Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel successfully beat back one of the most serious threats to her leadership to date after decisively winning a fourth term atop the GOP at the party's winter meeting on Friday. Her victory ends months of speculation over her future given last November's lackluster showing for Republican candidates, for which a number of party members blamed McDaniel.
McDaniel won Friday's vote earning 111 ballots of the 167 total cast. Her nearest challenger, RNC member and California attorney Harmeet Dhillon, received 51 votes, bolstered in part by a last-minute endorsement from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), seen by many as a potential challenger for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024. Businessman and election conspiracist Mike Lindell earned just four votes, while former New York Congressman and gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin, who was not an official candidate in the race, got a single vote.
In a statement released shortly after her victory, McDaniel subtly acknowledged the frustrations from within her party over last year's defeats, writing that "the work to make Joe Biden a one-term president is already underway." She added that she "look[s] forward to working alongside conservative leaders, including Harmeet and Mike, from across our party to deliver on our promises to the American people."
Former president Donald Trump, who first worked to elevate McDaniel to the Republican National Committee's top post in 2017, celebrated Friday's win on his Truth Social platform, congratulating her "on her big WIN as RNC CHAIR."
"Now we have to STOP THE DEMOCRATS FROM CHEATING IN ELECTIONS!," he added.