Michael Watson
Chair
Secretary of State
Mississippi
Protecting the integrity of our elections has never been more important. Through the Republican Secretaries of State Committee (RSSC), one of the four caucuses of the Republican State Leadership Committee (RSLC), we are working to elect leaders who champion policies that make it easier to vote but harder to cheat. Secretaries of state also oversee trademark and business registration, run the library and archives operation, manage professional licensing, and perform other critical tasks that encourage the state’s economic development. Since 2007, RSSC has achieved tremendous success, and Republicans currently hold 28 out of 50 secretary of state offices.
Ag America, one of the four caucuses of the Republican State Leadership Committee, is the only national organization in the United States committed to supporting and electing independently-elected agriculture officials in states across the country. Since 2019, Ag America has fought to protect the future of America’s agriculture industry through forward-thinking agricultural reforms that recognize the importance of our farmers to the U.S. economy. In addition, the advocacy of our Republican agriculture officials for free market policies helps strengthen both America’s farms and agribusiness as a whole. Republicans currently hold 12 out of 12 elected agriculture official offices.
One of four caucuses under RSLC’s leadership, the Republican Lieutenant Governors Association (RLGA) is the only national organization dedicated to electing Republicans to the offices of lieutenant governor. Across the country, lieutenant governors serve as a state’s second-in-command, performing critical tasks such as overseeing small business recruitment, leading economic development, administering fair elections, maintaining homeland security, and managing disaster recovery. These experiences often prepare our lieutenant governors for higher office, as 11 out of 27 Republican governors previously served as lieutenant governors.
Led by Barack Obama and Eric Holder, Democrats are fighting to transform the traditional role of the judiciary from an arbiter of the facts and the law to an advocate for the liberal political agenda. The RSLC’s Judicial Fairness Initiative (JFI) is the only national political effort focused exclusively on halting this transformation by protecting the election and selection of state court judges. JFI provides critical information about judicial candidates in an environment where voters are routinely left in the dark about a candidate’s qualifications for the bench. JFI fills that gap by providing the facts and analysis voters need to cast informed votes for judicial office. Since its formation, the Judicial Fairness Initiative has raised and spent more than $29 million in states across the country, including Arkansas, Illinois, Louisiana, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and more.
The Republican Legislative Campaign Committee (RLCC), one of four caucuses under the RSLC’s umbrella, is the only national organization dedicated exclusively to electing Republicans to state legislatures. Since 2003, RLCC has consistently delivered positive results by targeting national resources to support state races. Republicans currently hold majorities in 57 of 99 state legislative chambers.
