( CNN ) -- Tennessee Gov . Bill Haslam has been elected chairman of the Republican Governors Association , replacing New Jersey Gov . Chris Christie . Susana Martinez of New Mexico will serve as vice chairman . The decision was announced over Twitter during the party 's three-day annual conference in Boca Raton , Florida . Unlike his predecessor , Haslam is known for his drama-free leadership style , and has been described as soft-spoken and mild-mannered . The Tennessee businessman , sports team owner , and former Knoxville mayor was re-elected to his second term as governor in November . Looking ahead , Haslam will face a much smaller election in 2015 than Christie did this past year . Instead of overseeing 36 governor 's races , Haslam will only have to fundraise and campaign for three : in Kentucky , Mississippi and Louisiana . In a statement , Christie praised Haslam as a `` true pioneer . '' `` Gov . Haslam is doing what governors are elected to do , '' Christie said . `` He has the results to prove it . His guidance will be a tremendous asset to this organization in the coming year . '' Haslam 's Democratic counterpart will be elected next month at the Democratic Governors Association annual meeting in Los Angeles .
Haslam replaces New Jersey Gov . Chris Christie . Haslam is known for his drama-free leadership style . Haslam 's Democratic counterpart will be elected next month .