look forward to building on the RGA's success in 2018, which present numerous opportunities to re-elect our incumbents and elect a new class of Republican governors," the governor said.
"All across America, Republican chief executives are proving that they are America's doers, getting real results for everyday Americans through pro-growth, pro-jobs policies that expand opportunity, and I am proud to serve in this role to help the RGA elect more outstanding leaders," he added.
Outgoing RGA chairman, Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin, praised Haslam, calling him a "proven conservative leader," and adding that with his "record of getting results for the people of Tennessee, I'm confident that his capable leadership and tireless work ethic will greatly benefit the RGA in 2018."
Citing what he called Haslam's "enormously impressive" achievements and experience, Walker said the Tennessean will need them, saying they are "vital to ensuring our governors have the resources they need to compete and win in 36 gubernatorial elections scheduled to occur over the next year."