Harmeet Dhillon, lawyer, activist and current candidate for the chairmanship of the Republican National Committee, took to the stage today at Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest to lay out her vision for the party. In a drastic move away from how the party traditionally conducts business, with DC as its power base, Dhillon said, if elected, she’d look to the grassroots to be the heart of the reorganization:

“Outside of DC there’s a whole host of talent just waiting to be tapped. One of my ideas is decentralizing the Republican National Committee … out of DC and into America. This is day 16 of my race for RNC chair and I already have hundreds of applicants for jobs at the RNC, and these are people who have jobs but want to do something to help their country. And so we’re all pulling together.”

Dhillon, who is running against current chair Ronna McDaniel and MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, singled out the GOP’s lackluster midterm results as a particular reason change is needed at the top of the party, telling the crowd:

“Now, in the midterms, our party was outspent, out-messaged and outworked. And currently in DC, our leadership is doubling down on stale, establishment leadership, no new ideas, no fresh start, going along, getting along with the Democrats … omnibus spending measures, spending like drunken sailors. Focusing on issues that are non-issues for our base. And that’s what’s wrong with this party.”

The crowd reacted to Dhillon’s words with loud applause, apparently agreeing with her that the RNC needs new leadership and the party structure needs serious reorganizing. Without naming names, Dhillon laid bare the failings of the GOP’s old guard and made the case for disruption at the highest levels:

“Now, over my thirty-plus years as a lawyer … my almost 40 years as an activist … I’ve learned few things about what works and what doesn’t. Objectively, I think we can all agree that the results our party has produced have been unacceptable. The red wave didn’t happen, and that’s not just academics, pundits talking on television, shaking their head and saying how the polls were wrong, turnout wasn’t good, candidate selection, let’s blame Trump. I’ve heard all the excuses but the result is the same. And I don’t hear a plan for us to win in 2024 unless we radically change what we’ve been doing wrong.”

You can watch more of her remarks at AmFest here:

One of my ideas is decentralizing the Republican National Committee outside of DC and into America #AMFEST2022 pic.twitter.com/XVvtivDgLH

— Harmeet K. Dhillon (@pnjaban) December 20, 2022

Judging by the audience’s reaction, Dhillon’s remarks reflect the feeling this year at AmFest that change is needed at all levels of the GOP. As RedState’s Susie Moore reported earlier today, the results of the event’s straw poll weren’t good for Ronna McDaniel. Per Susie:

78.4 percent of those polled disapprove of current RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel’s performance (65 percent of those strongly so). Only 4.6 percent approve of the job McDaniel has done.

Overwhelmingly, those polled feel the RNC should listen to the grassroots when selecting the new chair — 84 percent indicated so versus 12 percent who voted “no.” (One wonders to whom those 12 percent believe the RNC should listen.)

Given the choice between McDaniel, RNC Committeewoman Harmeet Dhillon, and My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell, 57.6 percent of those polled favored Dhillon, while 31 percent favored Lindell, and a mere 1.7 percent favored McDaniel.

Ouch.

Judging by these results, Ronna McDaniel is deeply unpopular with the conservative grassroots and that’s a problem. McDaniel, as we recently reported, has lived lavishly during her tenure atop the RNC, with millions spent on limousines, private jets, flowers, and luxury retreats. That’s not a good look when you’re an activist doing the grunt work, from phone calls and voter registration drives to GOTV efforts and poll watching, and your party leaders are sitting with their feet up, sipping champagne.

We’ll soon know if Harmeet Dhillon’s efforts to bring change to the RNC will be successful, with the full committee expected to vote for its next chair in late January.