Republican Party Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel is out, according to late news reports on Tuesday, and Rep. Matt Gaetz threw his endorsement to Kevin McCarthy, with a hint of sarcasm.
“I fully endorse Kevin McCarthy for RNC Chair. Kevin is well organized and a very high-revenue fundraiser. He will also be well-liked by the RNC Committee. The RNC Chair doesn’t make any policy decisions, set any agenda, or negotiate against Democrats, ever. Kevin would be terrific,” said Gaetz on X.
McDaniel reportedly stepped down on Tuesday, one day after former President Donald Trump signaled that she was essentially fired.
Read: GOP Leader McDaniel Out After Trump Signals “Some Changes” Were Likely At The RNC
McDaniel told Trump that she would exit after the party’s upcoming presidential primary in South Carolina.
For many conservatives, McDaniel’s departure is long overdue.
The GOP under McDaniel failed to capitalize despite President Joe Biden’s lackluster performance and wild lurch to the left to please his party’s radical base.
The party struggled both with donors and voters, as it underperformed in fundraising and elections. The Republican National Committee recently announced that it was considering a multimillion-dollar line of credit to help it meet financial obligations.
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During the presidential primary, former candidate Vivek Ramaswamy scolded McDaniels for her own performance.
“We’ve become a party of losers,” he said, saying there was “cancer” within the GOP leadership.
“Since Ronna McDaniel took over as chairwoman of the RNC in 2017, we have lost 2018, 2020, 2022,” Ramaswamy added. “I think that we have to have accountability in our party. Ronna, if you want to come on stage tonight, you wanna look the GOP voters in the eye and tell ’em you resign I will yield my time to you.”
The Washington Times reported that McDaniel got the job with Trump’s blessing in 2017. But of late, the RNC chief of staff, Mike Reed, who is also exiting, admitted that Trump has been talking about a need for new blood at the top of the GOP.
The clearest signal came on Monday.
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On Truth Social, his social media platform, Trump declared, “Things are looking great in the Presidential Race of 2024 against Crooked Joe Biden. We have Leads, in many cases substantial, in virtually every Head-to-Head Poll. The Primary seems to be over, but I’ll be going to South Carolina next week to finish off a very unpopular Candidate.”
“In my successful run in 2016, the State of Michigan really came through – First time in Decades that it was won by a Republican, and it was headed up by my friend Ronna McDaniel. Ronna is now Head of the RNC, and I’ll be making a decision the day after the South Carolina Primary as to my recommendations for RNC Growth.”
That came after Trump predicted “some changes” were coming at the RNC during an interview with Fox News on Sunday.
Trump reportedly wants North Carolina Republican Party Chairman Michael Whatley to replace McDaniel.
The party must hold an election to name its new leader.
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