Reince Priebus Bio
Reinhold Richard “Reince” Priebus (born 18 March 1972) is an American politician, attorney, and naval officer who served as chairman of the Republican National Committee from 2011 to 2017 and as White House chief of staff during the first six months of Donald Trump’s presidency in 2017. Raised in Wisconsin, Priebus built a reputation as a skilled party operative who worked to repair the Republican Party’s finances and broaden its outreach. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater and the University of Miami School of Law, he combined legal training with grassroots political organizing. His six-month tenure in the White House is the shortest of any permanent chief of staff in U.S. history.
Early Life and Background
Reince Priebus was born on March 18, 1972, in Dover, New Jersey, the son of Richard Priebus and Dimitra Pitsiladis. His father worked as a union electrician and his mother worked as a real estate agent. His father is of German and English descent, and his mother is of Greek descent, with roots in Mytilene and Khartoum. After his family moved to Green Bay, Wisconsin, when he was seven years old, Priebus grew up in the Midwest. He later attended Tremper High School in Kenosha, Wisconsin, graduating in 1990.
At the age of 16, Priebus volunteered for his first political campaign, an experience that sparked his interest in public life. He went on to attend the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater, where he majored in English and political science and joined the Delta Chi fraternity. Priebus graduated cum laude in 1994 after serving as student body president.
After completing his undergraduate studies, Priebus served as a clerk for the Wisconsin State Assembly Education Committee. He later enrolled at the University of Miami School of Law in Coral Gables, Florida, where he also clerked for the Wisconsin Court of Appeals, the Wisconsin Supreme Court, and the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida. He graduated cum laude with a Juris Doctor degree in 1998 and was admitted to the Wisconsin state bar.
Path to US Politics
Following law school, Priebus joined the Wisconsin-based law firm Michael Best, where he practiced in the litigation and corporate practice groups and became a partner in 2006. His early political work began in earnest in 2004, when he ran for the Wisconsin State Senate and lost a close 52-to-48 percent race to the Democratic incumbent, Robert Wirch. Despite the defeat, the campaign helped establish his presence in state-level Republican politics.
In 2007, Priebus won election as chairman of the Wisconsin Republican Party, becoming the youngest person ever to hold that position. Two years later, in 2009, he added the role of general counsel for the Republican National Committee. As state party chairman, he led the party to victory in the November 2010 elections, helping Republicans win control of the Wisconsin State Senate and Assembly and electing a Republican governor. He also worked to align Wisconsin’s Tea Party movement with the mainstream state party organization.
Reince Priebus Career
Early Career (2007–2010)
Reince Priebus’s early political career was rooted in state-level party building. After taking over the Wisconsin Republican Party in 2007, he quickly expanded his influence within the broader national party structure by becoming general counsel of the Republican National Committee in 2009. His tenure as state chairman coincided with growing conservative activism, and he managed the relationship between traditional Republicans and the emerging Tea Party movement with care.
The 2010 midterm elections marked a significant breakthrough. Under Priebus’s leadership, the Wisconsin Republican Party won control of both chambers of the state legislature and the governorship, transforming a previously Democratic-leaning state government. He stepped down as general counsel of the RNC in late 2010 to pursue the chairmanship of the national committee.
RNC Chairmanship (2011–2017)
On January 14, 2011, after seven rounds of voting, Reince Priebus was elected chairman of the Republican National Committee, defeating several rivals. He inherited a $23 million debt from his predecessor, Michael Steele, along with strained relationships with major donors. Priebus quickly moved to reduce the debt, rebuild the party’s donor network, and invest in voter mobilization programs. By the end of 2011, he had raised more than $88 million and cut the RNC’s debt to $11.8 million.
During the 2012 presidential election, Priebus became a frequent critic of President Barack Obama and Democratic leaders, appearing on programs including Meet the Press, Face the Nation, Fox News Sunday, and State of the Union. After the Republican loss, he ordered a comprehensive review of party operations, resulting in the Growth and Opportunity Project report of March 2013, which recommended improvements in digital outreach, minority engagement, and primary scheduling. He was re-elected to a second term in January 2013 without opposition and to a third term in January 2015 on a near-unanimous vote.
As chairman, Priebus presided over the Republican Party during the 2016 presidential primaries, initially opposing Donald Trump before supporting him after he secured the nomination. He also worked to shorten the presidential primary calendar, persuaded CNN and NBC News to cancel planned Hillary Clinton biopics, and oversaw outreach to Black, Latino, and Asian American voters, including a $10 million minority engagement effort.
White House Chief of Staff (2017)
On November 13, 2016, President-elect Donald Trump announced his choice of Reince Priebus as White House chief of staff. Priebus took office in January 2017 and was soon drawn into internal White House disputes over access, leaks, and the FBI’s investigation into Russian contacts with Trump campaign associates. He clashed publicly with communications director Anthony Scaramucci, who publicly suggested Priebus was responsible for damaging leaks.
Priebus resigned on July 27, 2017, and was succeeded by John F. Kelly on July 31, 2017. His six-month tenure is the shortest of any permanent chief of staff in U.S. history, edging out Kenneth Duberstein’s service under President Ronald Reagan.
Post–White House Career and Navy Service (2017–Present)
After leaving the White House, Priebus returned to private legal practice, taking on the roles of president and chief strategist at Michael Best. On June 10, 2019, he was commissioned as an ensign in the United States Navy Reserve as a human resources officer, sworn in by Vice President Mike Pence. In 2020, Trump announced his intent to nominate Priebus to the President’s Commission on White House Fellowships. In 2023, Priebus was named chairman of the host committee for the 2024 Republican National Convention in Milwaukee and served as a fellow at the USC Center for the Political Future. In January 2026, he joined Fox News as a political analyst.
Notable Events and Milestones
Reince Priebus’s career is defined by the rebuilding of the Republican National Committee’s finances, the design of the Growth and Opportunity Project, and the unprecedented brevity of his White House tenure. His role in supporting Donald Trump through the 2016 primaries and transition cemented his place in modern American political history.
Reince Priebus Career Wins
Reince Priebus’s record of electoral and organizational success spans state and national levels. As chairman of the Wisconsin Republican Party, he led the party to a 2010 sweep of statewide offices. As RNC chairman, he raised more than $88 million in 2011, eliminated party debt by the end of 2012, and won three consecutive chairmanship elections. His leadership during the 2016 presidential cycle ended in the Republican victory that returned the White House to GOP control.
Chairman and Organizational Wins
Priebus was elected chairman of the Wisconsin Republican Party in 2007, chairman of the Republican National Committee in 2011, and re-elected to the RNC chair in 2013 and 2015. He led the 2010 Wisconsin Republican wave and helped coordinate the 2012 and 2016 presidential election efforts.
Other Wins and Achievements
Priebus’s other notable achievements include shepherding the Growth and Opportunity Project, persuading major networks to cancel Clinton biopics, securing rule changes to shorten the Republican primary calendar, and being commissioned as a naval officer in 2019. His 2017 White House service, though brief, made him a central figure in the early Trump administration.
Reince Priebus Family
Family Background and Heritage
Reince Priebus is the son of Richard Priebus, a former union electrician, and Dimitra Pitsiladis, a real estate agent. His father is of German and English descent, while his mother is of Greek descent, with family roots in Mytilene and Khartoum, Sudan. He is an archon of the Greek Orthodox Church.
Personal Life
In 1999, Reince Priebus married Sally L. Sherrow, whom he met in church when they were teenagers. The couple has two children.