(RightIsRight.co) – After helming a string of regrettable losses and facing a severe cash flow drought, the Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel announced she will be vacating the role.
The New York Times reported that McDaniel plans to leave her post soon after the South Carolina primary at the end of February.
She shared her decision with former President Donald Trump, who in turn is thinking of backing Michael Whatley from North Carolina’s GOP as the new leader. Although Trump’s move is likely to win some support for Whatley RNC rules state there must be an election to officially pick McDaniel’s successor.
McDaniel won her fourth term in January 2023 after beating out lawyer Harmeet Dhillon and businessman Mike Lindell. She has been in charge longer than any GOP chair since Edwin Morgan.
Her tenure has not been smooth: she has faced some pushback from within the GOP for not doing great in the last three elections.
Despite hopes for big GOP wins in 2022 Republicans came up short in several high-profile races after Dr. Mehmet Oz and Herschel Walker lost their Senate races, Don Bolduc was unable to win in New Hampshire, and Kari Lake and Doug Mastriano lost their bids for governor in Arizona and Pennsylvania.
Partway through McDaniel’s latest term Daniel Kelly lost a crucial court race in Wisconsin. McDaniel blamed the loss on a “messaging issue” even though Republicans gave Kelly little financial support.
By the end of 2023 there was a lot of worry within the RNC about money because big donations had dropped as the 2024 elections approached. The RNC was left with its smallest cash reserve since 2015.
Besides financial troubles and election losses McDaniel faced criticism from Vivek Ramaswamy for her leadership during the GOP debates. He even started a petition to get her out of the chair position.
In turn Trump hinted at changes within the RNC during a Fox interview and noted that people wanted something different from what the RNC has been offering. He emphasized his independence from the committee and pointed out that his fundraising efforts are separate from the RNC’s.
