RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel beats back challengers to win 4th term
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."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
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.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Rafi Schwartz has worked as a politics writer at The Week since 2022, where he covers elections, Congress and the White House. He was previously a contributing writer with Mic focusing largely on politics, a senior writer with Splinter News, a staff writer for Fusion's news lab, and the managing editor of Heeb Magazine, a Jewish life and culture publication. Rafi's work has appeared in Rolling Stone, GOOD and The Forward, among others.
-
The elite falcon trade in the Middle EastUnder the Radar Popularity of the birds of prey has been ‘soaring’ despite doubts over the legality of sourcing and concerns for animal welfare
-
A running list of the international figures Donald Trump has pardonedin depth The president has grown bolder in flexing executive clemency powers beyond national borders
-
Mixed nuts: RFK Jr.’s new nutrition guidelines receive uneven reviewsTalking Points The guidelines emphasize red meat and full-fat dairy
-
Hegseth moves to demote Sen. Kelly over videospeed read Retired Navy fighter pilot Mark Kelly appeared in a video reminding military service members that they can ‘refuse illegal orders’
-
Trump says US ‘in charge’ of Venezuela after Maduro grabSpeed Read The American president claims the US will ‘run’ Venezuela for an unspecified amount of time, contradicting a statement from Secretary of State Marco Rubio
-
Vance’s ‘next move will reveal whether the conservative movement can move past Trump’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
The MAGA civil war takes center stage at the Turning Point USA conferenceIN THE SPOTLIGHT ‘Americafest 2025’ was a who’s who of right-wing heavyweights eager to settle scores and lay claim to the future of MAGA
-
CBS pulls ‘60 Minutes’ report on Trump deporteesSpeed Read An investigation into the deportations of Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador’s notorious prison was scrapped
-
Trump administration posts sliver of Epstein filesSpeed Read Many of the Justice Department documents were heavily redacted, though new photos of both Donald Trump and Bill Clinton emerged
-
Trump HHS moves to end care for trans youthSpeed Read The administration is making sweeping proposals that would eliminate gender-affirming care for Americans under age 18
-
Jack Smith tells House of ‘proof’ of Trump’s crimesSpeed Read President Donald Trump ‘engaged in a criminal scheme to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election,’ hoarded classified documents and ‘repeatedly tried to obstruct justice’
