Ronna McDaniel to Run for Reelection As RNC Chair

Spencer Brown | November 14, 2022 2:45 PM

In the wake of the 2022 midterm elections, ones in which we still don't know what the exact balance of power will be in Congress starting next year nearly one week later, Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel is running for reelection despite the party's poor performance when compared to the "red wave" that was predicted by GOP leaders including McDaniel.

As Politico reported:

The announcement came on a Monday call with RNC members, following a disappointing midterm election for Republicans, who had hoped to win control of both chambers of Congress but are instead caught in a post-election blame game. Democrats have maintained their hold on the Senate, and it remains unclear which party will be in the House majority, though the GOP has the inside track.
During the call, McDaniel said she would run for reelection if the members wanted her to, and that she heard from many who do. She added that she intended to move forward, according to a person familiar with he remarks.
McDaniel was former President Donald Trump’s pick to chair the committee following the 2016 election, and she has been a close ally of his, though she took steps after 2020 to demonstrate that the RNC would be a neutral force in a 2024 presidential primary. She indicated privately to several RNC members after the 2020 election that the following two-year term could potentially be her last.

Politico's dispatch noted that there "have been calls for change at the committee within some corners of the GOP in the wake of last week’s election outcome" while prominent conservatives, "including Fox News host Tucker Carlson and Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, have said the party needs new leadership across the board, including at the RNC."

The New York Republican — who came closer than any Republican has in decades to winning the race for governor and helped flip enough seats from blue to red in New York to retake the House — "has spoken with GOP elected officials and party activists who want him to run for the chairmanship of the Republican National Committee," and, as Brabender told NBC News, "it's likely that he will at least explore it." So far, Zeldin's talks about running for RNC chair have remained just that.

Whoever ends up running, the final outcome won't be known until the RNC's winter meeting in January, at which candidates for chair will seek to receive majority support among the Party's 168 members. According to Politico, McDaniel allies report that some 100 RNC members have agreed to back her reelection.