Pennsylvania’s GOP chairman is not running for reelection, and top Republicans are pushing for a state senator to succeed him

Pennsylvania Republican Party Chairman Lawrence Tabas, who has led the party since 2019, will not seek reelection, just after his party secured major wins up and down the ballot last month.

His exit sets up a contested race for the party chair between State Sen. Greg Rothman (R., Cumberland) and Ted Christian, a former Trump staffer and political strategist who announced his run for the seat last weekend. After Tabas’ announcement, a slew of top party leaders threw their support behind Rothman on Friday to succeed him.

Tabas announced to his colleagues on a GOP call Thursday night that he would not run for reelection to another term as party chairman, as the party is set to reorganize in early 2025.

“My goal was always to just achieve the things that I wanted to, strengthen the party, to deal with the voter registration issues, and to get back to my regularly scheduled life,” Tabas said in an interview.

Tabas was elected during a point of turmoil for the party after its former chair had to resign amid sexual harassment accusations. He also inherited an organization that he said was nearly $1 million in debt.

He leaves on a high. The party won big, its debts are paid off, and the GOP also closed its registration gap to about 300,000 voters, the lowest in 52 years.

Tabas said he will make an endorsement in the race but declined to say Friday who he would back. He said he made the decision on his own, without the influence of others who wanted to take his job.

“It’s a tough job, very tough, and … I always felt that the person who serves in these roles is one who should have no personal agenda,” Tabas said.

Christian, a Bucks County resident who worked as state director for President-elect Donald Trump in 2016, announced his intention to run for the position last week during the annual Pennsylvania Society getaway in New York City for the state’s political elite.

» READ MORE: A former Trump adviser — backed by a Bucks County venture capitalist — says he’s running for Pennsylvania’s GOP chair

But right after Tabas’ announcement to Republican insiders, top Republicans began a public full-court press in support of Rothman, a real estate broker who has served in the state Senate for two years and state House for seven.

“I believe in the Republican Party, and I want to build on the successes that we just had in this election,” Rothman, 58, said in a brief phone interview Friday.

The key GOP officials backing Rothman include Senator-elect Dave McCormick, U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser, former Senate candidate Sean Parnell, and a number of his colleagues in the state General Assembly. McCormick said in a statement the party’s next chairman is critically important and state committee members should choose Rothman, whom he described as having the “political savvy and relationships to sustain the progress we made this cycle.”

“I believe State Senator Greg Rothman would be an outstanding chair to lead us forward,” McCormick wrote.

As the highest-ranking Republican in Pennsylvania, McCormick’s pick carries a lot of weight.

“There are two very well-qualified individuals who could lead the party and Sen. McCormick signaling who he thinks can lead the party for the next four years, it’s a very strong signal,” said Philadelphia GOP chair Vince Fenerty, who said he had not yet decided how he’d vote.

Christian, who could not immediately be reached for comment, seemed to still be in the running, despite the GOP establishment’s strong support for Rothman.

“This is why we love democracy. We welcome other people in the race, but we plan to win,” said Paul Martino, a Bucks County venture capitalist who is financially supporting Christian’s campaign for party chairman.

Christian, a former director of 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, state GOP leaders are opting for the person more connected with state-level politics over 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.

But Rothman has also appeared to align with the president-elect, and recently posted a photo with his family and Trump on X. Rothman was also among the 64 Republican lawmakers in 2020 who signed a letter urging Pennsylvania’s congressional delegation to object to the state’s electors, and disavowing the 2020 election results when Trump lost to President Joe Biden.

Rothman also has the backing of Meuser, a strong Trump ally, who has said he is considering a run for governor in 2026.

Rothman said he’s been involved in GOP politics for 40 years, beginning when he was a teenager and wants to help the party expand on its recent successes. The south central Pennsylvania native 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.

More than three decades ago, in 1991, Rothman pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of conspiracy to commit forgery stemming from a falsely attributed political mailer. The conviction was later expunged, and former Gov. Ed Rendell issued Rothman a pardon in 2011.

He also is a deputy on the state Senate Republican Campaign Committee, which flipped a key Northeast Philadelphia seat in last month’s election, sending a Republican to represent parts of the city in the state Senate for the first time in 20 years.

His name was also floated as a pick to run for governor in 2026 against Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro. Rothman said he would not run for governor if he is chosen as party chairman, but plans on remaining in the state Senate.

If selected as Tabas’ successor, Rothman said he wants to grow the number of registered Republican voters across the state.

”It’s going to be about continuing to promote the party, to make it inclusive of everybody, and that we fight for every vote,” Rothman added.