Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel may be out, although there appears to be conflicting reports on her demise.
“Two sources familiar with McDaniel’s plans said she intends to step down shortly after the Feb. 24 Republican South Carolina primary. She has briefed former President Donald Trump on the matter, the sources said. As for her replacement, Trump is likely to push for the appointment of North Carolina Republican Party Chair Michael Whatley,” the New York Times reported.
The Associated Press cited two sources to report that McDaniel “has discussed the possibility of stepping down during a private meeting with former President Donald Trump, with both agreeing to delay a decision until after South Carolina’s primary later this month.”
“McDaniel has not formally decided to leave her position as head of the GOP’s political machine, said the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity to disclose internal deliberations. But having long faced vocal opposition from a faction of the party, McDaniel is under renewed pressure after Trump publicly questioned whether she should stay in the job,” the news agency added.
Newsmax’s Rob Schmitt asked Trump Monday night if it’s “time for Ronna McDaniel to step aside,” and he replied: “I think she knows that, I think she understands that.”
Raising money has been a struggle for the RNC under McDaniel, who was backed by Trump when she was reelected to a fourth term. The GOP campaign arm reportedly has just $8 million on hand and is $1 million in debt.
As the Times noted, McDaniel has faced “increased scrutiny in recent election cycles.” Most notably, the expected great Red Wave of 2022 ran into a Blue Wall, with the GOP failing to retake the Senate and just barely squeaking out a majority in the House. Republicans lost the House in 2018, and the Senate in 2020 under her leadership.
“Nothing has changed,” RNC spokesperson Keith Schipper said in a statement. “This will be decided after South Carolina.”
Either way, there has been a lot of speculation over who may replace McDaniel, with one of the more surprising names being bandied about being Mike Lindell, of My Pillow fame. As seen in the clip below, Lindell appears to be up for the challenge.
Mike Lindell is ready to take over for Ronna as the next RNC Chair. pic.twitter.com/WF8RmAKLst
— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) February 7, 2024
Late Tuesday, Lindell retweeted a Post Millennial article on McDaniel stepping down.
In addition to Lindell, other names mentioned as a possible replacement are attorney Harmeet Dhillon and conservative activist Scott Presler.
Once Ronna McDaniel resigns, who’s your preferred choice for RNC Chair:
– Scott Presler
– Harmeet Dhillon
– Mike Lindell pic.twitter.com/cmeZAtiUkz— TEAM USA (@__TEAM_USA) February 7, 2024
Lindell and Dhillon, a Republican national committeewoman for California, ran against McDaniel last year and lost. In a tweet posted Tuesday evening, Dhillon stressed that she was no longer interested in the job.
She wrote, “Each version of RNC Game of Thrones I hear is worse than the last one. To be clear, I’m not seeking the chair position. We had an election, I lost, shook the victor’s hand, and offered my support. But there are plenty of folks gunning for it. Happy where I am. I love the law!”
Each version of RNC Game of Thrones I hear is worse than the last one.
To be clear, I’m not seeking the chair position. We had an election, I lost, shook the victor’s hand, and offered my support. But there are plenty of folks gunning for it.
Happy where I am. I love the law!
— Harmeet K. Dhillon (@pnjaban) February 6, 2024
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