In September 2009, Texas GOP State Chairman Tina Benkiser announced her resignation at the quarterly State Republican Executive Committee meeting in Austin.
Under Texas law, each major party must at all times have a woman as either its chairman or vice-chairman.
 Since Vice-Chairman Robin Armstrong did not relinquish his position to seek to succeed Benkiser as State Chairman, only a woman could be elected to fill the position.
 On October 24, 2009, the SREC elected Texas GOP National Committeewoman Cathie Adams as Benkiser's successor by a vote of 36-25.

On January 22, 2010, Munisteri announced his candidacy for State Chairman citing a desire to make the RPT a "more effective organization" by utilizing his "strong business administrative skills".
He was the second declared challenger in the race, as former SREC member Tom Mechler of Amarillo, had announced his candidacy the previous summer.
Munisteri’s election marked the first time in modern history that a challenger defeated a sitting incumbent at the state convention.
When Munisteri stepped down early in 2015, Mechler was elected his successor on the third secret ballot by the 62-member Republican State Executive Committee.

During the campaign for state chairman, Munisteri cited the need to reduce recurring party debt which had reached over $700,000, and used that as a factor in defeating Adams, the incumbent.
Adams claimed that party finances were in order, but reports upholding her contention were not released to the Federal Elections Commission or the Texas Ethics Commission.
Munisteri brought a large number of youthful supporters to the convention and overwhelmed Adams' effort to win a full two-year term as chairman.
Many of these young people were members of Young Conservatives of Texas, a conservative youth organization which Munisteri founded in 1980.

On the second day of the convention, delegates voted by senatorial district for the position of State Chairman.
 Munisteri won 13 districts, Adams won 12 districts, and Mechler won 6 districts.
 Since no candidate received a majority of districts, a vote was held in the nominations committee of the convention, and Munisteri won the second ballot by a count of 22-9.
 After the nominations committee presented their results to the full convention, Adams then proceeded to force an unprecedented floor vote for the position, at which point Tom Mechler officially endorsed Munisteri's candidacy.
 Munisteri then addressed the full convention and declared that his differences with Adams are "insignificant to the duty we have to our country."
He placed the reelection of Perry as top priority and then the regaining of Republican majorities in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate.
He added, "there's no question we have to get rid of that man in the White House," a reference to U.S. President Barack Obama.
In the ensuing floor vote, Munisteri prevailed with a margin of 4,170 to 2,950 for Adams.

Ed Hubbard, a Harris County delegate who supported Munisteri over Adams, said that the GOP must be a "functioning statewide political organization focused on winning elections... to keep Texas in the Republican column, and keep its policies conservative."
Hubbard offered three reasons for his support of Munisteri:
Munisteri, he said, has "honestly confronted the actual present condition of the party organization, and has provided a plan to address it and improve it."

He has pledged to "use his private-sector experiences to address the challenges facing the party organization."

He "understands the need for unity within the party by conducting this campaign in a positive manner [and] has remained focused on what needs to be done to improve the effectiveness of the party, even while he has been attacked personally."
Hubbard did not say what personal attacks had been involved.

Upon becoming chairman, Munisteri immediately focused his sights on the pending reelection campaign of Governor Rick Perry, who won a third full four-year term in the general election on November 2, 2010.
Perry also served the last two years of the une
In September 2009, Texas GOP State Chairman Tina Benkiser announced her resignation at the quarterly State Republican Executive Committee meeting in Austin. Under Texas law, each major party must at all times have a woman as either its chairman or vice-chairman.  Since Vice-Chairman Robin Armstrong did not relinquish his position to seek to succeed Benkiser as State Chairman, only a woman could be elected to fill the position.  On October 24, 2009, the SREC elected Texas GOP National Committeewoman Cathie Adams as Benkiser's successor by a vote of 36-25.
On January 22, 2010, Munisteri announced his candidacy for State Chairman citing a desire to make the RPT a "more effective organization" by utilizing his "strong business administrative skills". He was the second declared challenger in the race, as former SREC member Tom Mechler of Amarillo, had announced his candidacy the previous summer. Munisteri’s election marked the first time in modern history that a challenger defeated a sitting incumbent at the state convention. When Munisteri stepped down early in 2015, Mechler was elected his successor on the third secret ballot by the 62-member Republican State Executive Committee.
During the campaign for state chairman, Munisteri cited the need to reduce recurring party debt which had reached over $700,000, and used that as a factor in defeating Adams, the incumbent. Adams claimed that party finances were in order, but reports upholding her contention were not released to the Federal Elections Commission or the Texas Ethics Commission. Munisteri brought a large number of youthful supporters to the convention and overwhelmed Adams' effort to win a full two-year term as chairman. Many of these young people were members of Young Conservatives of Texas, a conservative youth organization which Munisteri founded in 1980.
On the second day of the convention, delegates voted by senatorial district for the position of State Chairman.  Munisteri won 13 districts, Adams won 12 districts, and Mechler won 6 districts.  Since no candidate received a majority of districts, a vote was held in the nominations committee of the convention, and Munisteri won the second ballot by a count of 22-9.  After the nominations committee presented their results to the full convention, Adams then proceeded to force an unprecedented floor vote for the position, at which point Tom Mechler officially endorsed Munisteri's candidacy.  Munisteri then addressed the full convention and declared that his differences with Adams are "insignificant to the duty we have to our country." He placed the reelection of Perry as top priority and then the regaining of Republican majorities in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. He added, "there's no question we have to get rid of that man in the White House," a reference to U.S. President Barack Obama. In the ensuing floor vote, Munisteri prevailed with a margin of 4,170 to 2,950 for Adams.
Ed Hubbard, a Harris County delegate who supported Munisteri over Adams, said that the GOP must be a "functioning statewide political organization focused on winning elections... to keep Texas in the Republican column, and keep its policies conservative." Hubbard offered three reasons for his support of Munisteri:
Munisteri, he said, has "honestly confronted the actual present condition of the party organization, and has provided a plan to address it and improve it."
He has pledged to "use his private-sector experiences to address the challenges facing the party organization."
He "understands the need for unity within the party by conducting this campaign in a positive manner [and] has remained focused on what needs to be done to improve the effectiveness of the party, even while he has been attacked personally." Hubbard did not say what personal attacks had been involved.
Upon becoming chairman, Munisteri immediately focused his sights on the pending reelection campaign of Governor Rick Perry, who won a third full four-year term in the general election on November 2, 2010. Perry also served the last two years of the une
Steve Munisteri