Reince Priebus mulling RNC re-election bid The Republican National Committee chairman is telling friends he's considering another term.

Reince Priebus may not have had enough.

The longest-serving chairman of the Republican National Committee in history is weighing a return engagement as head of the GOP, POLITICO has learned.


It’s a move that would come as a surprise to many. The 44-year-old Priebus, who was first elected in 2011, had led many to believe he would be finished with the high-profile job following a rambunctious campaign season — one that at times has resulted in fierce criticism of Priebus and the committee he leads. Already, several would-be successors, including former Silicon Valley executive Carly Fiorina , have begun de facto campaigns for the chairmanship.

But in recent weeks, Priebus has begun telling friends and allies that he’s seriously considering running for reelection. During last month’s Republican National Convention, he approached Henry Barbour, a loyal ally who is the nephew of former RNC Chairman Haley Barbour, and told him he was thinking about a return.

“He wants to keep his options open for running for reelection,” Henry Barbour said in an interview.

Other party leaders who’ve spoken with Priebus — some of whom have reached out to him to gauge his intentions — say they’ve come away with the impression that he’s increasingly likely to seek reelection.

One state party chairman who talked with Priebus over the past week said he was convinced the chairman wanted to come back, and that he was motivated by a desire to prove that the RNC has never been in better shape than during his tenure — despite polls suggesting his party’s nominee, Donald Trump, is headed for a crushing loss in November.

A Priebus reelection run would be met with skepticism from some corners of the party — particularly among those critical of the RNC chairman’s relationship with Trump.

“I’m sympathetic to the challenging atmospherics during his tenure, but he took this job voluntarily and has failed on every objective measure. We are on the verge of losing a presidential election by a landslide,” said Matt David, a former top aide to Arnold Schwarzenegger who ran the super PAC supporting Ohio Gov. John Kasich’s presidential bid. “Not only does the RNC not lead, there's nothing left behind the curtain. It’s the Wizard of Oz and Reince is the ‘Wizard.’”

And now, with polls showing Trump falling far behind, many in the party are urging Priebus to divert resources to House and Senate races. Last week, more than 70 Republicans sent a letter to Priebus demanding that he cut Trump off. (Since then, the RNC chairman has only dug in. A day later, he appeared at a rally with Trump in Pennsylvania.)

Yet in private conversations, Priebus has boasted about the role he’s played in strengthening the committee and said he thinks he can continue helping it. Since inheriting a troubled and debt-ridden RNC in 2011, Priebus has routinely stressed that he’s improved the committee’s financial resources and field and data efforts.

At the same time, Priebus has repeatedly shown signs of exasperation with his party's nominee, despite insisting publicly that all is well. After Trump tweeted a picture of himself with a taco bowl along with the declaration, “I love Hispanics,” he took an awkward pause at a POLITICO event before saying , “He’s trying.” And in two recent cases — after Trump said a Mexican-American judge could not rule fairly in a case involving his defunct Trump University, and after Trump suggested he might not support House Speaker Paul Ryan in his primary — Priebus reportedly called the Trump campaign to complain.

Some of Priebus’ closest allies have launched an effort to persuade him to run for reelection.

“Reince should definitely run,” said Steve Duprey, an influential RNC member from New Hampshire who has personally appealed to Priebus. “He’s the right guy for two more years of a hard job.”

Neither Priebus nor an RNC spokesperson responded to requests for comment, but his allies insist he’s not yet looking past November.

“Reince is 100 percent focused on 2016,” Barbour said. “He’ll deal with this after the election.”

The buzz about the chairman’s race comes as many Republicans are preparing for the possibility of a Trump loss and an ensuing debate about the future of the party. The RNC election will be held after the conclusion of the presidential race and will be decided by the 168 RNC members and state party chairs who make up the committee.

If Trump loses, the race will be wide open. If Trump wins, he will essentially determine who fills the role of party chair.

In recent weeks, Fiorina has begun reaching out to a long list of committee members, providing them with her personal cellphone number, asking how she can be helpful during the fall months, and offering to set up meetings. In the event of a Hillary Clinton presidency, some believe Fiorina could be a powerful party spokeswoman. During her unsuccessful 2016 primary campaign, Fiorina portrayed herself as a Clinton foil and executed sharp attacks on the former secretary of state.

In exploring a bid, some RNC members believe that Fiorina is intensifying an already simmering rivalry with Priebus. In February, she complained bitterly to Priebus about missing the cut to appear in an ABC News debate — an exchange that one person close to Fiorina said grew contentious.

Others looking at the race include Arizona Republican Party Chairman Robert Graham and Matt Pinnell, a former Oklahoma GOP chair who is the RNC’s national state party director.

Yet Priebus’ existing base of support could make him tough to beat.

“We would be truly blessed to have him return as chairman,” said Jeff Kent, an RNC committeeman from Washington state, “and he would certainly have my full support.”