Ron Nehring

Early life

Ron Nehring is the only son of German immigrants who settled in New York on Long Island in 1961. He graduated from Islip High School, a public high school in Islip, New York, in June 1988 and was a competition cyclist from 1984 to 1988.

Education

Nehring earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Stony Brook University (SUNY Stony Brook) in May 1992 and was recognized by the University for "Outstanding Undergraduate Achievement." He later completed graduate coursework in government at the American University in Washington, D.C. During his time at Stony Brook, Nehring was four times elected president of the campus chapter of the College Republicans. He worked on numerous campaigns in Suffolk County, New York in the towns of Brookhaven and Southampton while an undergraduate student. In January 1992, while a college senior, he traveled to New Hampshire to campaign for the re-election of then-President George H.W. Bush. He moved to San Diego, California in 1996.

Republican Party of San Diego County

On July 9, 2001 Nehring was elected Chairman of the Republican Party of San Diego County. He was re-elected in 2003, 2005 and 2007 by acclamation. He resigned as Chairman in April 2007 after being elected Chairman of the California Republican Party. He was succeeded as Chairman by his Finance Chairman, Tony Krvaric.

California Republican Party

In February 2003 Nehring was elected President of the California Republican County Chairmen's Association, an organization within the California Republican Party representing the 58 county Republican leaders in the state. In 2005 he was elected Vice Chairman of the California Republican Party, and in 2007 he was elected Chairman He served two terms, from February 2007 to March 2011, stepping down in March 2011 due to term limits.

During his two terms as chairman the state party strengthened its financial position and retired its debt, but saw state Republican registration slip to 30.9% of voters.

In the 2016 Republican presidential primary, Nehring endorsed Ted Cruz.

Republican National Committee

Nehring served for 4 years as a member of the 168-member Republican National Committee, the national governing body of the Republican Party.

In April 2009 then-RNC Chairman Michael Steele appointed Nehring to the post of Chairman of the RNC's State Chairmen's Committee, the body consisting of the RNC's 56 state and territorial leaders.

Local government

From 2004 through 2006, Nehring served as a Trustee for the Grossmont Union High School District, a large school district in east San Diego County with 11 high schools and an annual budget exceeding $170 million. As a strong proponent of charter schools and education reform, he proposed a comprehensive plan for sharply increasing the number of charter schools in the district. He served as the Chairman of the district's Audit Committee.

State government

In 2005, he was appointed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to the California Board of Forestry and Fire Protection, where he brought his experiences from the 2003 Cedar Fire which destroyed over 2,000 homes. In 2014, he ran as a Republican for Lieutenant Governor, losing to incumbent Gavin Newsom in November.

2014 Campaign for Lieutenant Governor

Nehring ran as the Republican candidate for California Lieutenant Governor. According to his California voter guide statement, Nehring is running on a platform of cutting taxes, reducing government spending, dropping high speed rail development, moving education oversight from the state to local school districts, and reducing parole options for criminals.

Awards and recognition

Stony Brook University recognized Nehring with its "Distinguished Alumnus Award" in May 2010 at a ceremony where he addressed the graduates of the university's Political Science Department. The College Republican National Committee recognized Nehring with its "Distinguished Alumnus Award" in 2010. The Conservative Order for Good Government awarded Nehring its Silver Cogg Award in September 2002 in recognition of his leadership in revitalizing the county Republican Party.

Lecturer and educator

Nehring serves as a member of the faculty for numerous non-profit organizations, including the Leadership Institute and the International Republican Institute, providing training in governance, communications, campaign planning and policy.

Writer

Nehring is a contributor to several leading online news sources, including the Huffington Post and the Flashreport.