DANA POINT, Calif. (AP) 鈥� Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel won her bid Friday to lead the GOP for two more years, prevailing in an election that highlighted fierce internal divisions that threaten to plague the party into the next presidential season.
McDaniel, whom Donald Trump tapped as RNC chair in 2016, won the the secret ballot 111 to 51. The high-profile election played out inside a luxury resort on the 麻豆视频ern California coast as the RNC鈥檚 168 voting members 鈥� activists and elected officials from all 50 states 鈥� gathered for the committee鈥檚 annual winter meeting.
A relieved McDaniel invited her rivals to the stage immediately after the outcome was announced.
鈥淲ith us united, and all of us working together, the Democrats are going to hear us in 2024,鈥� she declared.
With the victory, McDaniel becomes the longest-serving RNC chair since the Civil War. Yet friends and foes alike agree that she will not be leading the RNC from a position of strength.
鈥淭he party is not united,鈥� McDaniel鈥檚 chief rival, Trump attorney Harmeet Dhillon, told reporters in the hallway soon after standing alongside McDaniel on stage. 鈥淣obody's going to unite around the party the way it is, which is seemingly ignoring the grassroots.鈥�
Indeed, while Trump privately backed McDaniel, powerful forces within his 鈥淢ake America Great Again鈥� movement lined up behind Dhillon.
Backed by MAGA leaders in conservative media, Dhillon waged an aggressive challenge against McDaniel that featured allegations of chronic misspending, mismanagement and even religious bigotry against Dhillon鈥檚 Sikh faith 鈥� all claims that McDaniel denied. Above all, the case against McDaniel centered on deep dissatisfaction with the direction of the party after continuous election losses since Trump chose her to lead the committee following his upset 2016 victory.
After Dhillon's loss was announced, conservative activist Charlie Kirk cited the Republican base鈥檚 overwhelming desire for change and said those members who voted for McDaniel would be held 鈥渁ccountable.鈥�
鈥淭he RNC has contempt for their voters," said Kirk, who sat among several Dhillon allies in the back of the hotel ballroom where the vote was held. 鈥淭hey basically just gave them a middle finger.鈥�
While McDaniel prevailed, some of her supporters privately conceded they were open to a change in the committee鈥檚 leadership after three successive disappointing elections. But there were specific concerns about Dhillon 鈥� and the people around her.
The California Republican closely aligned herself with Caroline Wren, a former Trump fundraiser who was involved with raising money for the Washington rally on Jan. 6, 2021,that preceded the violent attack on the Capitol.
Dhillon's chief surrogate at the RNC meeting this week was Kari Lake, the failed Arizona gubernatorial candidate who has spread debunked claims of voter fraud. Lake courted RNC members on Dhillon鈥檚 behalf inside the conference hotel.
From afar, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a likely 2024 presidential contender, spoke out against McDaniel on the eve of the vote as well.
鈥淚 think we need a change. I think we need to get some new blood in the RNC,鈥� DeSantis said in an interview with Florida鈥檚 Voice, citing three 鈥渟ubstandard election cycles in a row鈥� under McDaniel鈥檚 leadership.
Meanwhile, Trump quietly supported McDaniel, a niece of Republican Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah, and dispatched a handful of his lieutenants to 麻豆视频ern California to advocate on her behalf.
The former president avoided making a public endorsement at McDaniel鈥檚 request, according to those with direct knowledge of the situation who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe private conversations. McDaniel鈥檚 team was confident she would win without his public backing, allowing her to maintain a sense of neutrality heading into the 2024 presidential primary season.
According to its rules, the RNC must remain neutral in the presidential primary. Trump is the only announced GOP candidate so far, but other high-profile contenders are expected in the coming months.
McDaniel is now set to lead the RNC through the 2024 election. Under her leadership, the committee will control much of the presidential nominating process 鈥� including the debates and voting calendar -- while directing the sprawling nationwide infrastructure designed to elect a Republican president.
Also in the race on Friday was MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, a pro-Trump conspiracy theorist who won four votes.
Lindell has already endorsed Trump鈥檚 2024 campaign and said he would not change his mind if his longshot bid was successful Friday.
鈥淚鈥檝e never not endorsed Donald Trump,鈥� Lindell said. 鈥淚鈥檓 never moving off that space.鈥�
Steve Peoples, The Associated Press
