WASHINGTON – Cubs co-owner Todd Ricketts, who led GOP fundraising efforts to re-elect former President Donald Trump, is stepping down because the Republican Nationwide Committee finance chair after serving within the function for nearly 4 years.
Ricketts, a Wilmette resident, was tapped to be the RNC finance chair in January 2018 with Trump’s backing.
After Trump was elected in 2016, Ricketts accepted Trump’s nomination to be the deputy Commerce secretary. Unable to untangle his advanced monetary holdings to the satisfaction of the Workplace of Authorities Ethics, Ricketts withdrew his nomination and finally accepted the social gathering publish.
Ricketts was additionally the chief fundraiser for Trump’s re-election marketing campaign as the 2 organizations merged their 2020 efforts.
A former Trump ambassador, Richard “Duke” Buchan III, will change Ricketts as RNC chair in January.
Ricketts stated in an announcement he was “proud to have served because the Finance Chair for President Trump and Vice President Pence’s re-election effort.
“I’m excited by all of the Republican candidates we helped elect throughout my tenure in addition to the investments we made and the infrastructure we developed as a celebration. I’m assured the RNC will proceed to be an impressive group to serve Republicans throughout the nation, and I stay up for persevering with to assist the trigger.”
Ricketts introduced on the final RNC finance assembly in Austin, Texas, final month he raised over $1 billion throughout his virtually 4 years on the fundraising helm.
One other Cubs co-owner, Todd’s brother Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts, is term-limited and can’t search re-election in 2022.
Todd Ricketts has been talked about as a potential 2022 contender for an Illinois statewide workplace. He’s bowing out of his RNC function earlier than his time period is up in 2023. This may increasingly free him to think about whether or not he has or desires a political future in Illinois.
His shut affiliation with Trump – and an unlimited fundraising base, between his rich household and his nationwide contacts – would assist him in an Illinois GOP main. However being linked to Trump do straight would make it troublesome to win a common election in closely Democratic Illinois.
Earlier than changing into Trump’s chief fundraiser, Ricketts was a never-Trumper, in 2016, main the anti-Trump cost by way of the Our Ideas political motion committee.
Ricketts’ mother, Marlene Ricketts, whose husband Joe, is the Cubs patriarch and the T.D. Ameritrade founder, donated $3 million to the Our Ideas PAC and was a serious funder.
