Ronna McDaniel, chairwoman of the Republican National Committee, will step down from her position on March 8, she announced Monday morning.
“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,” McDaniel said in a statement.
Her decision, first reported by the New York Times, comes two weeks after former president Donald Trump endorsed North Carolina GOP chairman Michael Whatley to lead the RNC alongside his daughter-in-law Lara Trump and senior campaign advisor Chris LaCivita. The likely presidential nominee and other Republicans such as Vivek Ramaswamy have publicly criticized McDaniel for her leadership at the RNC, citing the GOP’s underwhelming performance in the 2022 midterm elections.
In her statement, McDaniel said she would step aside “to allow our nominee to select a Chair of their choosing,” noting the practice is rooted in historical precedent. “The RNC has historically undergone change once we have a nominee and it has always been my intention to honor that tradition.”
“I remain committed to winning back the White House and electing Republicans up and down the ballot in November,” she added.
Trump has also criticized McDaniel for not doing enough to prevent voter fraud, which he claims was the reason for his loss in the 2020 presidential election. Trump wants the next RNC chair to be someone who is “committed to election integrity,” which he ascribed to Whatley.
McDaniel has also faced criticism regarding her handling of party finances and costly grassroots efforts, contributing to a cash crunch. According to the party’s latest disclosure with the Federal Election Commission, the RNC ended 2023 with only $8 million in cash on hand. This is less than half as much money as the Democratic National Committee had at the end of 2023.
The chairwoman previously indicated she would voluntarily step down after the South Carolina primary, which saw Trump lead Nikki Haley by 20 points in her home state Saturday night.
McDaniel was elected to her current position in 2017, following her time served as the Michigan GOP chairwoman. Trump chose her to lead the RNC shortly after the 2016 election.
McDaniel will resign from her post at the end of next week at the RNC Spring Training in Houston, Texas. Her departure will come three days after Super Tuesday, the primary-election day when 16 states will hold votes.