Republican National Committee chair Ronna McDaniel has officially announced her resignation, effective March 8.
In a statement to the New York Times she said:
I have decided to step aside at our spring training on March 8 in Houston to allow our nominee to select a chair of their choosing. The R.N.C. has historically undergone change once we have a nominee, and it has always been my intention to honor that tradition. I remain committed to winning back the White House and electing Republicans up and down the ballot in November.
McDaniel has been on the ropes since late 2022, after the predicted GOP “red wave” failed to materialize and a RedState exclusive report detailed millions of donor dollars were spent on private jets, limos, floral arrangements, broadway tickets, and sporting events.
She was re-elected at the January 2023 RNC winter meeting in Dana Point, CA after Donald Trump, through his advisor Susie Wiles, made it known that Trump wanted Ronna to stay.
She was under fire for much of 2023 due to low fundraising numbers, but the dissatisfaction greatly increased after the party lost some critical off-year elections. Then, on the eve of the RNC’s 2024 winter meeting in Las Vegas, RedState printed a devastating update on the RNC’s spending showing that McDaniel continued to spend in the areas of limos and floral arrangements and also spent $87,000 a month on management consultants while ignoring investments in get-out-the-vote (GOTV) infrastructure.
After that report, Trump made it known during his news appearances that it was time for a change at the RNC, and anonymous sources told the New York Times that McDaniel planned to step down after the South Carolina primary. Trump has endorsed NCGOP chair Michael Whatley to take McDaniel’s place, and his daughter-in-law Lara Trump, who’s also a North Carolinian, as co-chair. While Whatley will undoubtedly win the votes of his colleagues at the March meeting, there is still some jockeying in the background regarding the co-chair position, RNC sources tell RedState.
