Kansas Republican Party chairman Kelly Arnold announced that he will not run for a fourth term. 

Arnold has served as chairman of the party for the past six years. 

Arnold said he will oversee the transition to the new leadership team at the 2019 State Convention which is held in February. 

During his tenure, Arnold said party now has zero debt and reinvigorated communications efforts through newsletters and constant social media presence.

READ HIS FULL STATEMENT BELOW

Friends,

It has been an honor and privilege to serve as Chairman of the Kansas Republican Party for the past six years. I’ve not taken lightly the incredible trust placed in me by the members of the State Committee who unanimously elected me in January 2013.

When I was elected, I came in with the message of party unity being the key to our success with a strong statewide organization focused on developing a deep bench of qualified leaders. I conclude my time as your Chairman with the same message.  Republicans must stand together. We must remember and celebrate the diverse people and conservative ideas that make the Republican Party a Grand Old Party.

I sincerely thank you for allowing me the honor of serving as your Chairman. I owe a debt of gratitude and express my deep thanks to my current and former party officers and staff including Executive Directors Clayton Barker (2011-2017) and Jim Joice (2018) who served alongside me in these endeavors.

A special thank you to my Vice Chair Ashley Hutchinson. Ashley has been valuable Co Captain for me during my time as chair. Ashley is someone who has worked tirelessly to build our party and been instrumental in Republican victories over the past decade, running Senator Pat Roberts 2008 re-election ground game and creating the Clean Sweep strategy that has led Republicans to many historic victories. Thank you Ashley, for donating your energy and talent to our party.

With my background in finance and management, operating a professional, fiscally sound organization was of the utmost importance. During my time at the helm of the party, we have done this. The organization is fully staffed, fully funded and financially strong. I am very proud that the Kansas Republican Party’s next Chairman will take over an organization with cash in the bank and zero debt. Our rent was paid on time every month and employees never missed a paycheck during my time as Chairman. Federal Elections Commission records were maintained with full oversight and compliance, with every single report filed on time.

We devoted considerable time and effort to reinvigorating our communications efforts. In 2016, we launched a full rebrand unveiling our new logo at our 2016 Convention. Our KSGOP e-newsletters and constant social media presence have kept our grassroots, candidates, and elected officials up to date. Our Facebook membership grew from a few hundred followers to now over 19,000! These efforts have allowed us to expand our reach to new audiences across Kansas. Our e-mail distribution list has expanded allowing us to reach tens of thousands of voters quickly. Our communication efforts when we welcomed the three top Republican Presidential candidates to our 2016 caucus. We were able to turn out thousands of Republicans to welcome Senators Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio and now President Donald J. Trump.

Leading the Party as Chairman has been a rewarding experience. I’ve had the honor of working with our President, Vice President, and countless other conservative leaders across our nation. I attended all 18 Republican National Convention meetings and served on the Committee of Arrangements which oversaw the 2016 Convention in Cleveland. Advocating for our Kansas Republicans to our national Republican organization has been an enormous privilege. But most of all, I’ve been blessed to travel the great state of Kansas, connecting with communities from Southeast Kansas to the Nebraska-Kansas border, Western Kansas and beyond. I’ve met people I never would have met, traveled to cities I’d not been to before, and learned things about myself and our party by spending so much time outside of my hometown. My love for our Party and the State of Kansas has grown in ways I couldn’t have imagined.

I also want thank the many Republicans who have supported me over the years, giving your time, energy, and financial resources that allowed us to execute our mission. Without you, none of our successes would have been possible.

With this, I will not run for a fourth term as Chairman. Ashley and I will oversee the transition of our party to the new leadership team you select at our 2019 State Convention. We look forward to passing the baton to a new team ready to lead and build on our successes and continue to move the party forward.

I look forward to seeing you all in February at our 2019 State Convention as I chair my final meeting.

It truly has been an honor of a lifetime,

Kelly B. Arnold

KSGOP Chairman

2013-2019