Gingrich backs McDaniel for RNC chairwoman as party remains split on committee’s future
Cami Mondeaux
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Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich joined a slew of high-profile GOP members in backing Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel for reelection, boosting the incumbent just days ahead of the committee’s leadership elections.
Gingrich endorsed McDaniel for a fourth term in an email sent to the RNC’s 168 members on Sunday, touting her efforts to examine “what went wrong” in the midterm elections when Republicans failed to take control of the Senate and only managed a slight majority in the House.
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“Your leadership was essential in both thinking through and organizing a vastly more grassroots RNC effort especially in minority communities and your relentless and remarkably effective effort at raising the money to make the program possible,” Gingrich wrote, according to an email obtained by the Washington Examiner. “I look forward to working with you in implementing the new thinking and the new approaches which will be necessary to make 2024 the kind of dramatic Republican victory which the failures of President Biden, Big Government Socialism and woke culture will make possible.”
Gingrich referenced conversations between himself and McDaniel in which they discussed the need for “much better and deeper candidate training” in the 2024 election cycle.
The comment comes after some Republican leaders lamented “candidate quality” problems in the aftermath of the midterm elections, which some say led to the party’s lackluster performance. It’s not clear if that’s what Gingrich was referring to in his email, and the Washington Examiner reached out to the former speaker for comment.
Gingrich’s endorsement reflects the divide among Republicans as the party considers its future, with several GOP leaders pushing a fourth term for McDaniel, while others have called for new leadership. At least two Republicans are challenging McDaniel for the top spot, including Harmeet Dhillon, a lawyer and RNC committeewoman, and MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell.
While McDaniel’s campaign team remains confident in her reelection chances, Dhillon has posed a strong challenge in recent weeks. Dhillon boasts the endorsement of several top party donors as well as the backing of the Republican parties in Nebraska and Washington over the weekend.
Spokespeople for McDaniel have remained confident the chairwoman will be reelected, pointing to a letter circulated by about 100 members of the RNC in November that showed they would back her run. The RNC is composed of 168 members, meaning any candidate must get 85 votes to secure the top leadership position.
However, Dhillon claims to have the endorsements of at least 21 RNC committee members on her campaign website, and she has hinted at flipping some of McDaniel’s “soft” votes by the time the election is held, according to Politico.
The committee has remained seemingly split on who to back in the consequential election as both McDaniel and Dhillon have successfully courted both the RNC’s anti-Trump members as well as the former president’s allies.
Some members have criticized McDaniel for her close relationship with former President Donald Trump, especially as some Republicans have sought to distance themselves from his influence in the 2024 election cycle. McDaniel’s team has maintained she would remain neutral in the nomination process.
“The Chairwoman has a close relationship with the former president and many leaders throughout the party,” Emma Vaughn, a spokeswoman for McDaniel’s reelection campaign, told the Washington Examiner. “Her objective will be to bring everybody together behind the eventual nominee to put a Republican in the White House, and she is the best suited to do it.”
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Dhillon has sought to use that relationship to her advantage, reportedly meeting with “Never Trumpers” to garner their support.
The RNC is scheduled to meet this week in Dana Point, California, for its annual winter meeting, where committee members are set to hold its leadership elections.