Who We Are
The Polk GOP, also known as the Polk County Republican Executive Committee (PCREC), is a volunteer organization comprised of hundreds of registered Republicans elected to represent, recruit, and organize Republicans throughout Polk County’s precincts.
Email:
Meeting Time and Date:
Every 3rd Monday at 6:30pm, Social starts at 6:00pm.
Meeting Location:
Champions Church
1801 Havendale Blvd N.
Winter Haven, Florida
Party Officers
Chair:
Sam Romain
320-444-3102
Committeeman:
Ed Shoemaker
863-899-2162
Committeewoman:
Kat Gates-Skipper
863-207-4200
Sam Romain, Chairman
Polk County Republican Executive Committee
Sam Romain serves as Chairman of the Polk County Republican Executive Committee, becoming the youngest chairman in Polk County’s history. He leads all party operations, strategy, and grassroots growth, presiding over REC and Executive Board meetings and ensuring full compliance with state law and RPOF rules and procedures.
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With more than twelve years of experience in mass media, marketing, and political strategy, Sam has worked on dozens of campaigns from school board to president and has served inside multiple PACs. His expertise in communications and voter engagement strengthens the REC’s efforts in voter registration, precinct organization, and countywide GOTV operations, in accordance with the RPOF County Model Constitution and Officer Duties Manual.
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Sam has been featured on major media outlets including FOX News, BBC, Real America’s Voice (RAV), The Daily Caller, and numerous regional and national platforms, offering insight on political strategy and conservative issues.
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In addition to chairing the REC, Sam serves as Executive Director of the Polk County Young Republicans and represents Polk County on the Republican Party of Florida State Executive Committee, also participating in the Congressional Caucus.
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A husband and father of three boys, Sam brings a strong commitment to family, faith, and community as he works to strengthen Republican victories and build the next generation of conservative leadership in Polk County.
Stephen Labate, Vice Chair
Polk County Republican Executive Committee
Stephen Labate brings over three decades of distinguished leadership experience across both the military and private sectors. Commissioned as a Reserve Officer in 1989, Stephen Labate’s military career spanned more than thirty years and included a combat tour in Iraq, along with multiple post-9/11 Active-Duty deployments in support of Operation Noble Eagle & Liberty Crisis. His Army Reserve career advanced to the most senior levels of leadership, where he was recognized for his exceptional performance and appointed as a Military Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of the Army, (M&RA) at the Pentagon—a position he held until his retirement in June 2021 as a full Colonel.
In the civilian sector, Stephen has served in the financial services industry since 1994, focusing on strategic oversight, regulatory compliance, and ethical leadership.
Stephen is also well known for his public service and political engagement. He was the Republican and Conservative Party nominee for U.S. Congress in New York’s 3rd District, earning endorsements from national leaders including Rudy Giuliani, George Pataki, Steve Forbes, and Senator Lindsey Graham. He also received endorsements from Citizens United PAC, Combat Veterans for Congress PAC, and the New York City Police Department Detectives Endowment Association, and was rated “A” by the NRA. Though he did not unseat incumbent Steve Israel, then-Chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), his campaign demonstrated strong grassroots momentum and a steadfast commitment to conservative values.
Traie Ward
Secretary
Dr. Ed Shoemaker
​State Committeeman
Jill Sessions
Treasurer
Kat Gates-Skipper
​State Committeewoman
Social Media
