Ronna McDaniel facing another challenger for RNC chair

The race to head the Republican National Committee is getting more crowded as at least three candidates gear up to challenge Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel.

Lawyer and RNC committeewoman Harmeet Dhillon said she is considering running for the top spot and will likely make an announcement within the next few days. McDaniel is running for a fourth term as RNC chairwoman, though she is facing calls for new leadership after the GOP’s disappointing performance in the 2022 midterm elections.

“Grassroots Republicans, donors, and fellow RNC members alike have been reaching out to me since the midterm elections, seeking changes in Republican leadership,” Dhillon said in a statement. “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.”

Rep. Lee Zeldin, R-N.Y., is considering a run for RNC chair after his bid for New York governor came within 6 points of ousting Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul in the deep-blue state. He hasn’t announced his bid either.

“Congressman Zeldin is humbled by the outpouring of support he is receiving from conservative leaders across the country and is seriously considering a run for RNC chair,” Brian Morgenstern, a Zeldin adviser, told the Washington Examiner last week. “He continues to speak with members of the RNC regarding the best path forward to retool, transform, and reenergize the party to take back the White House and win control of both houses of congress in 2024.”

Mike Lindell, the CEO of MyPillow and a conservative activist, is also running, having told Steve Bannon, a top adviser to former President Donald Trump, that “with all my due diligence and in prayer, I am 100% running for RNC chairman against Ronna McDaniel.”

The 168 members of the committee will vote on the next leader at their annual meeting in January. McDaniel has led the party since 2017, and her allies are confident that at least 100 of the electors have already committed to backing her for a fourth term, according to Politico. Her detractors point out that under her watch, Republicans lost the House in 2018 and the presidency and the Senate in 2020 and ended 2022 with a small majority in the House despite hopes of a red wave.

Dhillon is a lawyer and media contributor whose law firm has represented Trump-aligned candidates such as former Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake and Trump himself. Dhillon did not respond to the Washington Examiner’s request for comment.