Kentucky Republican Party chairman resigns after eight-year tenure

Following an eight-year tenure, Mac Brown stepped down from his role as chairman of the Republican Party of Kentucky weeks after the GOP experienced a major loss when Gov. Andy Beshear (D-KY) won reelection to a second term.

Since Brown assumed the post as the leader of the Republican Party in 2015, the GOP has dominated the state government, flipping the Democratic-held legislature in 2016. From 2017 to 2019, Republicans had a “trifecta” in the state, taking control of the governorship and both legislative chambers.

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In an email to the Republican State Central Committee sent Monday evening, Brown said his departure will allow for a “new and fresh leadership to take the party to the next level.”

“Over the past eight years we have made tremendous progress in transforming the commonwealth into a state of opportunity, but there is still a great deal of work to be done,” Brown said, according to the Associated Press. “The key to our future success is for the Republican Party to come together and not fight each other.”

Brown’s retirement comes as Republicans are attempting to regain political momentum in the state after Beshear’s defeat of GOP challenger Daniel Cameron, who lost the governor’s race by about 5 percentage points during the Nov. 7 elections.

Following the news of his exit, Cameron thanked Brown on X, formerly known as Twitter, for “his great stewardship as chairman of the Republican Party of Kentucky.”

“His leadership has contributed to the state party’s many successes and the advancement of policies lifting up our families and communities. God bless him and Eileen,” Cameron said.

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), who was elected to serve in the Senate in 2010, also praised Brown for his work in the Republican Party, writing on X the GOP “has had some incredible wins during his tenure and I wish him the best in his future endeavors.”

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Republicans still have power over the Democrats in Kentucky, controlling 80% of seats in the legislature and all other statewide elected offices, but the crossover governor makes it difficult to strengthen conservative policies on policies such as abortion and education.

Brown called for unity in his email, encouraging his colleagues to “help the next Chairman build the party” and to “listen to and respect each other, as our future is worth the effort.”