After a heated campaign about the direction of the national Republican Party following three major defeats at the polls, Ronna McDaniel will serve a fourth term as Chair of the Republican National Committee.
Friday, 167 members of the Republican National Committee convened in Dana Point for the party’s winter meeting with the top-of-mind issue being who would steer the political party into the next two year cycle. McDaniel, who was tapped by President Donald Trump to take over the RNC following his 2016 election, faced stiff opposition from California RNC Committeewoman Harmeet Dhillon.
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The backstory: Both McDaniel and Dhillon have strong ties to Trump. McDaniel’s initial selection, despite familial relation to Trump nemesis Sen. Mitt Romney (R–Utah), has only strengthened the bond with the Trump orbit.
- Dhillon, a San Francisco attorney, has represented the ex-President in a number of election integrity lawsuits focused on the 2020 election and beyond.
- The race was jolted yesterday when Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a likely 2024 contender, called for a changing of the guard at the RNC, an implicit endorsement of Dhillon’s bid over McDaniel.
How it went down: McDaniel scored a comfortable victory over Dhillon and MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell on Friday afternoon.
- McDaniel captured 66.46 percent of the vote, or 111 of the members.
- Dhillon won 51 votes, or 30.5 percent.
- Lindell captured a mere 4 votes and former New York Rep. Lee Zeldin earned a single vote.
What they’re saying: After bringing Dhillon and Lindell on stage after defeating them, McDaniel called for unity in the party.
- “We need all of us. With us united and all of us together, the Democrats are going to hear us in 2024,” McDaniel said.
