DeSantis weighs in on RNC race, backs ousting McDaniel

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday said the Republican National Committee should replace current Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, arguing in an interview that the well-funded party apparatus needs a change in leadership after a series of disappointing recent elections.

DeSantis’ decision to oppose McDaniel — announced just a day before the RNC’s leadership election — is a political gamble for the governor, who is testing his growing clout within the national GOP ahead of a widely expected presidential campaign later this year. McDaniel, a longtime ally of former President Donald Trump, is considered a favorite to win her fourth term.

But in an interview with conservative leader Charlie Kirk, DeSantis cited the GOP’s underwhelming performance in recent elections as a reason the party needs to find fresh leadership. Last year, Republicans failed to win a Senate majority despite needing to gain only one seat to do so.

“In fact, we even lost ground in the U.S. Senate,” DeSantis said. “And so you know, I think we need a change. I think we need to get some new blood in the RNC.“

The governor then praised Harmeet Dhillon, a former Trump adviser and vice-chairwoman of the California Republican Party who is running against McDaniel, saying her plan to shift RNC operations outside of Washington, D.C., was smart.

“Why would you want to have your headquarters in the most Democrat city in America?” he asked. “It’s more Democrat than San Francisco is. So I think you get it in real parts of the country.”

The RNC leadership election has turned contentious in recent weeks. Dhillon and other McDaniel critics argue that the party should have performed better in recent elections and done more to stand up to Trump, whose endorsements, they say, unnecessarily handcuffed the GOP to losing candidates. In addition to Dhillon, McDaniel is running against MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, an avowed Trump supporter and proponent of 2020 election conspiracies.

Trump has not publicly endorsed a candidate in the race.

Though DeSantis did not formally endorse Dhillon, he predicted the RNC would struggle to raise money from the party’s grassroots donors if it didn’t back a change.

“Just practically speaking, you need grassroots Republicans to power this organization with volunteering and donations,” he said. “I think it’s going to be very difficult to energize people to want to give money, to want to volunteer their time with the RNC, if they don’t see a change in direction.”

The Florida state GOP attempted to hold a vote of “no confidence” in McDaniel last week but failed to do so after too few members attended for a quorum.

The RNC will vote Friday during its winter meeting in Dana Point, California.