Analysis by WorldTribune Staff, November 27, 2023
Is heading up the Republican National Committee (RNC) the equivalent of an NFL coach with tenure?
It sure looks that way for current RNC chief Ronna McDaniel, critics say.
On Oct. 30, The RNC reported its lowest amount of cash on hand since 2015 at $9.1 million, compared to the Democratic National Committee’s (DNC) $17.7 million. The RNC brought in roughly $20 million and $61 million during the same points in the 2016 and 2020 election cycles.
“I think there’s more donors just fully committed to their candidate right now, saying I am all in, and once the nominee is set, I’ll be there. That’s what I hear more than anything. And they’re really solidly in the camps of their candidate, which is normal,” McDaniel told The Washington Post. “There’s nothing unusual about this, because they know that once their candidate gets in that we will merge and that we’ll be working together to win the White House.”
Then there are the debates. The RNC is all-in on the GOP primary debates despite the fact that the candidate who leads the rest of the pack by 50 points isn’t participating in them.
That candidate, Donald Trump, said last week: “RNC must save money on lowest ever ratings debates. Use it against the Democrats to STOP THE STEAL! If not, REVAMP THE RNC, NOW!!!”
Then there are the election underperformances on McDaniel’s watch.
Many have placed blame on the RNC for the GOP’s losses in the Nov. 7 off-year elections, including Virginia’s legislative races, Kentucky’s governor race, and the passage of an abortion ballot measure in Ohio.
“The RNC’s electoral record since 2017 speaks for itself,” Patti Lyman, a Virginia RNC member who opposed McDaniel’s most recent re-election, told the Post. “The damage from that chair election goes far beyond the drop in donations. Our base was demoralized.”
Despite a slew of disappointing recent election results and, now, a fundraising problem, McDaniel refuses to step down from her lofty perch.
Why?
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