News broke this week that Ronna McDaniel was planning to step down from her position as chairwoman for the Republican National Convention. She is the niece of Utah Sen. Mitt Romney and has been the longest-serving chair for the Republican Party since the Civil War.
In a brief interview with Politico, Mitt Romney praised his niece’s time in the position. “She’s done her best to help elect Republicans and done her job,” he said. He added that he has “nothing but love and affection” for his niece.
Chairwoman McDaniel was initially elected in 2017 and has been a staunch supporter of Trump during her time in office. She campaigned and fundraised for him, supporting Trump in 2020 when he and his allies brought lawsuits to court claiming the election had been stolen from him.
However, a growing number of voices in the RNC have expressed dissatisfaction with Mrs. McDaniel and have been calling for her resignation. The Republican Party has lost quite a few seats in recent years, and the much-anticipated “red wave” never materialized in 2022, where the Republicans barely regained control of the House. Additionally, the RNC’s finances are dismal compared with the Democrat Party, as well as compared with where the RNC was a few years ago.
BREAKING: RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel has told Donald Trump she will be resigning after the South Carolina primary.
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Here is what Vivek Ramaswamy had to say about McDaniel during the primary debates.
"We've become a party of losers… Since Ronna McDaniel took over as… pic.twitter.com/MvnuidPjdH
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) February 7, 2024
For his part, Trump has said he also supports Mrs. McDaniel stepping down but has offered her more encouragement than is typical. He met with her this week, calling her a “friend” but ultimately suggesting she resign. According to sources close to her, she will likely step down after the South Carolina primaries later this month, a crucial milestone in Trump’s race to secure the Republican nomination.
Although the former president doesn’t officially dictate the next RNC chair, he holds immense sway with the party leadership. This is typically true no matter the party or president, but Trump has a unique pull with the RNC.
Trump has already proposed a few names for consideration to replace McDaniel, including NC party chairman Michael Whatley, SC party chairman Drew McKissick, and FL state Sen. Joe Gruters. Trump earlier endorsed Gruters and Whatley for bids for positions in the RNC, but they both lost their races.
