Trump suffers RNC endorsement slump with only four of 168 backing him: Report
Ryan King
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An overwhelming majority of the Republican National Committee appears tepid about backing former President Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election.
Of the 168 RNC members, only four offered an endorsement, while 20 opposed him, 35 kept their options open, and the remaining didn’t respond, according to a survey by the New York Times. The apprehension among members signals that Trump’s ironclad grip on the party may be waning as the GOP mulls possible alternatives.
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“Did I vote for Trump in 2016? You bet. Did I vote for him in 2020? You bet,” Hank McCann, who joined the committee in 2020, told the news outlet. “Now, I don’t know. I think we’ve got probably 10 candidates that can win.”
Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, who is vying for reelection in her post, previously called for a neutral Republican primary in 2024, not tilted in anyone’s favor. But the RNC previously had been cozy with Trump during his White House days and even reportedly footed some of his legal bills between his departure and 2024 campaign launch last November.
Polling has long pegged Trump as a top-tier candidate, but he is expected to face considerable primary competition, particularly Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Consternation about Trump’s prospects in 2024 grew louder following the GOP’s lackluster midterm outing in 2022, seemingly emboldening defections from him.
“To win 50% plus one in the Electoral College requires us to find an alternative and I think we’ve got plenty of good choices,” John Hammond, an RNC official from Indiana told the news outlet. “We can’t be a cult of personality any longer.”
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Members of the RNC are convening in South Carolina to vote on their next leader. McDaniel is facing a spirited challenge from conservative attorney Harmeet Dhillon and MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell. The election will take place Friday.
Trump has declined to back a candidate in the RNC showdown. DeSantis declined to issue an outright endorsement either, but heaped praise on Dhillon and called for “new blood” at the RNC in the wake of the dismal midterm elections.