Ronna McDaniel is the second woman ever elected Chair of the RNC. During the 2016 election, Ronna McDaniel helped deliver Michigan for Donald Trump and the GOP for the first time in decades. She was elected as the State Chairman from Michigan in February of 2015. Ronna served as a Trump delegate and chaired the Michigan Delegation to the 2016 Republican National Convention. She has served as a Precinct Delegate, as a District Committee Executive Member and State Committeewoman in Michigan and served as National Delegate to the Tampa Convention representing Michigan’s 11th District. In 2013, she served as Co-Chair for the Mackinac Leadership Conference and was appointed by Governor Rick Snyder to serve on the Board of Marriage and Family Therapists. In her local community of Northville, Ronna has served on land planning and public safety committees and is actively involved in her local PTA. Ronna is married to Patrick McDaniel and has two children, Abigail and Nash.

Thomas O. Hicks, Jr. was elected to serve as co-chairman of the Republican National Committee in January 2019. He previously served as chairman of America First Action PAC, the primary super PAC dedicated to electing federal candidates who support the agenda of the Trump-Pence administration from 2017-2019. He was also chairman of America First Policies, a non-profit organization supporting key policy initiatives from 2017-2019.
Prior to the 2016 presidential election, Hicks served as national finance co-chairman for Donald J. Trump for President.  He was vice chairman of the Finance Committee for the 2017 presidential inauguration and worked with the transition team following the election. He also served on the national advisory board for Turning Point USA, a conservative advocacy group focused on developing grassroots in college campuses.
Hicks was a director of Drilling Tools International, Inc., a leading provider of downhole drilling tools to the international land and offshore markets.
Hicks was a partner of Hicks Holdings LLC, a family investment firm, and was a founding partner of Scout SSG, LLC, an investment firm deploying capital into distressed and other special situations. 
He previously served on the boards of Resolute Energy Corporation, Carol’s Daughter Holdings, Berkshire Resources LLC, Standard Industrial Manufacturing Partners LTD, and Sight Sciences, Inc. He was on the national board of the American Enterprise Institute’s Enterprise Club and was a founding member for its Dallas chapter in 2014. 
Hicks was Chairman of Big Brothers Big Sisters North Texas Campaign for Children in Crisis in 2006-2010, successfully raising over $35 million to support mentoring for children in Dallas Fort Worth.  
Hicks graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 2001 and lives with his wife Alexandra and three daughters in Washington DC.

Ron Kaufman is a Senior Advisor in the Public Policy and Regulation practice at Dentons. He focuses on providing government affairs services to public and private sector clients nationwide.

Mr. Kaufman is a highly experienced political strategist who has served as a senior advisor to US Presidents, Governors, Members of Congress, and a host of elected and appointed officials at every level of government. After having helped lay the political foundation for his successful 1988 presidential campaign, Mr. Kaufman served in the Administration of President George H.W. Bush, initially as White House Personnel Director and then as Assistant to the President and the White House Political Director. Previously, Mr. Kaufman served President Ronald Reagan as Regional and then National Political Director of the Republican National Committee.

Most recently, Mr. Kaufman served as a senior advisor to Governor Mitt Romney during his 2012 presidential campaign. In addition to his distinguished public service career, Mr. Kaufman has served as chairman of a leading multidisciplinary government affairs firm in Washington, DC.

Mr. Kaufman currently serves as Treasurer of the Republican National Committee and the elected Republican National Committeeman for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.,as well as a member of the Rules Committee, Executive Committee, and Chaired the 2020 RNC Convention Site Selection Committee. He is also active with the Republican Governors Association, where he has served as the Co-Chair of the Finance Committee.

Ron is the proud father to daughter Carly and husband Richard, two grandchildren Orin and Paul, and daughter Katie and husband Will, and their three, Gravin, Summer and Eljah.

Vicki Drummond was elected as the National Committeewoman from Alabama in February 2012. She earned her B.S., M.A. and Ed. S. at the University of Alabama. Her political activities consist of serving as a Delegate/Alternate Delegate to the 1988, 2004, 2008, and 2012 Republican National Conventions and she was selected as a member of the Platform Committee in 1988. She served on the NFRW Nominating Committee, was an NFRW National Chaplain and the Vice-Chairman of the Fundraising Committee. As a member of the Alabama Republican Party, Drummond has been on the Steering Committee as well as the Chairman of Congressional District 4. Drummond is also involved in her community as a member of the Heritage Foundation President’s Club, the Alabama Policy Institute, the National Rifle Association, etc. She served on Governor Robert Bentley’s Transition Team in 2010 and was appointed to the Alabama Constitution Revision Committee. Drummond currently resides in Jasper, AL and she and her husband have two adult sons, Matthew (Jamie) and Michael (Lee), and two granddaughters.

Kyle J. Hupfer is a highly respected business executive and corporate lawyer with deep national and state political relationships. He is the chairman of the Indiana Republican Party, a partner at Taft Law and serves as a member of and general counsel for the Republican National Committee. In 2020, Hupfer served as campaign manager to Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb in his successful re-election campaign. Prior senior business roles include chief administrative officer and general counsel of IMMI in Westfield, Ind., and vice president and general counsel of ProLiance Energy in Indianapolis. Hupfer previously served as the director of the Indiana DNR and chairman of the Indiana State Fair Commission under Gov. Mitch Daniels.

Mitch McConnell is the United States Senate Republican Leader. He is the longest-serving Senate Republican Leader in American history, unanimously elected to lead the conference eight times since 2006.

From 2015 to 2021, McConnell served as Senate Majority Leader. He is only the second Kentuckian to ever be Majority Leader of the U.S. Senate. The first, Senator Alben Barkley, led the Democrats from 1937 to 1949.

Senator McConnell has served, always with the unanimous vote of his colleagues, as the Republican Leader since the 110th Congress. He is the longest-serving Senate Republican Leader in the history of the United States. McConnell previously served in leadership as the Majority Whip in the 108th and 109th Congresses and as chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee during the 1998 and 2000 election cycles.

First elected to the Senate in 1984, McConnell the longest-serving senator in Kentucky history. He made history as the only Republican challenger in the country to defeat an incumbent Democrat in 1984 and was the first Republican to win a statewide Kentucky race since 1968. On November 4, 2014, he was elected to a record sixth term with broad support across Kentucky, winning 110 of the Commonwealth’s 120 counties.

McConnell graduated with honors from the University of Louisville College of Arts and Sciences where he served as student body president. He also is a graduate of the University of Kentucky College of Law where he was elected president of the Student Bar Association.

McConnell worked as an intern on Capitol Hill for Senator John Sherman Cooper before serving as chief legislative assistant to Senator Marlow Cook and Deputy Assistant Attorney General to President Gerald Ford.

Before his election to the Senate, he served as judge-executive of Jefferson County, Kentucky, from 1978 until he commenced his Senate term on January 3, 1985.

McConnell currently serves as a senior member of the Appropriations, Agriculture and Rules Committees. He is the proud father of three daughters.

McConnell is married to Secretary Elaine L. Chao, the 18th U.S. Secretary of Transportation. Secretary Chao previously served for eight years as President George W. Bush’s U.S. Secretary of Labor. She is also the former president of the United Way of America and director of the Peace Corps.

John Thune grew up in Murdo, South Dakota. His interest in politics was sparked at a young age after making five of six free throws during a freshman high school basketball game. He was later greeted by a spectator who said, “I noticed you missed one.” That spectator happened to be well-known sports enthusiast South Dakota Congressman Jim Abdnor. That introduction was the start of a friendship that ignited John’s career in public service.

Thune received a Bachelor’s Degree from Biola University and his Master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of South Dakota. He married Kimberley Weems, a native of Doland, South Dakota, in 1984.

Thune’s attraction to public service led him to Washington, D.C. to work for U.S. Senator Jim Abdnor. He then served at the Small Business Administration under an appointment from President Ronald Reagan. In 1989, John and his family returned to South Dakota, where he served as the Executive Director of the South Dakota Republican Party. Governor George S. Mickelson appointed him the State Railroad Director in 1991, a position he held until 1993 when he became Executive Director of the South Dakota Municipal League.

In 1996, with a shoestring budget and the support of family and friends, John won his first term as South Dakota’s lone member of the U.S. House of Representatives. John was re-elected to a second term by the largest margin in South Dakota history. He returned again to Washington in 2001 to serve his third term in the House. 

Thune then honored his 1996 campaign pledge to serve only three terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. After a narrow loss in a U.S. Senate race in 2002, he won his current U.S. Senate seat in 2004, when he made history by defeating Majority Leader Tom Daschle. It was a sitting U.S. Senate party leader for the first time in 52 years.

Thune was elected to serve a second term in the U.S. Senate in 2010 in a rare unopposed race. He was only the third Republican and the lone South Dakotan to run unopposed for the U.S. Senate since direct elections were created in 1913.

For the 116th Congress, Senator Thune served on the Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee; the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee; and the Finance Committee. He served as chair of the Senate Commerce Committee from 2015-2019. Thune also served in Republican leadership as chairman of the Senate Republican Policy Committee from 2009 – 2011 and served as the chairman of the Senate Republican Conference from 2012-2019. Currently, he serves as the Senate Republican Whip.

John and his wife Kimberley live in Sioux Falls, South Dakota and have two grown daughters, Brittany and Larissa. In his free time, Thune enjoys spending time with his family, pheasant hunting, and running.

Senator John Barrasso has a long and distinguished career in both medicine and public service. Barrasso was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2006. He re-elected in 2012 with over 75% of the vote and easily won a third term in 2018.

Barrasso serves on committees that directly impact Wyoming’s economy, energy interests, public lands, national parks and trade. These include the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, the Committee on Environment and Public Works, the Committee on Foreign Relations, and the Committee on Indian Affairs. He is the chairman of the Senate Environment Committee and previously served as chairman of the Indian Affairs Committee.

Senator Barrasso is known by many as Wyoming’s Doctor. During his 24 years as an orthopedic surgeon, Barrasso served as President of the Wyoming Medical Society and was named Wyoming Physician of the Year.

Barrasso has three children – Peter, Emma and Hadley. He and his wife Bobbi live in Casper, Wyoming.

Building on a background as a public servant, university president, and teacher, United States Senator Roy Blunt was elected to the United States Senate in 2010.

Senator Blunt serves as the Chairman of the Senate Republican Policy Committee and as the Chairman of the Senate Rules Committee. He also serves on the Senate Appropriations Committee; the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee; and the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. He is also the Chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education.

The people of Southwest Missouri overwhelmingly elected Senator Blunt seven times to the U.S. House of Representatives. Senator Blunt was elected the Majority Whip earlier in his career than any Member of Congress in eight decades, and he was elected to the Senate leadership during his first year in the Senate. Before serving in Congress, he was a history teacher, a county official, and in 1984 became the first Republican elected as Missouri’s Secretary of State in more than 50 years. Senator Blunt also served four years as the president of Southwest Baptist University, his alma mater, in Bolivar, Missouri. Senator Blunt earned an M.A. in history from Missouri State University.

Senator Blunt is a member of the Smithsonian Council for American Art and is a Trustee of the State Historical Society of Missouri. Senator Blunt is also a member of the Kennedy Center Board of Trustees.

The Senator is married to Abigail Blunt and has four children: Matt Blunt, Amy Blunt, Andy Blunt, and Charlie (age 15). Blunt has six grandchildren: Davis Mosby, Ben Blunt, Branch Blunt, Eva Mosby, Allyson Blunt, and Brooks Blunt.

Senator Rick Scott was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2018 and is serving his first term representing the state of Florida. Prior to his election to the U.S. Senate, Rick Scott served two terms as the 45th Governor of Florida, where he turned around Florida’s economy and fought for policies to ensure Florida is the best place for families and businesses to succeed.

Congressman Kevin McCarthy proudly serves California’s 23rd district and is currently the Republican Leader in the U.S. House of Representatives. Kevin was first elected to Congress in 2006 and is a native of Bakersfield and a fourth-generation Kern County resident. The grandson of a cattle rancher and the son of a firefighter, Kevin grew up as a working-class family and is committed to preserving and promoting the American dream for hardworking Americans.
In Washington, Kevin fights every day for the constituents of California’s 23rd District and for the future of America with the simple promise: to have the courage to lead with the wisdom to listen.
At the age of 21, Kevin started his own small business, Kevin O’s Deli, from the ground up. As he worked hard, hired employees, and enjoyed success in his community, he soon learned—as all small business owners do—that the margins are thin, the hours are long, and that often Sacramento and Washington are obstacles, not aids, to success. The redundant and frivolous rules along with tedious paperwork and overburdening taxes compelled Kevin to enter public service.
He sold his business to put himself through college and graduate school at California State University, Bakersfield. While in school, he interned for Congressman Bill Thomas and later became a member of Congressman Thomas’ staff. He won his first public election as Trustee in 2000 to the Kern Community College District. In 2002, he was elected to represent the 32nd Assembly District in the California State Assembly. As a freshman legislator, he was elected unanimously by his Republican colleagues to serve as the Assembly Republican Leader, becoming the first freshman legislator and the first legislator from Kern County to assume this top post in the California Legislature. Kevin worked with his colleagues in the Assembly and Senate and with the Governor to reduce California’s budget deficit, overhaul the state workers’ compensation system, and enhance California’s business climate to create more opportunities for California workers and businesses.
After he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2006, Kevin quickly became Chief Deputy Whip and later served as Majority Whip. He was elected Majority Leader of the House in 2014. He now leads Republicans in Congress in fighting for individual liberty, an efficient and effective government, free markets, and a vibrant civil society.
Since Kevin was elected to Congress, he and his Republican colleagues have blocked the largest tax increase in American history, cut out-of-control government spending, passed bills to create jobs, promoted North American energy independence, and fought to free Americans from the meddlesome influence of Washington in health care and beyond.
Kevin will continue to fight for a strong, fiscally responsible, and free America where every person has the ability to achieve the American dream.
When Kevin is not in Washington working for the constituents of California’s 23rd District and for the future of America, he is home in Bakersfield with his wife Judy and two children Connor and Meghan.

Congressman Steve Scalise proudly serves his colleagues as House Republican Whip and represents the First Congressional District of Louisiana, which stretches from the culturally distinct New Orleans suburbs to the vibrant bayous and wetlands abundant in natural resources. 
Scalise is a strong conservative leader who upholds the Constitution. He advocates for the principles of fiscal discipline, lower taxes, an all-of-the-above national energy strategy, a robust national defense, and conservative values. Through his previous experiences as House Deputy Whip and Republican Study Committee Chairman, Scalise developed a proven formula to pass effective legislation that unites his colleagues.
As chairman of the Republican Study Committee (RSC), a caucus of more than 170 conservative members in the House, he coalesced Members around a unified vision. During his time as chairman, Scalise championed a free-market, patient-centered Obamacare alternative that gained the support of 130 House Members. He also introduced legislation that promotes job creation and economic growth, established an RSC national defense working group, released a conservative budget that would balance the budget in four years, and crafted bills that protect constitutionally-guaranteed rights, like freedom of speech, from unelected Washington bureaucrats.
As a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, Scalise has emerged as one of the leaders in Congress in pushing for a strong national energy strategy that increases the supply of American oil and natural gas to lower gas prices at the pump while reducing our dependence on Middle Eastern oil.
Through his post on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Scalise has fought against the government takeover of health care, took on Al Gore over the “Cap and Trade” energy tax, and held the Obama Administration accountable for their taxpayer-funded green energy loans to failing companies like Solyndra.
Scalise is committed to maintaining an open line of communication with his constituents to better serve them in Congress. Scalise holds regular town hall meetings in every parish of the First Congressional District to meet with local residents and hear their concerns.
Congressman Scalise is a graduate of Louisiana State University. He earned his B.S. in Computer Science in 1989 with a minor in Political Science. Scalise is a former systems engineer. 
Scalise’s commitment to service began early as he was twice elected Speaker of LSU’s Student Government Association.  He was a member of the Louisiana House and the Louisiana Senate from 1996 to 2008.  During that period, he was elected chairman of the Senate Labor and Industrial Relations Committee.  In the U.S. House of Representatives, Scalise serves the needs of the residences of his District which includes all or parts of Jefferson, Lafourche, Orleans, St. Bernard, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa and Terrebonne Parishes.
Scalise is married to the former Jennifer Letulle. He is the proud father of two children, Madison and Harrison. He and his family reside in Jefferson, Louisiana.

Liz Cheney has served as Wyoming’s lone member of the U.S. House of Representatives since 2017. She was elected to the House in 2016, running a campaign focused on conservative ideas to help create jobs, cut taxes and regulation, expand America’s energy, mining and ag industries, protect the Constitution and restore the strength and power of America.

Liz is a proud constitutional conservative and an advocate for a strong America. She is the co-founder of the Alliance for a Strong America, a non-profit organization based in Wyoming and focused on educating voters about the importance of American leadership and strength. She is the co-author, along with her father, Former Vice President Dick Cheney, of Exceptional: Why The World Needs A Strong America, published in 2015.

Liz has practiced law and served in the State Department, including as the second-ranking official responsible for U.S. Policy in the Middle East. From 2009-2013, she was the chairman of Keep America Safe, a non-profit organization that was instrumental in preventing President Obama from transferring terrorists detained at Guantanamo–including the mastermind of 9/11, Khaled Sheikh Mohamed–into the United States. She is a member of the International Board of Advisors at the University of Wyoming and previously served on the board of Rivers of Recovery, a Wyoming-based organization that provides rehabilitation for military veterans through fly-fishing.

Liz’s family has called Wyoming home for four generations. She and her husband Phil Perry live in Wilson, Wyoming with their five children.

Congressman Mike Johnson is a Republican member of Congress proudly serving Louisiana’s Fourth District. He represents the nearly 760,000 residents of 15 parishes in the northwest and western regions of the state. Mike was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives on December 10, 2016, by the largest margin of victory in his region in more than 50 years. With nearly 20 years of experience in Constitutional law, he has been appointed to the powerful House Judiciary Committee and named Ranking Member for one of its subcommittees – the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties. He also serves on the House Natural Resources Committee overseeing American energy production, mineral issues, fisheries and several other key contributors to Louisiana’s economy. Mike was appointed to the Natural Resources Subcommittees on Oversight and Investigations and Water, Power and Oceans.

For the 116th Congress, Mike was elected by his colleagues to serve as chairman of the Republican Study Committee (RSC), the largest caucus of conservatives in the Congress. Since its founding in 1973, the RSC has served as the voice and “intellectual arsenal” of conservatism in the U.S. House of Representatives and as a leading influence in shaping the legislative agenda. Each RSC chairman is elected to serve a single, two-year term. Previous chairmen include Vice President Mike Pence and Republican Whip Steve Scalise.

Mike is a dedicated husband and father of four, as well as a constitutional law attorney who has devoted his life and career to fighting for the fundamental freedoms and traditional values that have always been a priority to the people of Louisiana. For nearly 20 years, Mike successfully litigated high profile constitutional law cases in district and appellate courts nationwide. He is widely recognized as a leading defender of the right to life, religious liberty, free speech, the Second Amendment and free market principles. In his law practice, he drafted landmark legislation for many states and municipalities and provided legal counsel to members of Congress, governors, state legislatures, city councils, school boards, law enforcement agencies, ministries and non-profit organizations around the country.

Mike solidified his reputation as a principled, full-spectrum conservative when he served in the Louisiana Legislature from February 2015 to January 2017. He was elected to the state legislature twice without opposition, and he was honored to be appointed vice chairman of the House Judiciary Committee and to the Select Committee on Leadership. As a legislator, he has received top awards from business and industry, limited government, and pro-life and pro-family groups.

The eldest son of a Shreveport firefighter who was critically burned and disabled in the line of duty, Mike learned early on the values of hard work, honor and sacrifice. He has a practical understanding of the challenges that small business owners face because he, like his parents and grandparents, was one himself. Mike was also a conservative talk radio host and columnist, a media spokesman for America’s largest religious liberty organizations, a constitutional law seminar instructor, and a board member for national organizations and numerous community groups and ministries. He has also previously served as legal counsel for organizations such as the Family Research Council, Alliance Defending Freedom, the National Day of Prayer Task Force, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the Louisiana Right to Life Federation.

Mike earned his Juris Doctorate from the Paul M. Hebert Law Center at Louisiana State University in 1998 where he was selected as a member of the Moot Court Board and National Moot Court Team and was elected class president and president of the Christian Legal Society. He earned his undergraduate degree in Business Administration from Louisiana State University in 1995, where he was selected to Leadership LSU and the Order of Omega Honor Society, Kappa Sigma Fraternity and served as president of the LSU Interfraternity Council.

Mike and his wife Kelly, a former school teacher from Webster Parish, have been married since 1999 and have four children, Hannah, Abigail, Jack and Will. Today, they reside in Bossier Parish.

Richard Hudson is serving his fourth term in the United States Congress representing North Carolina’s 8th Congressional District. Richard graduated from Myers Park High School in Charlotte and earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in History and Political Science from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte while serving as Student Body President.

In Congress, Richard is committed to working across the aisle to find solutions to create jobs, cut spending and keep our homeland secure, and he has demonstrated that can be done without compromising core principles.

Richard was named the 12th most conservative Member of the House in the 113th Congress by National Journal and has an A+ rating from the National Rifle Association (NRA) for his unwavering defense of our 2nd Amendment rights.

Additionally, Richard has consistently been awarded the “True Blue” award from the Family Research Council Action for his leadership and commitment to the defense of family, faith and freedom and a 100% rating from National Right to Life. As a Christian and a father, Richard firmly believes that family is the foundation of American life, and the defense of these values is imperative for the future of our nation.

Richard serves on the powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee, a position he uses to make health care more affordable and accessible, to improve health care for our veterans and address the tragedy of veteran suicide, and to go after all sources of American energy to lower costs for everyone and create jobs in North Carolina.

An outspoken supporter of our nation’s military and veterans, Richard is committed to caring for our veterans and has introduced bipartisan legislation to improve veterans’ access to health care and break up the bureaucracy at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Richard has also received national recognition for his work to reunite military working dogs with their handlers. Due to his work on veterans issues, Richard is known as “a voice for veterans” in Congress.

Richard has the privilege of representing Fort Bragg – the largest U.S. Army installation in the world known as “the epicenter of the universe.” As the voice for this critical installation in Congress, Richard is committed to ensuring our service members are prepared for the battlefield and their families are cared for at home. In the 115th Congress, he introduced legislation to ensure special operators who are serving in combat receive the tax relief they deserve no matter where they see combat, and his legislation to increase funding for our Special Forces and to ensure soldier pay adequately relects modern warfare demands was signed into law.

As Chairman of the bipartisan Agriculture and Rural America Task Force, Richard focuses on reforms that rein in government overreach and empower North Carolina’s growers, producers and agribusiness leaders to thrive.

Richard has made a name for himself as a leader who can work across the aisle to affect needed change in Washington. Despite an unprecedented level of partisan gridlock, he has had several bipartisan bills signed into law, demonstrating that hard work and bipartisan outreach can lead to results. In fact, a local paper applauded the bipartisan law Rep. Hudson wrote with a Democrat Congressman from Wilson, North Carolina, saying “…there are thoughtful, hardworking lawmakers on both sides of the aisle working mightily to fix what’s broken.”

Richard previously served as Chairman of the Homeland Security Committee’s Subcommittee on Transportation Security where he championed a major acquisition reform bill to save taxpayer dollars and keep the American people safe.

Richard is an avid hunter and outdoorsman. He is a member of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus and the reigning congressional sporting clays, trap and skeet champion. His past volunteer leadership service includes membership on the Rowan-Cabarrus Community College Board of Trustees, Board of Governors of the UNC Charlotte Alumni Association, Board of Managers of the West Cabarrus YMCA and Board of Directors of the Cabarrus Jaycees.

He and his wife Renee and their son Lane live in Concord and attend Crossroads Church.

Congressman Gary Palmer grew up in Hackleburg, Alabama and currently resides in Hoover. He has represented Alabama’s 6th Congressional District since 2015.

Palmer attended the University of Alabama and was the first person on either side of his family to attend college. He was a walk-on member of the football team under legendary football coach Bear Bryant.  After earning a B.S. in Operations Management, he worked in the private sector for 12 years. He spent nine years with two major engineering construction companies before involvement with Focus on the Family lead him to start the Alabama Family Alliance, which later became the Alabama Policy Institute.

Palmer served as President of the Alabama Policy Institute for 24 years. During his tenure, the Alabama Policy Institute became a full-spectrum public policy organization that engaged in virtually all policy issues that affected Alabamians. It is considered the premier conservative think-tank in Alabama.

Palmer also was a founding member of the board of directors of the State Policy Network, an umbrella organization for various state-based think-tanks. He served on the State Policy Network board for six years, the last two as chairman. Leading this broad coalition of policy thinkers gave Palmer exposure and knowledge of policy problems that confront all 50 states.  When the State Policy Network was founded in 1992, there were fewer than 20 state think-tanks in their network. Today, the State Policy Network has 65 member organizations.

Palmer served on four different state commissions on behalf of three different Governors. He was appointed to the Welfare Reform Commission by Governor Fob James. He also served as an advisor to Governor James’ Aerospace, Science and Technology Task Force.  He was appointed to the Task Force to Strengthen Alabama Families by Governor Bob Riley, and the Alabama Commission on Improving State Government by Governor Robert Bentley.

In 2014, he was elected to the 114th Congress, having never served in elected office before. In Congress, Palmer is focused on paying down the national debt by cutting spending, reducing the number and expense of federal regulations, lowering energy costs and spurring economic growth and job creation by accessing America’s vast energy resources, replacing Obamacare with a health care plan that puts people back in charge of their health care decisions and that will truly make health care affordable and available, and protecting life in all its forms. Palmer serves on the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and is a member of the Republican Study Committee.

Palmer has been a member of the Rotary Club of Birmingham since 1993, and he is a Paul Harris Fellow. He holds an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Mobile.  He and his wife Ann live in Hoover, Alabama where they attend Briarwood Presbyterian Church in Birmingham, Alabama. They have three children, Claire, Kathleen and Rob.

Congressman Tom Emmer was sworn in for his first term in the U.S. House of Representatives on January 6, 2015. He is currently serving his fourth term.

Tom was elected by his fellow Republican colleagues to join the House GOP Leadership team as the Chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee for the 116th Congress and again for the 117th Congress. Currently, he sits on the House Financial Services Committee. He is also a member of the Republican Deputy Whip Team and the House Republican Steering Committee.

Born in 1961, Tom grew up in Minnesota and attended St. Thomas Academy. He received his BA in Political Science from the University of Alaska-Fairbanks and his JD from William Mitchell College of Law.

After practicing law for several years, he opened his own law firm. The next 20 years were spent balancing family, business, coaching hockey, and serving on the city councils in Independence and Delano.

Before coming to Congress, he served in the Minnesota House of Representatives from 2004-2008.

He and his wife Jacquie have been married for over 30 years and have seven children. They reside in Delano.