The Chenab Times covers the latest developments in the Republican National Committee (RNC) chairmanship race, which has become a contentious battle between incumbent Ronna McDaniel and challenger Cindy Costa Dhillon.
Politico quoted Jonathan Barnett, a committee member from Arkansas who supports Dhillon, as saying, “You’ve got anti-Trump people that are for Ronna, and you’ve got anti-Trump people for Harmeet. It’s just the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen.”
The race has divided the RNC, with some members supporting McDaniel and others backing Dhillon. It has also caused private RNC squabbles to become public and has even split a GOP billionaire donor couple, Richard and Elizabeth Uihlein, who are supporting Dhillon and McDaniel, respectively.
McDaniel has not left the field to Dhillon alone. She herself has made recent appeals to the pro-Donald Trump grassroots, capped off with an appearance Friday on Steve Bannon’s “War Room’’ talk show. Her team has been insistent that she has the votes needed for a fourth term.
But Dhillon, whose law firm served as Trump’s counsel for his dealings with the House Jan. 6 Committee, has been hoping to flip what her team believes are “soft” McDaniel votes. To do so, they have reached out recently to top Republican leaders not named Trump, some of whom are eyeing their own bids for the White House in 2024.
Politico reported that Dhillon recently talked to former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, according to a person familiar with the conversation, who said Dhillon “reiterated she believes the role of the RNC chair should remain neutral in any primary.” A spokesperson for Haley did not comment.
Despite Dhillon’s outreach, none of those figures have made endorsements in the chairman’s race. But some major voices and commentators have taken sides. Erick Erickson, a conservative commentator who had initially called for McDaniel’s ouster, this week reversed course, saying top Republican officials he had spoken with believed she should stay in place.
McDaniel’s camp did not comment directly on whether she has been in touch with Republican presidential hopefuls, though she has pledged to remain neutral in the upcoming process despite her close ties to Trump.
The RNC committee members will meet in California this week to vote on the chairmanship. The Chenab Times will continue to provide updates on this developing story.
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The Chenab Times News Desk
