Ronna McDaniel assures RNC members she's 'hard at work' after ...
Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel sent a message to members Wednesday afternoon telling them that she is “still hard at work” amid reports that she may not be in her job much longer.
"I am still hard at work as RNC Chairwoman and building a machine that will elect Republicans up and down the ballot in November,” read the message two RNC members shared with NBC News. “I am currently on the road fundraising, we’re staffing up with staff on the ground in 15 states, the team is busy making phone calls and knocking doors to get out the vote
The email comes one day after The New York Times reported that McDaniel told Donald Trump she would resign from her post after the Feb. 24 South Carolina GOP primary. NBC News has not confirmed this report, and two sources said no decisions have been made yet. The RNC also denied it in a statement.
McDaniel could exit the party after South Carolina — but the plan remains to make a decision after that nominating contest, the sources told NBC News.
NBC News reported on Tuesday that Trump's campaign is mulling two plans for taking over the RNC. One would include creating two additional co-chair jobs with individuals he would appoint — one overseeing fundraising and another overseeing party operations. Under that scenario, McDaniel would remain as RNC chair, but have a new layer of Trump-appointed leadership to deal with.
The second option would have McDaniel resigning, which would prompt a special election.
Trump has prompted speculation over the past week about McDaniel's future with the party. Over the weekend, he said “some changes” would come to the RNC if he is the Republican nominee, and on Monday night, he acknowledged something is coming — but likely not until after the South Carolina primary.
McDaniel won re-election in 2023 with overwhelming support, but portions of the party remain critical of her leadership, mainly that it has not had a successful election cycle since 2016 and ended 2023 with just $8 million in the bank, compared with $21 million for the Democratic National Committee.
“I made it clear after the miserable results of the 2022 midterms that many of us were tired and losing of losing and needed to do something different,” said New Jersey RNC member Bill Palatucci. “And that’s why me and other members publicly opposed Ronna’s re-election at our winter meeting last year. Glad others are coming to the same conclusion.”
McDaniel's full message:
Members,
With a news cycle full of palace intrigue and speculation surrounding all of us, I want to take the time to reassure all of you that I am still hard at work as RNC Chairwoman and building a machine that will elect Republicans up and down the ballot in November.
I am currently on the road fundraising, we’re staffing up with staff on the ground in 15 states, the team is busy making phone calls and knocking doors to get out the vote for Mazi Pilip in NY-03, with Early Voting open and the Special Election on February 13. We have more lawsuits on the horizon, but we’re currently engaged in 77 election lawsuits across 23 states, many of which will have major ramifications across the country. Day in and day out, we continue to hold Joe Biden and Democrats’ feet to the fire for their continued assaults on our freedoms and failures, on everything from the border crisis, Bidenomics, and skyrocketing crime.
Myself and my staff are refusing to be distracted by the outside noise and we remain committed to our mission — rumors to the contrary are simply not true. Nothing has changed and there will not be any changes decided on until after South Carolina, when we may have our eventual nominee.
I want to thank you for your outpouring messages of support, I am proud of this Committee and our work together over the past several cycles. I know you all are working diligently in your states alongside state, local, and grassroots leaders towards victory this fall. I also know that we’re not done yet, there’s a lot of work to be done in the next nine months to make Joe Biden a one term President, and we’re just getting started.
As always, feel free to reach out to me, Mike, or any one on my team with any questions or needs you may have.
Thanks,
Ronna
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
