Former Trump staffer drops out of the race to lead the Pa. GOP, showing Dave McCormick’s weight in the state party
“It is clear who runs the GOP in PA now — and that’s Dave McCormick,” said one of Ted Christian's backers, Bucks County venture capitalist Paul Martino.
The former state director for President-elect Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign has dropped out of the race to lead the Pennsylvania Republican Party, clearing the way for a state senator and former Cumberland County GOP chair to take the reins next year — and showing Sen.-elect Dave McCormick’s weight in the state party.
Backed by a Bucks County venture capitalist, longtime Trump ally Ted Christian announced earlier this month he would challenge GOP chair Lawrence Tabas to lead the state party. Tabas eventually announced he would not run for reelection, and top Republicans — led by McCormick — made a full-court press in support of State Sen. Greg Rothman (R., Cumberland) for the post.
However, Christian’s public run for party chairman was short-lived. He announced Thursday in a statement he would not continue his bid for state party chair and would now back Rothman for the job.
“As a donor, grassroots activist, senior strategist and candidate for state chairman, I have always put our Party first,” Christian said in the statement. “With that in mind, I have decided I will not continue running to be Chairman of the Republican Party of Pennsylvania.
“I will be supporting my friend, Greg Rothman, and look forward to supporting the Party in new ways moving forward,” Christian added. He could not be reached Thursday for further comment.
Just after Tabas announced he would not run for reelection as party chairman at the GOP’s reorganization meeting in February, support for Rothman poured in. Most notably, Rothman secured the support of McCormick, who unseated Democratic U.S. Sen. Bob Casey in November’s red-wave election.
Meanwhile, Christian had captured the backing of several early Trump supporters, including two delegates to the Republican National Committee and electors who cast their votes for Trump earlier this week: Val Biancaniello and Curt Coccodrilli. Christian previously led New Jersey’s Republican state committee, worked as state director for the Trump campaign in 2016, and also served on Trump’s first transition team and worked on his 2020 campaign as a senior adviser.
In supporting Rothman over Christian, state GOP leaders opted for the person more connected with state-level politics, instead of the venture capitalist-backed longtime Trump loyalist, as Trump is term-limited after his inauguration next month. Rothman endorsed Ron DeSantis over Trump in the 2024 presidential election primary and held a fundraiser for him in Pennsylvania. More recently, however, he aligned with Trump, running advertisements on X that included photos of Rothman and his family with the president-elect.
Paul Martino, a Bucks County venture capitalist who funded a slate of mostly conservative suburban school board members in 2021 and who contributed $100,000 to Christian’s bid for party chairman, said in a statement he was disappointed by the news and continues to believe Christian “is the right guy for the job.”
“It is clear who runs the GOP in PA now — and that’s Dave McCormick,” Martino added.
“He made his pick, and the party fell in line,” Martino added. “I hope this marks the start of a new chapter of strong leadership for our party in PA as change was certainly needed.”
McCormick, for his part, posted on X to thank Christian for stepping forward to lead the party and described him as a “strong leader for the conservative movement.”
Rothman, also on X, said Christian is a “leader and a patriot” in response to his announcement. He could not be reached for comment Thursday.
“I am grateful for his support and look forward to his counsel and help in making PA a permanent RED state,” Rothman added.
Rothman said last week that he has been involved in GOP politics for 40 years, beginning when he was a teenager. The state senator and real estate broker served in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve for 10 years, previously led the Cumberland County GOP, and chairs the state Senate Game and Fisheries Committee.
Staff writer Julia Terruso contributed to this article.