Career
She became chairman on the resignation of Susan Weddington. 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.
When Munisteri was elected to succeed Adams, Melinda Fredricks of Conroe succeeded Armstrong as vice chairman. Republicans have had a Netto loss of seats in the Texas House under Benkiser though, after peaking in 2003, and lost two formerly Republican seats in the United States. Congress with the resignation of Tom DeLay and the defeat of Henry Bonilla in 2006.
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 United States. 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. In 2009, Benkiser was a candidate for co-chairman of the Republican National Committee with former Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell, who ran for chairman.
Radio Network Controller members, however, chose Michael Steele, a former lieutenant governor of Maryland, as the national party chairman, who was unseated by Reince Priebus early in 2011.