Last month, I sat down with a newly elected GOP County Chair who looked absolutely exhausted. “I thought winning the election would be the hard part,” she told me. “But now I’ve got three different factions who barely speak to each other, and someone called me a RINO in our first meeting.”
I hear this all the time from new chairs, and here’s what I always tell them: the divisions you’re seeing aren’t the real problem – they’re a symptom of a party that needs clear direction and early wins.
Let me tell you about Tom, a District Chair who won his election by just seven votes. Half the room was thrilled, the other half was devastated, and he had to somehow bring everyone together to prepare for the upcoming election cycle.
“I’ve got people who won’t even sit at the same table during meetings,” he told me. “How am I supposed to run a party like this?”
What Tom discovered – and what every successful chair learns – is that unity doesn’t mean everyone has to agree on everything. It means giving everyone a meaningful way to contribute to shared goals.
I recently watched a passionate debate unfold in a county party meeting. One group was advocating for broader outreach to independents, while another accused them of being “RINOs” who were watering down conservative principles.
Here’s how the chair handled it brilliantly. Instead of taking sides, she redirected the energy: “We all want to advance conservative values. Let’s talk about how different approaches might help us win more votes.”
That simple reframe changed everything. Suddenly, they weren’t arguing about who was “Republican enough” – they were strategizing about how to win elections.
One of my favorite success stories is about a chair who inherited a deeply divided party. Instead of trying to solve everything at once, she focused on small, visible improvements that everyone could get behind:
Within three months, even her former opponents were commenting on how much more professional the organization felt.
I remember watching a skeptical party member transform into an enthusiastic supporter after being put in charge of a voter registration drive. She had opposed the chair’s election, but when she saw her work making a real difference, the old conflicts started to fade.
That’s the thing about shared success – it’s the best antidote to division I’ve ever seen.
Here’s a strategy I saw work beautifully in a divided district party. The new chair:
The result? Within six months, people who wouldn’t speak to each other were working together on voter outreach projects.
One chair I worked with had a simple but effective approach. Every week, she:
Here’s what I’ve seen work time and again:
The most effective chair I ever worked with had a saying: “We can argue about the perfect shade of red after we win the election.”
She understood something crucial – that our differences are less important than our shared goal of advancing conservative principles and winning elections.
Let’s Talk About Your Party
Every local party faces unique challenges, and I’d love to hear about yours. Are you dealing with post-election tensions? Looking for ways to bring different factions together? Let’s talk about building unity in your organization.
Want to discuss your party leadership challenges over coffee (virtual works too!)? Choose a time or reach out at Sean@VOTEGTR.com. I’m always happy to share ideas and help good Republican leaders build stronger, more united parties.