Although she was able to fend off rivals last year to secure a fourth term as chair of the Republican National Committee, Ronna McDaniel continues to face backlash from within the party based on her performance as the party’s leader.
Most recently, the RNC has come under fire for its seemingly excessive spending on high-end items and services — for example, roughly $250,000 on limousines between October 2022 and November 2023, compared to just $7,000 in such expenses by the Democratic National Committee during the same period.
NEW — I got an exclusive first look at @jenvanlaar's new report on the RNC's lavish spending on limos, consultants, flowers, and office supplies while skimping on GOTV, data, and state parties:
Floral Arrangements:
RNC – $70,328.00
DNC – $795Consultants:
RNC – $1,078,279.47… pic.twitter.com/Orl9SmZ9Xi— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) February 1, 2024
Republican presidential primary front-runner Donald Trump recently shared his take on the topic, offering some faint praise for McDaniel’s record in the past but suggesting that the time has come for her to be replaced.
“You have to understand, I have nothing to do with the RNC,” he said. “I’m separate. I think she did great when she ran Michigan for me. I think she did OK initially in the RNC. I would say right now there will probably be some changes made.”
During McDaniel’s hard-fought re-election bid last year, rivals pointed to the GOP’s record of losses under her leadership as a reason she should be ousted.
Louisiana committee member Roger Villere, who supported rival Harmeet Dhillon in the race, said of the incumbent in late 2022: “She was elected three times without opposition and we’ve lost all three times, all three cycles. You could say she’s spending that money to help us win, but we’ve been losing.”
During a Republican presidential debate in November, then-candidate Vivek Ramaswamy used a portion of his time to call on McDaniel to resign.
Complaining that the GOP had become “a party of losers,” he tied the dismal record directly to RNC leadership.
“Since Ronna McDaniel took over as chairman of the RNC in 2017, we have lost 2018, 2020, 2022 … we got trounced last night in 2023,” he said
Ramaswamy asserted that the time had come to restore “accountability in our party,” adding: “For that matter, Ronna, if you want to come on stage tonight, you want to look the GOP voters in the eye and tell them you resign, I will yield my time to you.”
