Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel has announced she will be stepping down next week after weeks of speculation that she would leave the top GOP post.
McDaniel was elected RNC chairwoman in 2017 and was most recently reelected in 2023 after backing from former President Donald Trump. The RNC chairwoman announced on Monday that she would be stepping down on March 8.
“I have decided to step aside at our spring training on March 8 in Houston to allow our nominee to select a chair of their choosing,” McDaniel said in a statement.
“The RNC has historically undergone change once we have a nominee, and it has always been my intention to honor that tradition,” she added. “I remain committed to winning back the White House and electing Republicans up and down the ballot in November.”
The next RNC meeting in Houston, Texas, at the end of next week is set to be the venue where the new RNC chairperson is elected by members.
McDaniel’s tenure as RNC chairwoman saw several GOP losses, including in the 2020 presidential election and the 2022 midterm elections. Under her tenure, Republicans lost control of the House of Representatives after the 2018 elections and the White House and Senate after the 2020 elections.
Despite various electoral losses, she also worked to expand GOP early voting with programs such as the Bank Your Vote after Republican leaders had pushed against early voting, and the GOP narrowly won back control of the House following the 2022 elections.
McDaniel touted her accomplishments and said it has been “the honor and privilege of my life” being chairwoman of the RNC.
“Some of my proudest accomplishments include firing Nancy Pelosi, winning the popular vote in 2022, creating an Election Integrity Department, building the committee’s first small dollar grassroots donor program, strengthening our state parties through our Growing Republican Organizations to Win program, expanding the Party through minority outreach at our community centers, and launching Bank Your Vote to get Republicans to commit to voting early,” she said.
Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who led the House GOP through the 2022 elections, credited McDaniel for helping “expand the electoral map” in their successful bid to flip control of the chamber.
“Ronna is a dear friend and was a strong leader of the RNC. Her work was instrumental in helping us win back the House majority. I will always look back on those final weeks as we crisscrossed the country helping pull our candidates across the finish line,” McCarthy said in a statement on Monday.
“Her leadership in the party helped expand the electoral map and supported candidates that are now rising stars. Whatever her next chapter is, Ronna will always be a champion for freedom, a strong economy, and limited government,” he added.
In anticipation of McDaniel’s departure, Trump announced his slate of endorsements for RNC leadership earlier this month, including North Carolina Republican Party Chairman Michael Whatley for chairman, Lara Trump for co-chairwoman, and his co-campaign manager Chris LaCivita for committee COO.
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Whatley praised McDaniel in a statement on Monday and said he is “thankful” for what she has done for the RNC.
“Chairwoman McDaniel has led our party with grace and vision and has been a true friend to me and the North Carolina Republican Party. Her leadership on election integrity, minority outreach, voter contact and so much more will be felt not only in the 2024 election, but in elections to come,” Whatley said. “I am thankful for all she has done, and will continue to do, for the Republican Party.”
