Dana Point, California – After nearly two months of thorns and accusations, the big battle for the future of the Republican Party was settled Friday at a gorgeous seaside resort in Southern California’s Orange County.
Where the 168 members of the Republican National Committee (RNC) meet for their annual winter meeting, a secret ballot is held to determine the next chairman of the National Party.
On the eve of the long-awaited vote, one of the Republican Party’s most popular politicians entered the race, with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis calling for “change” and urging “new blood” at the RNC. The conservative governor, who has seen his status skyrocket among conservatives across the country over the past three years, is RNC chairman Ronna McDaniel’s chief challenger, California Commissioner Hermit. I started screaming at Dillon.
The person who remained neutral on the eve of the vote was former President Donald Trump, who remains arguably the most popular and influential politician in the Republican Party, and the leading candidate to start the 2024 presidential election. It’s the only one so far.
GOP BRAWL: Competitive and Flammable Battle for RNC Chair
The RNC showdown is the first hotly contested presidential race in 12 years and has become a contentious family feud as the Republican Party decides on its leader. It will also help the party bounce back from disappointing results in November’s midterm elections, all while the Republican Party jumps into an election cycle trying to reclaim the White House, regaining a majority in the Senate and maintaining fragile control of the House. It also happens when discussing the future of the party and Trump’s continued dominance over the Republican Party.
First time on FOX: McDaniel publishes list of 150 major donors supporting her RNC chair reelection
McDaniel, who is in his fourth term running the now-unheard-of RNC, is being challenged by Dillon, the attorney who served as Trump’s legal adviser. Dhillon announced his bid for RNC chairman earlier last month on the Fox News Channel.
MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell is a strong supporter of Trump’s unproven allegations that the 2020 presidential election was rigged and stolen, as he’s making a long-shot bid over the chair. , is running for candidacy.
Mike Lindell will address Wednesday at the RNC Chairs’ Roundtable in Dana Point, Calif.
(Fox News)
McDaniel was Trump’s handpicked choice to run the committee after winning the White House in 2016 as Michigan’s GOP chairman, and was reelected in 2019 and 2021. It is needed because many Republicans expected a red wave election following the Republican Party’s lackluster performance in the 2022 midterm elections.
In an exclusive nationwide interview before the vote, McDaniel told Fox News that members of the RNC “have faith in my leadership and cannot break the infrastructure of the RNC to succeed in 2024, now is the time.” I know it’s an extremely important time,” he said.
McDaniel has done a lot of fundraising for the national party during his tenure leading the committee. According to McDaniel’s team, the chairman raised a record $1.5 billion during his tenure, traveled more than 500,000 miles, and held more than 330 fundraising events.
Watch: Hermit Dillon explains why he’s chairing the RNC on FOX News
However, the November Republican election during McDaniel’s tenure set back, with the Republicans unable to regain control of the Senate and losing a crucial gubernatorial race, with Republicans losing a majority in the House in 2018 and a loss in 2020. lost control of the Senate and the Senate. The White House has sparked calls for leadership change.
“The business of politics is elections, and it’s either or not. If we win, we lose, and vice versa. And we’ve lost too many in the last few years. ” A bystander at the RNC meeting.
“I’ve been incredibly supportive of Rona,” Dillon said. But after all, like I said, this is not school. You can’t earn Gold Stars forever. You can’t keep working forever. If you consistently fall short of what you promised your clients, they won’t hire you next time. ”
McDaniel defended his record, saying the RNC “does not choose candidates, voters do it. It’s not us who get the message out. Campaigns do it. But we are the voters.” And we won in every battleground state,” he stressed.
“I’m here because I think there’s a lot of misinformation out there,” she insisted, pointing to her detractors. ”
One of the Republican party’s brightest stars in what turned out to be a disappointing cycle was DeSantis, who won re-election with a sweeping majority in November.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis after taking the oath of office to those who attended his second inauguration ceremony in Tallahassee, Florida, January 3, 2023.
(Reuters/Octavio Jones)
In a video posted to Twitter on Thursday, DeSantis said, “I think we need change. I think we need new blood in the RNC. Harmeet Dhillon said about kicking the RNC out of Washington DC. I like that.
DeSantis, who is likely to start his presidential campaign later this year, made the comments in an interview with Charlie Kirk, founder of conservative group Turning Point USA, a staunch supporter of Dillon.
DeSantis calls for ‘new blood’ on eve of RNC chairman vote
Minutes after DeSantis’ comments began to go viral, Senator Rick Scott of Florida (who served as governor before DeSantis) gave McDaniels his own shoutout. “@GOPChairwoman You’ve played a huge role in turning Florida into the red and fighting for conservative values across the country,” Scott tweeted.
Trump — the Republican with the strongest support — has kept his powder dry.
Lindell, Dillon, and McDaniel all have healthy ties to Trump. The former president said in a recent interview that he likes both McDaniel and Dillon.
McDaniel announced the endorsement of over 100 RNC committee members a few weeks ago. This far exceeds the simple majority of his 168 members required for re-election.
“I am the only candidate to publish a public list of over 100 people who want to endorse me. That’s why I feel good,” the chairman boasted.
But Dhillon has repeatedly questioned the firmness of McDaniel’s advertised support in appealing to MAGA hardliners and non-Trumpists who share a common interest in McDaniel’s replacement. In recent weeks, Republican delegations from several states have passed no-confidence votes against McDaniel.
As she spoke to reporters Wednesday night, Dillon joined Kari Lake, the Trump-backed 2022 Arizona GOP gubernatorial candidate who is fighting her loss in court in November. At the other end are established Republicans like New Jersey native Bill Paratucci, a longtime member of the RNC committee and a vocal Trump critic.
2022 GOP gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake (left) of Arizona, along with RNC chairman candidate Hermit Dillon, speaks to reporters during the RNC Winter Meeting in Dana Point, California on January 25, 2022. I’m talking
(Fox News)
A secret ballot means no one can be sure of the final outcome.
“Anyone who has gone through multiple RNC elections recognizes that RNC memberships really don’t know how to vote in a secret ballot,” he told Fox News.
Sparring and accusations, both public and private, have intensified over the past two months, with both the McDaniel and Dillon camps accusing the other of intimidation tactics, and they have repeatedly voiced their prominent support.
“I was hurt by some of the things that were said about me. And I had to go against the chairman who promised two years ago that this would be her final term as chairman,” Dillon told Fox News. rice field.
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McDaniel emphasized that she was running a “teaming race.”
“I am not attacking the opposition,” he added. “I’m running the race as the chairman I want to be and the party I want to lead. It’s the party everyone participates in.”
