Tina Benkiser
Encyclopedia
Tina Renee Johns Benkiser (born ca. 1962) is a Houston
attorney
who served as chairman of the Republican Party
of Texas
from 2003 to 2009. She became chairman on the resignation of Susan Weddington.
Benkiser resigned as chairman on October 5, 2009, to join the reelection campaign of Governor
Rick Perry
. Under party rules, the chairman must remain neutral in primary election
campaigns. Perry defeated challenges from U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison
and Tea Party movement
activist Debra Medina
in the Republican primary held on March 2, 2010. Benkiser was succeeded by Cathie Adams
of Dallas
, a conservative activist and the Republican national committeewoman
from Texas. Adams was succeeded in the post in the state convention held on June 12, 2010, by Steve Munisteri
of Houston, who thirty years earlier founded the Young Conservatives of Texas
.
Benkiser was elected to full two-year terms in 2004, 2006, and again on June 14, 2008. Robin Armstrong
, an African American
physician
from Dickinson
was the party vice chairman in the latter portion of Benkiser's term. He was elected to his second full term in 2008. State law requires that the chairman and vice chairman of political parties be of opposite sexes. When Munisteri was elected to succeed Adams, Melinda Fredricks of Conroe
succeeded Armstrong as vice chairman.
Under Benkiser's leadership, the Texas party won all twenty-nine statewide offices and maintained its majority in the Texas State Legislature. Republicans have had a net loss of seats in the Texas House under Benkiser though, after peaking in 2003, and lost two formerly Republican seats in the U.S. Congress with the resignation of Tom DeLay
and the defeat of Henry Bonilla
in 2006. In 2008, however, the Republican Party of Texas regained the DeLay seat with the election of Pete Olson
, and also made gains in down-ballot races, achieving for the first time an absolute majority of elected offices in the state, from constable to governor, despite a disappointing year for Republicans nationwide.
Benkiser is married to Eric Benkiser of Houston. Her law practice is in the fields of corporate transactions, business formation and operations, intellectual property, and sports and entertainment law. The Benkisers live in Houston, where they are active members of Second Baptist Church.
Benkiser was recently a candidate for co-chairman of the Republican National Committee
with former Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell
, who ran for chairman. RNC members, however, chose Michael Steele, a former lieutenant governor
of Maryland
, as the national party chairman.
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
attorney
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
who served as chairman of the Republican Party
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
of Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
from 2003 to 2009. She became chairman on the resignation of Susan Weddington.
Benkiser resigned as chairman on October 5, 2009, to join the reelection campaign of Governor
Governor of Texas
The governor of Texas is the head of the executive branch of Texas's government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Texas Legislature, and to convene the legislature...
Rick Perry
Rick Perry
James Richard "Rick" Perry is the 47th and current Governor of Texas. A Republican, Perry was elected Lieutenant Governor of Texas in 1998 and assumed the governorship in December 2000 when then-governor George W. Bush resigned to become President of the United States. Perry was elected to full...
. Under party rules, the chairman must remain neutral in primary election
Primary election
A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....
campaigns. Perry defeated challenges from U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison
Kay Bailey Hutchison
Kathryn Ann Bailey Hutchison, known as Kay Bailey Hutchison , is the senior United States Senator from Texas.She is a member of the Republican Party. In 2001, she was named one of the thirty most powerful women in America by Ladies Home Journal. The first woman to represent Texas in the U.S....
and Tea Party movement
Tea Party movement
The Tea Party movement is an American populist political movement that is generally recognized as conservative and libertarian, and has sponsored protests and supported political candidates since 2009...
activist Debra Medina
Debra Medina
Debra Medina was a candidate for the Republican nomination in the 2010 Texas gubernatorial election. She participated in the January 14 televised debate with incumbent Governor Rick Perry and challenger U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison...
in the Republican primary held on March 2, 2010. Benkiser was succeeded by Cathie Adams
Cathie Adams
Cathie L. Adams is a homemaker from Dallas, Texas, who is the former chairman of the Republican Party of Texas. She won the post in a special meeting of the Republican State Executive Committee held on October 24, 2009, at party headquarters in Austin...
of Dallas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
, a conservative activist and the Republican national committeewoman
Republican National Committee
The Republican National Committee is an American political committee that provides national leadership for the Republican Party of the United States. It is responsible for developing and promoting the Republican political platform, as well as coordinating fundraising and election strategy. It is...
from Texas. Adams was succeeded in the post in the state convention held on June 12, 2010, by Steve Munisteri
Steve Munisteri
Stephen Peter Munisteri is a retired attorney from Houston, Texas, who was elected chairman of the Republican Party of Texas at the state convention held in Dallas on June 13, 2010. He unseated the incumbent Cathie L. Adams, the wife of a Dallas chiropractor, who had held the position for only...
of Houston, who thirty years earlier founded the Young Conservatives of Texas
Young Conservatives of Texas
Young Conservatives of Texas is a nonpartisan conservative youth organization based in Texas. YCT was founded in 1980 and now has chapters at six universities including Stephen F. Austin State University, Texas Tech University, University of Texas at Austin, and Baylor University.A total of 177...
.
Benkiser was elected to full two-year terms in 2004, 2006, and again on June 14, 2008. Robin Armstrong
Robin Armstrong
Robin Armstrong is an African American politician and physician who served as vice chairman of the Republican Party of Texas from 2006-2010. Armstrong was elected at the state convention held in San Antonio on June 3, 2006, to succeed the term-limited David Barton, an historian from Aledo in...
, an African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
from Dickinson
Dickinson, Texas
Dickinson is a city in Galveston County, Texas within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area. The population was 17,093 at the 2000 census.-History:...
was the party vice chairman in the latter portion of Benkiser's term. He was elected to his second full term in 2008. State law requires that the chairman and vice chairman of political parties be of opposite sexes. When Munisteri was elected to succeed Adams, Melinda Fredricks of Conroe
Conroe, Texas
Conroe is a suburban city 40 miles north of Houston in the gulf coastal plains/piney woods region of southeast Texas.It is the seat of Montgomery County and falls within the metropolitan area.As of the 2000 U.S...
succeeded Armstrong as vice chairman.
Under Benkiser's leadership, the Texas party won all twenty-nine statewide offices and maintained its majority in the Texas State Legislature. Republicans have had a net loss of seats in the Texas House under Benkiser though, after peaking in 2003, and lost two formerly Republican seats in the U.S. Congress with the resignation of Tom DeLay
Tom DeLay
Thomas Dale "Tom" DeLay is a former member of the United States House of Representatives, representing Texas's 22nd congressional district from 1984 until 2006. He was Republican Party House Majority Leader from 2003 to 2005, when he resigned because of criminal money laundering charges in...
and the defeat of Henry Bonilla
Henry Bonilla
Henry Bonilla is a former congressman who represented Texas's 23rd congressional district in the United States House of Representatives. He was defeated in his bid for re-election by Ciro Davis Rodriguez, a former Democratic member of Congress, in a special election runoff held on December 12, 2006...
in 2006. In 2008, however, the Republican Party of Texas regained the DeLay seat with the election of Pete Olson
Pete Olson
Peter Graham "Pete" Olson is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2009. He is a member of the Republican Party. The district includes much of southeastern Houston, as well as most of the city's southern suburbs such as Pearland, Sugar Land, and Pasadena.-Early life, education, and military...
, and also made gains in down-ballot races, achieving for the first time an absolute majority of elected offices in the state, from constable to governor, despite a disappointing year for Republicans nationwide.
Benkiser is married to Eric Benkiser of Houston. Her law practice is in the fields of corporate transactions, business formation and operations, intellectual property, and sports and entertainment law. The Benkisers live in Houston, where they are active members of Second Baptist Church.
Benkiser was recently a candidate for co-chairman of the Republican National Committee
Republican National Committee
The Republican National Committee is an American political committee that provides national leadership for the Republican Party of the United States. It is responsible for developing and promoting the Republican political platform, as well as coordinating fundraising and election strategy. It is...
with former Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell
Ken Blackwell
John Kenneth Blackwell is an American politician and activist who served as the mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio from 1979 to 1980 and Ohio Secretary of State from 1999 to 2007. A Republican, he was the first African-American to be the candidate for governor of a major party in Ohio. In 2006, Blackwell...
, who ran for chairman. RNC members, however, chose Michael Steele, a former lieutenant governor
Lieutenant governor
A lieutenant governor or lieutenant-governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction, but is often the deputy or lieutenant to or ranking under a governor — a "second-in-command"...
of Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, as the national party chairman.