Ronna McDaniel wins re-election to fourth term as RNC chair - NBC News

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DANA POINT, Calif. — Ronna McDaniel won re-election to a 4th word arsenic Republican National Committee chairwoman connected Friday, besting insurgent challenger Harmeet Dhillon successful a concealed ballot ballot astatine the party’s yearly wintertime meeting.

McDaniel easy secured a bulk of the 168 votes needed to win, with 111 votes compared to 51 for Dhillon, 4 for MyPillow laminitis Mike Lindell and 1 for erstwhile Rep. Lee Zeldin, R-N.Y., who was not a candidate.

McDaniel is present connected way to beryllium the longest-serving GOP seat since the 19th century. She joins Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., successful staving disconnected challenges to their enactment pursuing Republicans' disappointing show successful the November midterm elections.

The contention was seemingly a foregone decision for months. McDaniel released an endorsement letter from much than 100 of the RNC's 168 members soon aft the midterms — support that led to Zeldin deciding not to motorboat his ain bid to pb the RNC.

But with the ballot held by concealed ballot, and Dhillon's assertive run arguing that McDaniel should not beryllium re-elected aft GOP shortcomings successful November, members did not constitute Dhillon disconnected up of the vote. Publicly, astir 30 RNC members had committed to Dhillon up of the ballot.

Lindell, a starring predetermination conspiracist, launched a long-shot bid but ne'er picked up overmuch momentum.

McDaniel's supporters argued she was champion positioned to determination the enactment guardant due to the fact that of her assets allocation and coagulated moving narration with authorities enactment leadership.

After the tally was announced, McDaniel, Dhillon and Lindell appeared connected signifier unneurotic successful a amusement of unity. In a statement, McDaniel said she was "deeply grateful that our members person entrusted maine with different word successful this role."

"I look guardant to moving alongside blimpish leaders, including Harmeet and Mike, from crossed our enactment to present connected our promises to the American people," she said.

Even with McDaniel successful spot arsenic the adjacent chair, galore RNC members accidental they expect tensions to remain.

“After this is implicit tomorrow, it’s not over,” said Jonathan Barnett, an RNC committeeman from Arkansas who backed Dhillon to pb the party, up of the vote. “It’s going to instrumentality immoderate clip to bash immoderate rebuilding, and Harmeet inactive has a beardown voice. All of america who are supporting Harmeet are not going away.”

Speaking to reporters aft the vote, Dhillon said she was "disappointed" successful the result but reiterated her pledge to enactment the decision down her and enactment with McDaniel to beforehand Republican causes.

But she said the enactment volition "have to woody with that fallout of being successful a disconnect from the grassroots." She added she believes immoderate members "are going to consciousness a small antithetic [about their votes] erstwhile they spell backmost to their homes, peculiarly if they travel from a authorities oregon a county, which voted overwhelmingly to enactment alteration successful the RNC."

Some Dhillon backers were speedy to stock their discontent with the vote. Charlie Kirk, a blimpish activistic and laminitis of Turning Point USA, tweeted aft the predetermination that helium was "truly shocked astatine however disconnected the RNC state nine is from the radical they beg for donations."

"There is simply a nine of consultants who marque insane $ disconnected YOUR donations and are present arrogant of however they tin defy the 90% of the enactment who wanted to spot change," helium added.

The seat ballot wasn't the lone bid of concern connected Friday for the party. The RNC besides approved a bundle of 9 resolutions connected Friday successful a dependable vote. The resolutions included measures condemning antisemitism, opposing ranked-choice voting, calling for President Joe Biden to beryllium held accountable for his administration’s handling of the U.S. borderline with Mexico, pushing for the U.S. to “shut down” immoderate “Chinese constabulary station” operating successful the state and to broadly discourage the usage of TikTok — including encouraging a prohibition connected its usage connected national authorities devices.

The antisemitism solution straight called retired hip-hop creator Kanye West and achromatic supremacist Nick Fuentes, who dined with erstwhile President Donald Trump precocious past year, arsenic good arsenic Reps. Cori Bush, D-Mo., Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., and Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich.

Oscar Brock, a Dhillon supporter, said helium volition proceed to propulsion for much enactment transparency pursuing the predetermination and committed to moving with McDaniel moving forward.

"She's not a atrocious person," helium said. "I mean, she's not evil. I conscionable wanted to triumph much elections."

Looking up to 2024, Brock said the RNC has "the quality to get connected track," but it remains an unfastened question whether the enactment will.

As for his connection to voters backmost home, Brock said: "We did everything successful our powerfulness to get radical to ballot for change."

"And successful the extremity of the day, we conscionable didn't win," helium said. "So, that happens."

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