There has been a growing dissatisfaction with how Ronna McDaniel, chairwoman of the Republican National Committee (RNC), has performed during her stint as head of the GOP. Nevertheless, she has managed to retain her position despite being battered by an avalanche of criticism over the years.
But now, it appears McDaniel’s days as RNC chair might be coming to a close if comments from former President Donald Trump are any indication. However, if McDaniel exits, will it even matter?
During an appearance with Fox News host Maria Bartiromo, the former president, who has backed McDaniel since she was first elected, indicated that it might be time for a change, a suggestion that prompted much speculation among members of the right-wing chattering class.
Former president Donald Trump strongly hinted Sunday that RNC chairwoman Ronna McDaniel is on the way out. In an exclusive interview with Fox News Channel's Maria Bartiromo, "You have to understand, I have nothing to do with the RNC; I'm separate," said Trump, "I think she did great when she ran Michigan for me. I think she did OK initially in the RNC. I would say right now there will probably be some changes made."
The RNC is having its ass handed to it by the DNC in fundraising. In 2023, the RNC raised $87.2 million and finished with $8 million cash. That is the worst performance since 2013 and exponentially worse than any pre-presidential election year fundraising in the last 20 years. The DNC raised $119 million and had $21 million cash on hand.
While Trump's campaign is indeed separate from the RNC, as the party's de facto nominee he determines who gets to occupy the position, which seems suggest that McDaniel might not be the chair for much longer.
The RNC under McDaniel has spent a lot on frivolous items, as RedState Managing Editor Jennifer Van Laar exposed in a bombshell exclusive in December 2022.
That report nearly lost McDaniel her job, but the organization kept spending frivolously in 2023 despite a massive downturn in fundraising. Those spending issues were exposed in a follow-up report from Van Laar last week.
As reflected above, the RNC spends significantly more than the DNC in the categories of office supplies, management consulting, floral arrangements, media booking consultants, and limousines. The DNC spends significantly more than the RNC in the categories of voter file maintenance, GOTV texting, and transfers to state parties. (NOTE: Transfers to the NRCC and NRSC are included in the $13,800,200 total, and transfers to the DCCC are include in the DNC's total.) The DNC spent more than the RNC did overall. Still, the differences in the categories just mentioned are significant even if looking at them on a percentage-of-total-spending basis, and the categories the DNC invested in are the categories that matter when it comes to winning elections.
An RNC insider told RedState that the party supports GOTV texting efforts and voter file maintenance efforts through its transfers to state parties, and also supports voter file maintenance nationwide through its vendor Data Trust. Data Trust was paid $1,000,000 in this time frame, which should be taken into consideration, but the DNC also transferred $10,000,000 more to state/affiliated parties than the RNC did.
The RNC has spent millions of dollars on floral arrangements, consultants, limousines, and other “important” expenses under McDaniels’ leadership while being outspent in categories that actually move the needle.
EXCLUSIVE: RNC Spent $1.5 Million on Floral Arrangements, Limos, Management/Media Consultants
Even further, it was recently learned that the party shut down about 75 percent of the Hispanic outreach centers it opened in 2022 claiming they would be a permanent part of the Hispanic community, a move that rankled more than a few feathers among conservatives who would like to see a more diverse Republican Party.
These issues are coming at a time when the GOP is at a critical juncture in its history. It is facing a highly contentious presidential election and is being challenged by internal conflicts that could further shape the party’s identity over the next few decades.
However, focusing primarily on McDaniel’s subpar performance is missing the forest for the trees. An equally important issue is who will replace McDaniel. The process for electing an RNC chair is dominated by elites and insiders, many of whom are disconnected from the grassroots base, and heavily influenced by the Republican presidential nominee or the last Republican president. Indeed, this process allowed McDaniel to be reelected after the 2022 midterms despite a January 2023 poll showing that a whopping 73 percent of Republican voters opposed another term for McDaniel.
If McDaniel decides to step down, how can we prevent the party being led by someone who isn’t significantly different?
The process to elect a new RNC chair involves committee members who cast their votes for their favored candidate. Each state and U.S. territory gets three members (the state party chair, National Committeeman, National Committeewoman) who can cast votes. The person who receives the majority of votes wins. The process is conducted through secret ballot voting.
This is the crux of the matter.
Since RNC chairs are not directly elected, it gives members the opportunity to vote for or against a particular candidate regardless of what Republican voters think. For this reason, Republicans on the ground will have to be far more engaged in the process to prevent another McDaniel from taking over.
Those who are active in their local and state parties need to make it very clear to their committee members that they want someone who will affect positive change to move the GOP forward. Those tasked with voting for RNC chair must understand that their positions could be in jeopardy if they support the wrong candidate.
Of course, the fact that the process involves secret ballots might make this even more difficult, which suggests that there might be some procedural changes that need to happen in order to promote transparency. Still, it is up to the base to make their views known on who should be leading the RNC. Otherwise, the RNC might as well keep McDaniel in her position.
