Bill Frist M.D.

I am pleased to announce my support of Chip Saltsman for the chairmanship of the Republican National Committee. I have had the privilege of working closely with Chip for a number of years. He was invaluable in building our Tennessee state party as Chairman during the 2000 election cycle and since then he has been a skilled manager and thoughtful tactician for Republicans nationwide. During my time as Chairman of the NRSC and again as Senate Majority Leader I came to rely upon Chip's counsel and leadership.

Our Party would do well to look to him as a new leader ready to face of the daunting challenges of a Democrat Majority in Congress and a newly elected Democrat President.  His tireless energy, grasp of new technology and his commitment to the principles of our Party will provide him with the qualities we need to lead our Party forward.

— Bill Frist M.D., Fmr. Senate Majority Leader 2003-06.

Mike Huckabee

I enthusiastically endorse Chip Saltsman for RNC Chair. Over the course of the last two years I have come to know and admire Chip Saltsman's talents as a tactician and a strategist. As the campaign manager for my presidential campaign, I also saw Chip's ability to operate a very frugal operation, which I think the RNC could use a lesson in.

As the Party searches for a leader and a steady hand to reshape and rebuild the Party online and offline they would do well to look to Chip.  The national party needs to function so as to empower and assist local and state party organizations and become a more ground-up, grassroots army. Chip has been a highly successful state party chairman and will transform the RNC so it serves the state and local organizations instead of the other way around."

Our campaign blazed the way online thanks to Chip's leadership. The GOP on a national and local level must modernize and do so quickly. Chip understands that and I am confident will bring energy and a willingness to open doors to new ideas not close them. I urge you to learn more about Chip and to read his Plan for Republican Victory.

-Mike Huckabee, Fmr. Arkansas Governor 1996-2006

Representative Jason Mumpower, TN House Republican Leader

In 1998, when Chip Saltsman took over the Republican Party of Tennessee, the Democrats held a 59 to 40 majority in the State House and an 18 to 15 majority in the Senate. However, our new party Chairman was convinced that hard work and adherence to our conservative ideals would bring us to this point.

Unwilling to settle for the status quo or listen to the naysayers, Chip had the vision and the initiative to turn our political landscape around and build a Republican Party that could govern with real solutions for the people of Tennessee.

In 2000, Chip Saltsman understood that Tennessee would make the difference in electing George W. Bush to the presidency. So, with little help from the national party, he developed the plan, raised $5.5 million to implement it, and defeated Al Gore in his home state. Without Chip's leadership, the recount in Florida would have become no more than an asterisk in the history books of a Gore presidency.

Just as importantly, Chip developed a plan to take on Tennessee's Democratic leadership. And, over the past decade, this plan has become a reality. In 2004, we won the majority in the Senate. After the 2006 election, we took over the leadership in the Senate. Now, in 2009, we will have control over both houses of the General Assembly. All of this progress has been made possible because of Chip Saltsman's decisive chairmanship a decade ago.

While the 2008 gains in Tennessee were a bright spot for Republicans, we have lost our way as a national party. We need Chip's young and energetic leadership to bring our party back to its core principles of fiscal restraint and individual responsibility.  I enthusiastically endorse Chip Saltsman for RNC Chairman.

-Representative Jason Mumpower