What Happened:
Ronna McDaniel informed other members of the Republican National Convention (RNC) during a press conference on February 7 that she would be stepping down from her position after the South Carolina primaries. She has been the chair of the RNC since 2017 and has seen some of the parties
Many in the party have become increasingly vocal in asking her to step down from her position. They believe she can no longer win elections and is not conservative enough for the party. Under her guidance, Republican’s lost the House in 2018, the Senate, and the White House in 2020. This drew criticism from many within the RNC, including former President Trump, who had endorsed her in 2017.
The Details:
Republican’s have been incredibly critical of McDaniel’s tenure due to her willingness to keep on major staff that underperformed in most of the elections she oversaw. Both her critics and supporters agree that she was in a difficult spot between anti-establishment and establishment Republicans. She had attempted to change the RNC to match President Trump’s goals and ideas while also balancing old party interests.
Her supporters claim that her run was not entirely a disappointment as she overhauled the RNC’s operations. Some of that overhaul included setting up community centers across the U.S. to increase reach into communities the RNC typically wouldn’t. She also brought the email subscriber list from 3 million to 50 million and created a small donor platform called WinRed.
Although she won her election by a safe majority, an anonymous RNC member stated that she should have resigned or not run at all due to the “embarrassing” losses suffered by Republican’s. Further, many members had assumed this was coming and were unsure why she continued to try and prepare for the election by hosting primary debates and creating plans for campaigning. She did state that she would “continue to follow the party’s mission” during her remaining time.
What’s Next:
Assuming that McDaniel officially announces her resignation, there are a few steps that would occur afterward. First, her likely replacement would be Michael Whatley, who is currently the chair of the Republican Party in North Carolina. The unfortunate part for Republican’s is that this decision will play out while they are trying to focus on fundraising, which has already shown signs of struggle.
The chair of the RNC is primarily in charge of fundraising and funneling that money back into the campaigns of different states. However, Republican’s have had a hard time getting donations directly to the party, as most of the large donors have donated directly to Trump himself. Some worry that this will negatively effect campaign efforts, but election experts have said that this will not affect the results in November.
The South Carolina presidential primary will begin on February 24.