The Republican National Committee (RNC) has elected new leadership following the pressured resignation of former chair Ronna McDaniel.
Lackluster performances in the midterms and incremental moves to the center prompted many pro-Trump Republicans to seek new party leadership before the 2024 general election.
During Friday’s RNC executive leadership meetings in Houston, Texas, officials voted to ask Michael Whatley to lead the RNC and for Lara Trump to serve as co-chair.
Conservative Republicans and members of the Trump camp, who have been pushing for change for more than a year, hailed the decision.
The unanimous vote positions the RNC to move more to the right and paves the way for the presumptive GOP presidential nominee, Donald Trump, to heavily influence Republican campaign strategy for the many House, Senate and gubernatorial races in play.
Surprising many, multiple outlets reported that RNC leadership also voted to recognize Trump as the party’s presumptive presidential nominee.
During his acceptance speech, Whatley thanked Trump for his trust and support, then vowed: “We are going to determine not only the fate of the United States but of the entire world.”
Highlighting his immediate focus, Whatley added: “The RNC is going to be the vanguard of a movement that will work tirelessly…to elect our nominee, Donald J. Trump to the office of President, flip the Senate and expand our majority in the House.”
Co-chair Lara Trump’s responsibilities will include fundraising. In her comments to the RNC committee on Friday, she mentioned having already received a $100,000 donation.
Trump will also lead early voting campaigns. She shared on Friday: “We’ve got to play the game a little bit differently. We have to encourage people to do things like early voting.”
The RNC’s decision is viewed by many as a message to the DNC, a warning to Democrats that Donald Trump was making a comeback and that after November, the GOP would control the Senate.
Though Republicans argue the move to replace McDaniel was to activate the GOP base and execute a winning strategy for the November election, some believe the change represents a desire to suppress Democrat votes.
Marc Elias, founder of Democracy Docket, shared on MSNBC that he believed “Ronna McDaniel is out of a job because Donald Trump wanted a better vote suppressor and more aggressive election denier.”
“That is why they ditched Ronna and went with Michael Whatley,” he added.
Make no mistake: Ronna McDaniel is out of a job because Donald Trump wanted a better vote suppressor and more aggressive election denier. That is why they ditched Ronna and went with Michael Whatley. @AliciaMenendez @MichaelSteele @SymoneDSanders pic.twitter.com/ab7JSRXFUh
— Marc E. Elias (@marceelias) March 9, 2024
