Reince Priebus

Reince Priebus
65th Chairman of the Republican National Committee
Incumbent
Assumed office  January 14, 2011
Preceded by	Michael Steele
Born	March 1972 (age 38–39) Kenosha, Wisconsin[1]
Birth name	Reinhold Reince Priebus
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Sally Priebus
Children	2
Alma mater	University of Wisconsin–Whitewater University of Miami School of Law
Occupation	Lawyer
Website	Reince Priebus's blog

Reinhold Reince Priebus (pronounced /raɪns ˈpriːbəs/; born March 18, 1972)^[2][3][4] is the chairman of the Republican National Committee. He is also a previous chair of the Republican Party of Wisconsin.

Background

Priebus was born to parents of Greek and German descent^[5] and raised in Kenosha, Wisconsin. At age 16, he began volunteering for political campaigns.^[6] He graduated from George Nelson Tremper High School in 1990.^[7][8] He obtained a bachelor's degree in Political Science and English in 1994 from University of Wisconsin–Whitewater (where he was student body president), worked in the Wisconsin Legislature for a year, and then went to law school, receiving a law degree from University of Miami School of Law in 1998.^[9][10] During his time there, he interned for the NAACP legal defense fund in Los Angeles.^[11] In 1998, he joined the law firm of Michael Best & Friedrich LLP in Milwaukee.^[8]

In 2004, in his first bid for public office, Priebus unsuccessfully challenged incumbent Robert Wirch for a seat in the Wisconsin Senate.^[12][13]

Priebus was elected state GOP party chair in 2007,^[14][15] the youngest person ever elected to that position.^[16] In 2009, he became general counsel of the RNC under chairman Michael Steele.^[16]

Politics

In the December 1, 2010 RNC candidate forum, Priebus provided a few details about his politics. He said he believes the RNC is "part of" the Tea Party movement; believes in the Christian God and stated that if he were elected as RNC chair it would be through God's blessing; believes it is the Republican Party's mission to "save our country, to save our party, and to take back the White House"; believes someone who is "pro-abortion, pro-stimulus, pro-AIG ... might not be a Republican"; and believes that being pro-life is "paramount" to the Republican Party platform. He wants to ban earmarks and to require photo IDs to vote. He opposes the legalization of same sex marriage. His political heroes include Ronald Reagan and Abraham Lincoln, and he has stated that he owns five guns.^[17]

Controversial decisions

Priebus has come under fire from conservative activists for his role in seeking federal stimulus funds during his time at the Michael Best & Friedrich law firm in 2009. Priebus was a member of the firm's "Stimulus Legislation Team," which sought to "identify opportunities, prepare appropriate proposals and make targeted contacts to secure [federal] funds.” He has denied association with that team, though numerous documents appear to show his membership.^[18]

Priebus has been criticized because, having been named to a staff position by Steele, he then ran against him. Steele said, "It’s disappointing, you would hope that the bonds of loyalty were thicker than they apparently were."^[19]

RNC tenure

Priebus was elected as Chairman of the Republican National Committee on January 14, 2011. He was elected in an unprecedented seventh ballot, following Ann Wagner's withdrawal from the race, Priebus received the votes of 97 of the 168 committee members. On February 3, 2011, he announced that prominent Republican operative Jeff Larson would serve as his Chief of Staff.^[20]

Personal

Priebus married his wife Sally in 1999 and has two children.^[8][15]

References

External links

• Profile at Michael Best law firm
• Appearances on C-SPAN
• Reince Priebus at WhoRunsGov at The Washington Post

Party political offices
Preceded by Michael Steele	Chairman of the Republican National Committee January 20, 2011 – present	Succeeded by Incumbent