Ronna McDaniel confirms she’ll step aside from leading RNC next month

Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel at President Donald Trump’s Battle Creek rally, Dec. 18, 2019 (Photo by Andrew Roth of the Michigan Advance)

Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel will be stepping down from that role next month.

McDaniel, a former Michigan Republican Party chairwoman and the niece of U.S. Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, made the announcement in a statement released Monday.

“I have decided to step aside at our Spring Training on March 8 in Houston to allow our nominee to select a Chair of their choosing,” she said. “The RNC has historically undergone change once we have a nominee and it has always been my intention to honor that tradition.”

The confirmation caps speculation which began after the New York Times reported Feb. 6. that McDaniel told former President Donald Trump she planned to step aside after Saturday’s South Carolina primary, which Trump won, besting former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley by about 20 percentage points.

While Trump is expected to be the party’s nominee, Haley, who was in Troy Sunday night and is campaigning in Grand Rapids Monday, is hoping to make some inroads in Michigan’s primary on Tuesday.

Republicans will only be awarding 16 of their 55 presidential delegates based on Tuesday’s results. The remaining 39 will be assigned after the party’s caucus convention this Saturday, although the split in party leadership means one event will be held in Detroit, and the other in Grand Rapids, with the final outcome still to be determined.

Regardless, McDaniel said she remained committed to “winning back the White House and electing Republicans up and down the ballot in November,” and thanked Trump for giving her the “opportunity to lead our Party, as well as the RNC staff and donors who have supported me and our mission over the years.”

Among those extending plaudits for McDaniel, which were attached to the press release, were U.S. Representative John James, R-Shelby Twp., who called her “a tremendous leader and a wonderful friend.”

“As RNC Chair, Ronna’s leadership helped me win one of the closest congressional races in the nation and helped Republicans win back the majority in the U.S. House,” said James. “Her tireless work ethic has helped Republicans get elected all over the country. She should be proud of her many accomplishments and I am grateful for her friendship.”

Also praising McDaniel was U.S. Rep. John Moolenaar, R-Midland.

“Thank you to outgoing Chair and fellow Michigander Ronna McDaniel. Your hard work and sacrifice of time and talents to help our Republican team has been appreciated,” he said.

Trump has already said he wants to see Michael Whatley, the chair of the North Carolina GOP, as the next Republican National Committee chair, and his daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, as RNC co-chair.

Whatley, a veteran GOP campaign operative who served in the administration of President George W. Bush, is reported to have won Trump’s support because he backs the baseless claim that the 2020 election was stolen through widespread voter fraud.

However, Haley told The Detroit News the continued repetition of that lie was not a recipe for electoral success.

“As long as they keep saying that, Republicans will keep losing. Period,” she said.

RNC Co-Chair Drew McKissick also said Monday he was also stepping down next month.

This story was originally produced by the Michigan Advance, which is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network, including the Daily Montanan, supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. 

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