With more than 1,600 delegates from across North Carolina, Republicans gathered this weekend at the Koury Convention Center in Greensboro for the 2025 NCGOP Convention to elect the party’s chair and vice chair.
Using an all-paper, hand-counted ballot system, delegates re-elected Jason Simmons as party chair for another two-year term. Simmons was endorsed for the position by President Donald Trump in May, and won with 52.7% of the vote, defeating challenger Brooke McGowan. In the race for vice chair, Gay Dillard secured 63.7% of the vote over Michael Magnanti. Current NCGOP vice chair Susan Mills did not seek re-election.
Unity
Republican unity remains a key challenge for the GOP as it approaches the critical 2026 mid-term election. While internal divisions, ranging from ideological splits to personal rivalries, continue to emerge, Simmons emphasizes that the party is focused and moving forward with a united front.
“We always are focused as a party, making sure that we’ve got opportunities to highlight our candidates, highlight our policies, and especially our winning message,” Simmons explained. “You look at where the Democrat Party is today, especially at the national level, as well as here in the state. They continue to have failed policies, failed direction, failed messages that really the voters of North Carolina, as well as really across the entire country, rejected. But as you look forward, Republicans are united. We understand that we’ve got to come together, make sure that in our statewide elections, as well as all of our down ballot races, we are focused on electing Republicans to represent us in Washington, D.C., support President Trump and his America First agenda, as well as sending great legislators back to Raleigh to represent us.”
2026 Senate Race
Republican U.S. Senator Thom Tillis, who is up for re-election next year, faces an uphill battle with just 26% of voters viewing him favorably and 46% holding an unfavorable opinion in a recent Carolina Journal Poll. A primary challenge appears likely, though Simmons emphasized that the NCGOP does not take sides in primary contests.
“As a party, we do have to take a position of neutrality going into any of the primaries. And so per our bylaws, we take that position,” said Simmons. “But I know that our candidates across the board are going to have a very robust conversation about the direction of our party, being able to highlight those opportunities to support President Trump’s America First agenda and making sure that we’ve got a great candidate going into the general election to support President Trump and his agenda.”
Municipal races
While a lot of attention is focused on midterm elections in 2026, Simmons expressed the importance of municipal elections in 2025.
“Every election is important, especially making sure that we get good candidates out there and highlighting the Republican policies of a higher quality of education,” Simmons told Carolina Journal. “Talking about the successes that we’ve seen in the economic conditions, making sure to continue to lower taxes, lower regulations, making opportunities for businesses to come in and thrive in those communities, as well as public safety.”
The post Trump-backed Simmons clinches NCGOP chairmanship first appeared on Carolina Journal.