The RNC should have elected Harmeet Dhillon as new chairwoman
Christopher Tremoglie
Video Embed
“Winning isn’t everything — it’s the only thing.” The quote is attributed to former UCLA Bruins football coach Henry Russell Sanders. It’s a hyperbolic statement that emphasizes the importance of achievement and the necessary significant effort behind doing so.
But winning is not what Republicans have done recently under the leadership of Ronna McDaniel. And that is just one of the many reasons Republicans should have voted for Harmeet Dhillon today. Unfortunately, it seems they prefer to reward failure, as McDaniel was reelected.
DESANTIS LIKES HARMEET DHILLON, WANTS RNC OUT OF DC
Dhillon, current Chairwoman McDaniel, and MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell were the main candidates for the position. As the Washington Examiner reported, McDaniel received 111 votes, Dhillon 51, and Lindell had four votes. Lindell seemed nice enough but didn’t have the resume or experience to lead the party. McDaniel had her time in the sun, guiding the Republican National Committee to disappointing results for the last five years. Dhillon was, realistically, the only option if the Republicans wanted to change direction.
I first met Dhillon when I attended Stanford University’s Hoover Institution Policy Boot Camp in 2021. She delivered a speech before one of the program’s formal dinners and spoke about our country’s most pressing matters, such as illegal immigration, religion, race relations, and education. I was immediately impressed and felt she had a natural inclination for leadership.
Furthermore, Dhillon is a brilliant lawyer, a social conservative culture warrior, and has enough political gravitas to get the job done. One of the things I like most about her is her courage to stand against the radical, toxic left-wing gender ideology that plagues our nation’s schools. This most notably included filing lawsuits against California teachers accused of “predatory behavior” after a mother alleged the teachers convinced her daughter she was transgender. Dhillon has shown she is not afraid to take the fight to the Left.
I ran into her again at America Fest in December and tried to schedule an interview with her about the pending RNC vote. Unfortunately, she had to decline because she had to write a speech she was giving the next day. The next day, less than 24 hours after our brief chat, she delivered a powerful speech that could easily be considered one of the great speeches of the 21st century.
She talked about the core tenets of American idealism and the essential values of the Declaration of Independence, which our current vice president omitted less than a week ago.
“Let’s talk about the American legacy and conservatism,” she said. “In 1776, 56 men signed a divinely inspired piece of paper and created the greatest system of governance this world has ever seen, inspired by God. The mission statement was simple: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Whether in the courtroom, the boardroom, or amongst the grassroots of our party, I’ve worked my entire life to preserve and also expand the freedoms outlined in the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution. Those two documents are why I’m a conservative.”
Anyone can espouse patriotic platitudes to garner support. Heck, most politicians do it daily. But Dhillon puts her metaphorical skin in the game. She routinely does something McDaniel has repeatedly failed to do during her time as chairwoman: go on the offense against the Left’s aggressive attacks on our culture.
On the other hand, Dhillon proactively highlighted these attacks on our country and the significance of failing to respond against them. It’s reflective of what was lacking from Republicans during McDaniel’s time and indicative of the much-needed refreshing changes Dhillon would bring as the new RNC chairwoman.
“But the people in charge of the modern Republican Party, the people entrusted with this tremendous trust, are in the process of driving that important vehicle for change off a cliff,” she went on. “We’re in the middle of a culture war in our country, fighting an enemy that is as powerful as it is relentless. But what is the party doing to stop their advance?”
McDaniel has served longer than any other RNC chair, aside from Reince Priebus, since 1896. Republicans haven’t experienced a true political victory since the 2016 presidential election — the year before McDaniel’s term began.
Ronna McDaniel has a record of failure; Harmeet Dhillon could have changed that. She was a beacon of hope that Republicans needed for the rest of the 2020s. If Republicans truly wanted to change their recent culture of failure, Dhillon would have been elected as the new RNC chairwoman in today’s vote. She would have brought a much-needed culture change to the Republican Party.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER