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All four Republican National Committee (RNC) finance chairs supported Ronna McDaniel's bid to stay on as party chair, citing her experience in fundraising and donor relations as her ability to meet the leadership challenge.
According to emails obtained by The Hill, current CFO Duke Buchan III and former CFOs Todd Ricketts, Ray Washburn and Ron Weiser have written to 168 RNC members to express their support for McDaniel.
The emails highlight McDaniel's relationship with RNC sponsors and his efforts to build a fundraising infrastructure during his six years in office. McDaniel is running for a fourth term as president but has faced criticism from the right over the party's campaign performance and spending.
“Ronna is a proven fundraiser who has amassed incredible resources during her tenure; resources that campaigns depend on to win at all levels across the country. He has built and developed a Republican infrastructure that will stand the test of time,” Washburn, who served as chief financial officer in 2013 and 2014, wrote in a letter to NRC members released Tuesday.
In his letter, Weiser, who served as the NRC's chief financial officer from 2011 to 2013 and is now chairman of the Michigan Republican Party, spoke out against what he called "false attacks" on how the committee spends its money in the meantime. elections.
Harmeet Dhillon, a California attorney representing former President Trump and NRC member Harmeet Dhillon, announced his challenge to McDaniel. Dillon and several others pointed to high travel costs and questioned McDaniel's spending priorities.
“Anyone who thinks they can raise the necessary funds without spending money on travel, food and the like is delusional,” Weiser wrote in a letter to NCR members Tuesday. “I know that Rona is doing what is best for our party and our country. In fact, we cannot lose sight of this basic fact. To win, we need effective fundraising and Rona has shown remarkable results."
Ricketts, who worked with McDaniel at the NRC for three years, wrote in a letter to backers that "Ronna understands when a party is failing (like this year in the Senate) and is always looking to improve, so we're always working on that. ." . victory".
“Ronna has the knowledge and experience to attract low-value donors, promote creative technology to compete with the Democrats, and continue to find innovative ways to improve our digital fundraising,” Ricketts wrote.
Buchan, who has worked with McDaniel as chief financial officer for the past two years, cited more than 300 events and more than 1,300 hours of special fundraising appeals, as well as millions of dollars raised for the party, as signs of his commitment. Worked
“These efforts cannot be replicated quickly or easily, and we cannot risk underfunding during the critical presidential term ahead,” Buchan said.
McDaniel has led the NRC since 2017 and wins an election every two years. But disappointment among Republicans mounted after this year's unusual midterm elections, as Democrats added a seat to their Senate majority and won a key gubernatorial race, while Republicans won a smaller-than-expected majority in The House of Representatives.
As conservatives called for changes at the top of the NRC, part of the blame fell on McDaniel. His critics noted that the GOP's loss of the House of Representatives in 2018, the White House and Senate in 2020, and McDaniel's full term in 2022 lowered expectations.
But the RNC's selection process for president could help isolate McDaniel to some degree, because he has strong ties to many of the 168 members who will decide his fate. McDaniel only needs the support of a majority of 168 to secure another term, while Dhillon will need the support of at least two RNC members in three different states or territories to even be on the ballot. Each state and territory has three RNC members.
In a letter of support released earlier this month, 107 RNC members endorsed McDaniel, more than the 84 needed for re-election in the party's caucus in January. McDaniel also has the support of former NRC president Reince Priebus.
Trump has refused to endorse a candidate in the NRC race and said in a recent interview with Breitbart News that he likes both McDaniel and Dillon.
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