North Carolina Republican Chair Michael Whatley officially announced his candidacy to lead the Republican National Committee (RNC) on Monday.
The announcement comes after the current RNC chair, Ronna McDaniel, said that she will step down from her position after Super Tuesday. Whatley's candidacy was revealed in a letter to the RNC's 168 members.
Michael Whatley's RNC Chair Candidacy
The GOP lawmaker highlighted the endorsement that he had received from former United States President Donald Trump, who is currently the front-runner in the Republican presidential nomination race.
In his letter, Whatley wrote that he was honored to receive the Republican businessman's endorsement for RNC chair. He added that he was hoping that the members of the RNC would vote for him as they undertake the crucial work of winning up and down the ballot in the 2024 race.
The situation comes as the former president has moved to put in place new leadership at the committee ahead of the general election. He is currently supporting Whatley as chair, his daughter-in-law Lara Trump as co-chair, and his senior campaign adviser Chris LaCivita as the committee's chief operating officer, as per Politico.
In order to be appointed as the RNC chair, Whatley needs to win a majority of support from the committee's members. He is expected to do so given Trump's widespread backing among the members in question. The election to select the new chair of the RNC is scheduled to take place on Mar. 8 in Houston, Texas.
Whatley also laid out his vision for the RNC in the letter where he announced his candidacy, saying that the committee needs to be "laser-focused on registering new voters, pushing voters to the polls, and taking advantage of every opportunity to run up our margin in key states across the country."
Furthermore, he stressed that he would pursue an objective that is dear to the former president, adding that the committee would "work around the clock to file aggressive litigation where needed." He said that they should recruit and train tens of thousands of poll watchers and poll workers.
Ronna McDaniel To Step Down
On the other hand, McDaniel's announcement to step down as RNC chair after Super Tuesday comes after weeks of pressure from Trump. It also comes a few weeks after the former president revealed that he was endorsing Whatley to replace her as head of the committee, according to Fox News.
In her statement, McDaniel said that it has been the honor and privilege of her life to serve the RNC for seven years as its chairwoman. She added that her decision to step down was made to allow the nominee to select a chair of their choosing.
She said that some of her proudest achievements include firing former House speaker Nancy Pelosi, winning the popular vote in 2022, creating an Election Integrity Department, and building the committee's first small-dollar grassroots donor program, among others.
McDaniel's resignation comes as she was hand-picked by the former president in 2016 to serve as the RNC chair after Reince Priebus left to become Trump's first chief of staff at the White House, said CNBC.
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