A majority of GOP voters support replacing Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel when the committee meets later this month, voicing disappointment in the party’s lackluster midterm performance last year and failure to recapture the Senate.
Roughly 73% of Republican voters say the committee should elect a new chairperson to head the RNC, with only 6% supporting another term for McDaniel, according to a poll from the conservative Convention of States Action obtained by the Hill. Another 21% were unsure.
REPUBLICANS ENTER 2023 DIVIDED FROM WITHIN
“Voters believe the only way to hold the GOP accountable for its failures is to make way for new leadership,” Mark Meckler, president of the Convention of States, said in a statement. “Grassroots activists have known for a long time that GOP leadership in Congress and at the RNC aren’t focused on fighting for conservative principles, or even winning a majority, but rather keeping themselves in power and funding the permanent political consultant class.”
The midterm elections have led several conservatives to question McDaniel’s leadership openly, with some even outright challenging her for the top RNC position while others call for new leadership.
That sentiment was present among GOP voters, with 63% of Republicans saying the party and its congressional leaders were ineffective at getting GOP lawmakers elected in 2022 compared to just 36% who said the opposite, according to the poll.
At least two Republicans are challenging McDaniel, including lawyer and RNC committeewoman Harmeet Dhillon. McDaniel was also faced with a high-profile challenge from Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY), who had a better-than-expected run for New York governor last month. Zeldin later bowed out, but he maintained his position that McDaniel should step down.
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The committee is scheduled to elect its next leader during its winter meeting in January. McDaniel has signaled she’d run for reelection, and a letter circulated by about 100 members of the RNC showed they would back her run. If elected, it would be McDaniel’s fourth term as co-chairwoman of the RNC.
The Convention of States Action poll surveyed 1,078 registered Republican voters between Dec. 17-21 in collaboration with the Trafalgar Group.
