Report: RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel considering running for Michigan governor

(Image credit: Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)

published 23 April 2021

Could Michigan soon have another Romney in charge?

While speaking to about 140 Republican National Committee members in Dallas on Wednesday, RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said she has contemplated resigning so she can run for governor of Michigan in 2022, taking on Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D), Politico reports.

McDaniel, 48, is a Michigan native whose grandfather, George Romney, was a three-term governor of the state. During the private meeting, McDaniel "grew emotional" when discussing how her two children haven't been able to go back to in-person classes yet, Politico reports, and she accused Whitmer of botching her response to the coronavirus pandemic. It isn't clear how serious McDaniel is about leaving the RNC to run for governor, and several people told Politico that while she has been considering it, her Wednesday remarks were mostly made out of frustration.

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A recent EPIC-MRA survey showed that Whitmer's popularity dropped from 56 percent in September to 52 percent in March. RNC chief of staff Richard Walters told Politico in a statement that Whitmer has a "dismal record of leadership" and while Michigan would be "vastly better off with a change in leadership," McDaniel has "no desire to do anything other than lead the Republican Party to victory in 2022 by taking back the House and Senate." Should she decide to enter the race, McDaniel has until next April to file.

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

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