Mr. Chairman: The Life and Times of Ray C. Bliss

Ray Bliss was a masterful behind-the-scenes force in the Republican Party for more than three decades at the local, state, and national levels. Recognized as a master of the nuts and bolts of practical politics, Bliss was among the first to use polling and television in campaigns. When Bliss took over as national chairman in 1965, the GOP was on life support after Barry Goldwater’s landslide defeat in the 1964 presidential election. Bliss rebuilt the party through hard work, innovation, a keen eye for detail, and uncanny political instincts. His shrewd ability to unite liberal, moderate, and conservative Republicans helped put Richard M. Nixon in the White House in 1968.

Republicans today face many of the same challenges Bliss faced nearly half a century ago as they struggle to present a united front on thorny issues such as health care and taxes, while accommodating diverse viewpoints. Bliss was critical of candidate-centered politics, more prevalent now than in his time. President Donald J. Trump succeeded with this approach and Republicans today could learn from Bliss’s ability to uphold the party’s interest when working with independent-minded and unpredictable officeholders such as Nixon and Ohio Governor James A. Rhodes.