Since 1978, when he succeeded Charles W. Pickering, Retzer has been elected multiple times as state chairman of the Mississippi Republican Party. In 2004, he was elected Treasurer of the Republican National Convention, which met in New York City to re-nominate the Bush-Cheney ticket. In 2001, he was elected Republican National Committeeman for Mississippi; Jim Herring, a lawyer from Canton, then became chairman for a seven-year stint. In 2002, Retzer was named treasurer of the national Republican Party.