Nebraska Republican Party Chairman Eric Underwood has rescinded his endorsement of Ronna McDaniel’s election bid for the Republican National Committee chairman.
Update:
Nebraska Chair, Eric Underwood, has rescinded his endorsement of Ronna McDaniel.
He said he will present a vote to the State Central Committee & represent the will of the people.
— #ThePersistence (@ScottPresler) December 13, 2022
Underwood came forward with his change of mind in a letter to the RNC. “I have decided to bring the question of RNC Leadership to a vote of the elected members of the Nebraska Central Committee at our January 21st meeting. I will present a vote to the 166 SCC members as to their desire for RNC Chair & I will represent the will ‘of the people’ as such,” the letter stated.
Underwood also revealed that he would not publicly endorse any candidate for any leadership level at the RNC in the future. For him, the people of Nebraska matter more than taking sides or “loyalty” to any leadership.
McDaniel, who is running for a two-year term as RNC chair for the fourth time, has been lacking endorsements in the wake of Republicans’ poor midterm election results last month. Her leadership has seen the party lose the House in 2018 as well as the White House and Senate in 2020.
Many Republicans who blame McDaniel for the disappointing results have increasingly asked for her resignation. The Texas GOP passed a resolution calling for her resignation this week, saying that the grassroots no longer have faith in McDaniel and the RNC. The same resolution came from the Arizona GOP last week.
Critics believe that under new leadership, the party can invest more in early voting and get more involved in candidate recruitment. They also agree that a more assertive communication of Republican values, as opposed to Democrats, would go a long way in improving the party’s election results.
McDaniel’s supporters, however, argue that she has helped the party improve its on-the-ground operations, expand voter outreach with community centers, raise $1.5 billion so far and push back on the Presidential Debate Commission. Her highlighted efforts also include the support of election integrity efforts and lawsuits in order to see certain ballots thrown out and voting rules enforced.
McDaniel’s primary challenger is California RNC member Harmeet Dhillon who was co-chair of the group of lawyers for Trump in 2020. Dhillon has announced that she would run against the current RNC chair and has recently spoken about her aspirations on Fox News with the backing of hosts Tucker Carlson and Laura Ingraham.
BREAKING: Harmeet Dhillon @pnjaban announces that she is running against Ronna Romney McDaniel for RNC Chair:
"Republicans are tired of losing." pic.twitter.com/5kZdVs0mbh
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) December 6, 2022
MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell has also stated his intention to join the race, expressing dissatisfaction at the party’s 2018, 2020 and 2022 performances. In an interview with CBS News, he revealed that he plans to develop a “different input” for the party to perform better.
Despite the resistance, she is met with and the challenge Dhillon’s seemingly robust backing poses, McDaniel might go ahead to secure one more term on her leadership journey, as the process of choosing an RNC chair was designed to protect an incumbent from an outside challenge. It also appears that she has secured enough backing to take her through another term.
To win the reelection, McDaniel only needs a simple majority of the 168 national committee members, and she already has more than that. In an endorsement letter circulated last week, 107 RNC members lent their signatures to the prospect of the current chair retaining her position.
