Ronna McDaniel

Ronna McDaniel
McDaniel in 2018
Chair of the Republican National Committee
In office
January 19, 2017 – March 8, 2024
Preceded byReince Priebus
Succeeded byMichael Whatley
Chair of the Michigan Republican Party
In office
February 21, 2015 – January 19, 2017
Preceded byBobby Schostak
Succeeded byRonald Weiser
Personal details
Born
Ronna Romney

(1973-03-20) March 20, 1973 (age 51)
Austin, Texas, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
SpousePatrick McDaniel
Children2
RelativesRonna Romney (mother)
Mitt Romney (uncle)
See Romney family
EducationBrigham Young University (BA)

Ronna Romney McDaniel (née Romney; born March 20, 1973) is an American political strategist who served as chair of the Republican National Committee (RNC) from 2017 until her resignation in 2024. A member of the Republican Party and the Romney family, McDaniel was chair of the Michigan Republican Party from 2015 to 2017.

During McDaniel's tenure as chair of the RNC, the Republican Party lost eight gubernatorial elections, four seats in the United States Senate, 20 seats in the House of Representatives, and the presidency. In December 2022, Axios wrote that McDaniel "has thus far failed to preside over a single positive election cycle."[1]

McDaniel is a granddaughter of Michigan Governor and businessman George W. Romney and a niece of Massachusetts Governor and U.S. Senator Mitt Romney of Utah. She is known for her prolific fundraising and staunch support for former President Donald Trump while RNC chair.[2][3] Under her leadership, the RNC ran ads for Trump's 2020 campaign as early as 2018, placed numerous Trump campaign workers and affiliates on the RNC payroll, spent considerable funds at Trump-owned properties, covered Trump's legal fees during the Russian interference investigation, hosted the Fake News Awards, and criticized Trump critics within the Republican Party.[2]

McDaniel and the RNC made claims of voter fraud after Joe Biden's 2020 election victory, which Trump refused to concede[4] and attempted to overturn. In 2022, McDaniel orchestrated a censure of Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, the two Republicans who served on the House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack.[5] The censure characterized the violent pro-Trump mob as having engaged in "legitimate political discourse".[5][6] In its fourth public hearing, the House January 6 Committee presented an excerpt of a deposition where McDaniel revealed she had directed the RNC to help organize fake electors for the Trump fake electors plot[7]at the request of Trump and John Eastman.[a]

On February 26, 2024, McDaniel announced her resignation as RNC chair on advice from Donald Trump following his victory in the 2024 South Carolina Republican presidential primary.[10] Her term as chair of the RNC ended March 8.[11] McDaniel served as an NBC News on-air political contributor for less than a week in March 2024.[12]

  1. ^ Treene, Alayna (December 13, 2022). "The RNC's lopsided power struggle". Axios. Archived from the original on January 7, 2023. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Heersink was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Peters was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Bloomberg 2020-11-11 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ a b Weisman, Jonathan; Epstein, Reid J. (February 4, 2022). "G.O.P. Declares Jan. 6 Attack 'Legitimate Political Discourse'". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 4, 2022. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
  6. ^ "Read the Republican Censure of Cheney and Kinzinger". The New York Times. February 4, 2022. Archived from the original on February 4, 2022. Retrieved February 5, 2022.
  7. ^ Breuninger, Kevin (June 22, 2022). "Trump had a direct role in plan to install fake electors. Key takeaways from the fourth Jan. 6 hearing". CNBC. Archived from the original on June 22, 2022. Retrieved July 29, 2022.
  8. ^ Concepcion, Summer (August 8, 2023). "Ex-Trump lawyer John Eastman seeks to postpone his disbarment proceedings: The request comes after a Trump indictment that referred to six co-conspirators who assisted him in his efforts to overturn the 2020 election, including Eastman". NBC News. Archived from the original on August 8, 2023. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
  9. ^ Concepcion, Summer (June 20, 2023). "John Eastman faces disbarment proceedings in California over effort to reverse 2020 election: Eastman, Donald Trump's former lawyer, faces disciplinary charges alleging engagement in a plot to push a far-fetched legal strategy arguing that then-Vice President Mike Pence could overturn Joe Biden's electoral victory". NBC News. Archived from the original on August 8, 2023. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
  10. ^ Peterson, Kristina (March 7, 2024). "Ronna McDaniel Shows Why Nearly Every Alliance With Trump Eventually Frays". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on March 8, 2024. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
  11. ^ Smith, Allen (February 26, 2024). "RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel announces her resignation". NBC News. Archived from the original on February 26, 2024. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
  12. ^ "NBC has cut ties with former RNC head Ronna McDaniel after employee objections, some on the air". AP News. March 26, 2024. Archived from the original on March 27, 2024. Retrieved March 27, 2024.


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