Trump-backed wife of RNC chair launches bid for Congress as GOP defends slim House majority
A week after President Donald Trump urged Sydney Gruters to run for an open GOP-held congressional seat in Florida, the former executive director of the state's New College Foundation and...
By Fox News · Fox News
A week after President Donald Trump urged Sydney Gruters to run for an open GOP-held congressional seat in Florida, the former executive director of the state's New College Foundation and wife of Republican National Committee (RNC) Chair Joe Gruters declared her candidacy. "As a working mother of three, I see firsthand how much pressure rising prices are putting on families across Southwest Florida," Sydney Gruters said as she launched her campaign on Thursday. "From groceries and gas to housing and insurance, too many families, seniors, and veterans are being stretched thin. I’m running for Congress to protect our conservative values and fight for the people of this district and give them a strong voice in Washington." With Trump's support, Gruters is considered the clear front-runner to succeed retiring longtime GOP Rep. Vern Buchanan , her former boss, in Florida's right-leaning 16th Congressional District, which stretches from Tampa's eastern suburbs south to Bradenton. Republicans currently control the House 218-214 and will be defending their fragile majority in this year's midterm elections. Trump, in a social media post on March 24, emphasized that Gruters would "fight tirelessly." RNC CHAIR BETS ON ‘SECRET WEAPON’ TO DEFY MIDTERM HISTORY, PROTECT GOP MAJORITIES "Should she decide to enter this Race, Sydney Gruters has my Complete and Total Endorsement. RUN, SYDNEY, RUN!" the president declared. While her husband, a Florida state senator and top Trump supporter in the Sunshine State, is well known nationally as he steers the RNC, the 44-year-old Sydney Gruters is well known in her district and very familiar with Congress. SCOOP: HOUSE GOP CAMPAIGN ARM LAUNCHES ‘MAGA MAJORITY’ PROGRAM TO BOOST TRUMP-ALIGNED CANDIDATES Gruters served as Buchanan's operation director for a decade (2007-2017) and later as district director to GOP Rep. Greg Steube (2019-2023) in the neighboring 17th Congressional District. In-between her two congressional stints, she served in T…