RNC chair race gets competitive as Harmeet Dhillon racks up big endorsements against Ronna McDaniel

Ronna McDaniel has pledges of support from 108 of the 168 Republican National Committee members voting in next month’s presidential race – but RNC insiders say a fourth term for Ms McDaniel is not yet done.

New Jersey Republican National Committee member Bill Palatucci told The Washington Times that Ms McDaniel was in a strong position, but her experience tells her things could change.

“RNC members are experts at looking you in the eye and saying, ‘Oh, I’m with you and on a secret ballot, walk into the voting booth and slit your throat,'” Mr Palatucci said after Herschel Walker’s fall in the Georgia Senate race “So I take it all with a grain of salt.

After Herschel Walker’s loss in Georgia and last month’s disappointments of the “red wave” that never materialized, Ms. McDaniel’s GOP opponents in the RNC say it’s time for new leadership.

Tennessee RNC committee member Beth Campbell announced on her Twitter account on Saturday that she and RNC committee member Oscar Brock at their state meeting “discussed the RNC election, which is will hold in January… There is overwhelming support for the leadership change on the RNC.”

Ms Campbell said on Twitter that she had not received “a single call or email” in support of Ms McDaniel.

SEE ALSO: Lee Zeldin skips RNC presidential run, urges Ronna McDaniel to step down for new leadership

“My constituents want change.”

Republicans managed to secure a narrow majority in the House but were unable to win back the Senate two years after former President Donald Trump failed to win re-election.

“This RNC member says the devastating loss in Georgia means we need a new RNC chairman,” Mr Palatucci tweeted the night Mr Walker lost.

Ms McDaniel will face two opponents so far next month, RNC California committee member Harmeet Dhillon and My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell.

Ms Dhillon has garnered influential support among RNC members since her announcement on Fox News Channel’s ‘Tucker Carlson Tonight’ more than a week ago.

She was endorsed on Saturday by longtime RNC member Morton Blackwell of Virginia, president of the conservative Leadership Institute.

“As a member of the Republican National Committee from Virginia, I support Harmeet Dhillon for chairman of the Republican National Committee,” Mr. Blackwell wrote. “She has a long and successful track record as a leader of conservative principles at the state and national levels.”

Mr Blackwell praised Ms Dhillon in a series of tweets as “a capable and competent lawyer who successfully intervened at the national and state levels on behalf of party committees and Republican candidates, even when the RNC would not act”.

He described her as a “reliable spokesperson” from a GOP perspective, calling her a “star” and a “Wonder Woman” for the party.

“Thank you to the grassroots Tories who reached out to me about the RNC chairman’s race. It’s time for a change,” he said.

After Mr Blackwell’s endorsement, Vermont Republican National Committee Member Jay Shepard tweeted: ‘I am the Vermont Republican National Committee Member and will join Morton Blackwell and vote for Harmeet Dhillon.’

On Saturday evening, the Republican Party of Texas, in a no-confidence vote against Ms McDaniel, urged state President Matt Rinaldi, national committee member Dr Robin Armstrong and national committee member Toni Anne Dashiell, “to take account of the deep dissatisfaction with the RNC. and to vote for an alternative to replace President McDaniel.

The Texas resolution was passed just two days after the Arizona Republican Party’s executive committee unanimously passed a resolution calling for Ms McDaniel’s resignation, citing what they saw as a failure to support some Republicans out of the mainstream in races across the country. , among other problems.

The McDaniel team, however, says its supporters are unwavering.

“Chair McDaniel’s decision to run for re-election was member-driven,” spokeswoman Emma Vaughn told The Washington Times. “Members of 168 have rallied around the president because of her unprecedented investments in grassroots, electoral integrity and minority communities, and for standing up to Big Tech and the biased Commission on Presidential Debates.”

A source close to the chairperson’s re-election campaign said supporters had circulated an updated endorsement letter with more names of RNC members who supported her. This new total puts her at around 2/3 of the 168 – well above the majority she needs to be re-elected.

“Support for the President has only grown since her announcement and she looks forward to speaking with each member to discuss how the party can continue to leverage our investments and make the improvements needed to compete and win. in 2024,” Ms. Vaughn said. .