RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel to Step Down

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Facts

  • The Chairwoman of the Republican National Committee (RNC), Ronna McDaniel, has announced that she will step down from the position on March 8, three days after the Super Tuesday primary elections.1
  • In her resignation statement, McDaniel said, 'The RNC has historically undergone change once we have a nominee,' adding that it was 'always' her 'intention' to 'honor that tradition.'2
  • This follows current Republican frontrunner Donald Trump's suggestion earlier this month for the North Carolina party chair, Michael Whatley, to replace McDaniel as RNC chair.3
  • McDaniel previously told Trump that she planned to step down following the South Carolina GOP primary, which was held over the weekend and saw Trump defeating opponent Nikki Haley by a wide margin.4
  • Trump praised Whatley, stating he 'had hundreds of lawyers...to make sure they didn't cheat and they didn't cheat in North Carolina (in 2020.)' Trump's daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, recently suggested that Republican voters support using RNC money to fund Trump's legal bills.5
  • The vote to replace McDaniel is expected to take place on March 8 during the RNC's spring training meeting. Candidates for the position will need to win the vote of a majority of the RNC's 168 members.6

Sources: 1New York Post, 2CNN, 3FOX News, 4New York Times, 5Daily Wire and 6ABC News.

Narratives

  • Republican narrative, as provided by National Review. After seven years of serving America's Republican voters, Ronna McDaniel decided to follow the precedent of changing leadership ahead of a new election. While the RNC has certainly dealt with some financial and electoral issues in recent years, her tenure at the top of the party still included several major accomplishments, including ousting Nancy Pelosi from the House speakership and developing separate departments for both grassroots donations and election integrity.
  • Conservative narrative, as provided by Human Events. Ronna McDaniel's resignation was long overdue. As was shown by her latest reelection to the position earlier this year, the members of the RNC who voted to keep her were those who prioritize big-money donors over the average American voter. While they use words like 'grassroots' when talking to the press, politicians like McDaniel secretly despise small donors. Unfortunately for them, the Republican Party is made up of those small donors, and they're finally taking a stand against the rich and powerful elites.

Predictions