In a press release from Wednesday, the Republican Governors Association (RGA) announced that Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has been elected to serve as their chair for 2025, while Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte will serve as their vice chair. Their one-year term will begin immediately.
Georgia and Montana were both major states for the 2024 election, and both Kemp and Gianforte mentioned President-elect Donald Trump in their statements.
"I want to thank my fellow Governors for entrusting me to lead the Republican Governors Association, and I want to thank Governor Bill Lee for his incredible service as RGA Chair over the past year," said Kemp in his statement, referencing the Tennessee governor who had served in the role for 2024. "Republican governors are making commonsense, conservative policies a reality, putting families and children first, and making our states the best places to run a business and raise a family. I look forward to working with my fellow Republican governors and President Trump to keep getting the job done for the American people and to add even more Republican governors to our ranks."
"I’m honored to serve as RGA Vice Chair and continue to work with my colleagues to elect strong, Republican governors across the nation," Gianforte also said in a statement. "Republican governors are cutting taxes, investing in infrastructure and our workforce, putting parents, students, and teachers first, and helping secure the border. But, we have even more work to do. I look forward to working with Governor Kemp, my fellow Republican governors, and President Trump to build a safer, more prosperous future for all Americans."
Although Trump lost Georgia to President Joe Biden in 2020, he beat Vice President Kamala Harris in the Peach State, which helped contribute to his overall win this year. Trump and Kemp also formed a key bond, with Kemp pledging to work with Trump during his appearance on Fox News' "Hannity" while the DNC was taking place in August.
While there was never any doubt that Trump would win Montana, as he also did in 2020 and 2016, the Treasure State was also key as the U.S. Senate seat there flipped, as did control of the Senate overall, with Republican Sen-elect Tim Sheehy defeating Democratic Sen. Jon Tester, further adding to what's a 53-47 Senate majority for the GOP.
The RGA X account shared multiple posts congratulating Kemp and Gianforte, including a video post for Kemp.
Congratulations @BrianKempGA and @GregForMontana! Let’s get to work! pic.twitter.com/LT2c0Ahi3J
— The RGA (@GOPGovs) November 20, 2024
Congratulations to our new RGA Chair Governor @BrianKempGA! pic.twitter.com/EMDgIkU8mh
— The RGA (@GOPGovs) November 20, 2024
The press release also mentioned other roles, including South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster's role as the policy chair. Several other governors will serve on the 2025 Executive Committee, including Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves, Missouri Gov-elect Mike Kehoe, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, Gov. Lee, and Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin.
There will be two gubernatorial elections in 2025, in Virginia and New Jersey, though both Youngkin and New Jersey Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy are term limited.