(RepublicanNews.org) – Fending off a challenge from Harmeet Dhillon, Ronna McDaniel won an unprecedented 4th term as chair of the Republican National Committee (RNC) on January 27.
Critics who wanted a change of leadership had hoped to persuade a majority of the 168 voting members to elect a new leader.
The race for the RNC chairmanship has been fairly quiet for the past dozen years. But with the lackluster Republican showing in the 2022 midterm elections, some GOP members wanted McDaniel replaced by someone with a fresh vision. Many Republicans were left wondering how the GOP didn’t take back the Senate and the house in an era where inflation is higher than it has been since the 1980s and polls show little public confidence in President Joe Biden.
McDaniel’s victory may be partly due to her financial acumen; she has raised 1.5 billion for the RNC during her tenure, more than any other past chair.
One-hundred and eleven of the 168 voting RNC members cast their ballots for McDaniel in a secret election that took place Friday morning. The election was held on the last day of the RNC’s winter meeting at a resort in Orange County, California.
Challenger Harmeet Dhillon won 58 votes, while longshot Mike Lindell of “My Pillow” fame garnered four ballots.
McDaniel took the podium after the election and told attendees, “the Democrats are going to hear from us in 2024.” She said the RNC was already working to make sure President Joe Biden does not get a second term. McDaniel said she was “looking forward” to working with challengers Dhillon and Lindell.
Conservative commentator Charlie Kirk, who heads the advocacy group TurningPoints USA was one of McDaniel’s most prominent critics and said he was disappointed with the outcome.
Kirk told news media that he couldn’t advise his audience to keep donating to the RNC, which he described as having “contempt” for the people who put the group’s leadership in place.
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