This isn’t good news, unless you are a major donor and political power player within the RNC. Ronna McDaniel is once again elected, for the FOURTH time, as RNC chair.

Ronna McDaniel won a fourth term to head the Republican National Committee (RNC) during a secret ballot vote by members on Friday, capping off a contentious election spurred by calls within the party for new leadership.

McDaniel fended off two challengers — California attorney Harmeet Dhillon and MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, a staunch denier of the 2020 presidential election results.

Mike Lindell was a long shot bar none and would only take votes from any other contender (in this case Harmeet Dillon) instead of ensuring Ronna was kicked to the curb. I do have to say, regarding Lindell’s campaign, not many reported on it, but this was an interesting tidbit. 

Furthermore, Lindell has made more of an effort to appeal to voters. The Rasmussen poll was conducted Jan. 23-25, and on Jan. 25 Lindell particularly demonstrated that effort. That day, public debate for RNC chair was scheduled to avoid any conflicts, but McDaniel still refused to come. Dhillon, after initially committing to the debate, backed out on the grounds that McDaniel would not be present, according to debate organizer John Fredericks. This is especially strange considering that Dhillon called for a debate to appeal to grassroots voters multiple times. Lindell was the only RNC chair candidate who came to the debate, as Dhillon chose instead to send a deputy.

That said, Ronna McDaniel presided over three dismal terms at RNC chair. There was momentum in 2018, yet truly viable candidates, even here in Colorado who SHOULD’VE won, lost horrendously. Did some of those candidates phone it in because Trump wave? Yes. Did some of the candidates not campaign hard enough with or without RNC backing? Yes. 

However, given what we are ALL seeing up to and in 2018, the RNC should’ve been game ON for races all over the country, and they weren’t. Yet Ronna won a second term, awarded herself a major pay raise, and … we lost races in 2020 that we shouldn’t have. And no, I’m not just talking about Trump vs. basement dweller Biden. Yet Ronna then won a THIRD term as RNC chair. 

One would think that, given the loss of the Presidency and the plethora of House, Senate, and gubernatorial races up for grabs in 2022, the RNC would’ve been all in on getting candidates, supporting candidates, and working with races all across the country to get the messaging across. Yet the RNC was AWOL on multiple fronts, which led to us losing the Senate and barely holding on to the House in the 2020 midterms, while Ronna got another raise, bringing her salary to nearly $450K. 

But hey!! Congrats are in order! 

“Congratulations to Ronna McDaniel on her big WIN as RNC CHAIR,” Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Social, before later baselessly alleging Democrats were rigging elections. The former president had not offered a public endorsement of any candidate ahead of the vote.

Except that, while Trump didn’t overtly endorse Ronna, he had multiple people out there whipping on her behalf. 

Trump’s camp is whipping for Ronna ahead of the RNC chair vote. DeSantis’ statement that Ronna needs to go was retweeted by Kari Lake. Fewer than 1-in-5 Republican voters want McDaniel reelected. The lines of “MAGA” are starting to blur. https://t.co/A4e3exrPbV

— Pedro L. Gonzalez (@emeriticus) January 26, 2023

The RNC has needed a change in direction for years now. Quite frankly, they’ve needed a change since GWB or even sooner. Bob Dole should never have run. Nor should’ve John McCain. And as we watched with that campaign, the RNC imploded from within because of their stupid, ‘they don’t fit OUR mold’ checklists. Believe me, I know. I had lunch with a major bundler (I mean major as she bundled MILLIONS for campaigns) just after Sarah Palin was announced as running mate. She spent the entire rest of that Presidential campaign working against Sarah Palin because she wasn’t the right sort. 

Thus, for that and a plethora of other reasons, I think that Ron DeSantis’ commentary just the other day is spot on. 

“I think we need a change, I think we need to get some new blood in the RNC, I like what Harmeet Dhillon said about getting the RNC out of D.C.,” DeSantis said. “I do think we need some fresh thinking. And practically you need grassroots Republicans to power this organization with volunteering and donations, and I think it’s going to be very difficult to energize people to want to give money and volunteer their time with the RNC if they don’t change direction.”

We DO need change, and re-electing Ronna McDaniel to RNC chair …AGAIN isn’t the change we need. 

https://t.co/dgSh2MdtYf pic.twitter.com/42dzVqn08c

— Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) January 27, 2023

The GOP base lives in a world of accountability while the GOP leadership refuses to hold itself accountable. Unsustainable. https://t.co/9etybftgHo

— Kurt Schlichter (@KurtSchlichter) January 27, 2023

Instead, the RNC members, with their heads firmly up their ass, and wilfully ignoring their base, voted for the status quo AKA the swamp.

Feature Photo Credit: RNC elephant via DonkeyHotey on Flickr, cropped and modified