The Republican National Committee (RNC) has been an absolute disaster under Ronna McDaniel, who has had the support of Donald Trump from the first time she ran for the chair.
Trump reportedly sat down with McDaniel this week amid rumors of financial issues, and McDaniel reportedly offered to step down. Now, there seems to be a push to have former Speaker McCarthy (R-CA) take over to help boost fundraising.
Talking Points…
- McDaniel offers her resignation
- McCarthy's possible replacement
- Analysis
Late Tuesday night, it was reported that McDaniel had met with Donald Trump to discuss the issues at the RNC. At the top of that list is the financial disaster that was recently reported, which is a huge problem for Trump, who has been spending his PAC and campaign funds on his legal bills. The point is, without a big war chest from the RNC, Trump's presidential campaign will be strapped for cash down the stretch.
The New York Times then reported that McDaniel offered to tender her resignation as RNC Chair after the South Carolina primary. Trump also commented on the matter, recently stating:
"I think she did OK, initially, in the RNC. I would say right now, there'll probably some changes made."
Several names are being floated to replace McDaniel, but it appears that the final name will have to have Donald Trump's stamp of approval. Among the names are North Carolina Republican Party chairman Michael Whatley and South Carolina Republican Party chairman Drew McKissick, both huge Trump supporters. Florida state Sen. Joe Gruters, another big Trump supporter, has also been mentioned.
However, the name that caught my attention was Kevin McCarthy, who, believe it or not, was floated by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), who was the person who floored the motion to vacate McCarthy as the Speaker of the House. After the reports of McDaniel resigning started to surface, Geatz posted this on X…
I fully endorse Kevin McCarthy for RNC Chair. Kevin is well organized and a very high-revenue fundraiser. He will also be well-liked by the RNC Committee.
The RNC Chair doesn’t make any policy decisions, set any agenda, or negotiate against Democrats, ever.
Kevin would be… https://t.co/7EquxhIBIc
— Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) February 7, 2024
I have seen posts saying that Gaetz was cracking a joke, but I have seen other posts on this same front, so I don't think he was joking about this. And he is right; McCarthy was a fundraising machine in the House during his career, but we need to get past that as the only qualifier.
Even though the RNC Chair does not dictate policy, that individual is very influential in creating the strategy the GOP uses during an election. On that front, McCarthy has already proven to be a complete and utter failure as part of the machine that had a disappointing 2020 and 2022 election cycle.
If you read my reports regularly, you know that I recommended a complete overhaul of leadership dating back to the aftermath of the 2020 election and was far more adamant about making a change after the 2022 election, wanting to see McConnell, McCarthy, and McDaniel all replaced, but all three were voted back into power by our elected officials.
I take it on the chin when I am wrong, so you better believe I am going to tout when I got it right, and I was dead right on all three of them. So, how could I possibly endorse McCarthy being put back into a leadership role in the GOP?
We need change… big change, and it has to happen now. I am not overly thrilled about any of the names on the board, nor do I think the person in charge of the RNC should be beholden to one candidate. We need a combination of fundraising skills with a person with a proven record of flipping elections in favor of the GOP, and that is surely not McCarthy.
