Following his better-than-expected performance in the New York gubernatorial election last month, many were calling on Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.) to run for Republican National Committee Chair.
However, on Wednesday morning, Zeldin announced he will not be running, insisting that current RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel’s reelection is “pre-baked” by design.
“I am grateful for all the messages I have received from across the country the past few weeks encouraging me to run for Chair of the Republican National Committee. Change is desperately needed, and there are many leaders, myself included, ready and willing to step up to ensure our party retools and transforms as critical elections fast approach, namely the 2024 Presidential and Congressional races,” Zeldin said in a statement shared to Twitter. “However, the issue is Chairwoman McDaniel’s re-election appears to already be pre-baked, as if the disappointing results of every election during her tenure, including yesterday in Georgia, do not and should not even matter.”
Despite his decision not to run, Zeldin is calling on McDaniel to step aside for new blood to take over.
“The better path forward would be for Chairwoman McDaniel to listen to and respect the wishes of the actual grassroots voters of our party, and allow the RNC to forge ahead with new leadership. Her greatest service to the Republican Party at this time would be to make room for a new Chair.”
Read my full statement: pic.twitter.com/k9nHaG8GCT
— Lee Zeldin (@leezeldin) December 7, 2022
Harmeet Dhillon, an RNC committeewoman, is reportedly planning to announce her candidacy within the next few days.
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“After three successive terms of underwhelming results at the polls for the GOP, all the while with leaders congratulating ourselves for outstanding performance, I feel that we owe it to our voters to have a serious debate about the leadership of the party and what we must change to actually win in 2024,” Dhillon said in a statement.
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