Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel will run for reelection after she reportedly received significant support on a call with RNC members.
Nearly 100 of the 168 total RNC members have pledged to back McDaniel, which is more than the majority needed to win reelection, according to Politico. If reelected, she would be in the position to lead the RNC through the 2024 presidential election despite the GOP’s underwhelming performance in the midterms.
Republicans were expected to reclaim the Senate and obtain a larger House majority than current projections show. Calls for changing the party leadership have come from top GOP officials including Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley and Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz. (RELATED: Top Conservative Groups, Lawmakers Call For Delay Of GOP Leadership Elections)
McDaniel allies say she’s locked up the support of nearly 100 members – well over the number she’d need to win reelection
Among the RNC members making calls on her behalf: Richard Porter of Ill, Glenn McCall of SC, and Jessica Patterson of CAhttps://t.co/mjawRMkNNB
— Alex Isenstadt (@politicoalex) November 14, 2022
Challengers to McDaniel could include American Conservative Union President Matt Schlapp and New York Gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin, according to NBC News. Schlapp is a close ally of former President Donald Trump and Zeldin rose to prominence after his upstart GOP gubernatorial campaign in New York received national attention.
The election for RNC Chair will ultimately be decided at the committee’s winter meeting in January, according to the outlet.
McDaniel was first elected RNC Chair in 2017 following a recommendation by then-President-elect Donald Trump, according to NBC News. McDaniel pledged a neutral 2024 presidential primary to ensure competitiveness in a race where multiple candidates could challenge Trump for the party nomination, Politico reported. At the time, she indicated to allies she would run for another term after privately expressing doubts about her future following the 2020 election.
Trump previously recorded a video praising McDaniel’s leadership of the party, saying “conservatives are united” behind McDaniel. McDaniel recently told CNN that the RNC cannot pay Trump’s legal bills if he announces another presidential campaign because the payments would be an “in-kind” contribution to his candidacy. The RNC has paid $2.3 million for Trump’s legal defense against probes by NY AG Letitia James and other prosecutors, according to the CNN report.