Everyone agrees the 2022 Midterms were disappointing for the Grand Old Party.
And so too were the 2020 and 2018 election cycles.
Now, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis may be going to war with Mitt Romney and the Romney legacy over the future of the Republican party.
Three straight election cycles in a row have all been disappointments.
And all three were headed by Republican National Committee Chair, Ronna McDaniel.
In fact, McDaniel – who is the niece of RINO Utah Sen. Mitt Romney and granddaughter of former Michigan Gov. George Romney – has not overseen a single positive election cycle in her three terms as RNC Chair.
That’s why in a Trafalgar survey last month, 71.6% of Americans said Republicans needed a new leadership team.
And even more Republicans, 73.4%, want their party to freshen things up its top positions.
Republican voters are MUCH more likely to blame Republican Leadership than Donald Trump for November's disappointing results.https://t.co/zXsC9R117J@LeaderMcConnell
@GOPLeader@GOPChairwoman@realdonaldtrumpSponsored by @RaheemKassam and the National Pulse pic.twitter.com/Qly3ziGCOY
— Rasmussen Reports (@Rasmussen_Poll) November 21, 2022
Meanwhile, a December Rasmussen survey found just 16% of conservatives blame individual candidates for 2022 shortcomings.
Another 20% blamed former President Donald Trump.
But more than twice that, a clear plurality of 43% say the fault lies with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and RNC Chair Rona McDaniel.
You can add Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida to the list of people calling for a change.
Last week, DeSantis threw his support behind Trump lawyer and RNC committee member, Harmeet Dhillon – endorsing her bold plan to move GOP headquarters out of the Democrat-controlled city of Washington D.C.
“I like what Harmeet Dhillon has said about getting the RNC out of DC,” DeSantis said in an interview with Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk. “I do think we need some fresh thinking and — here’s the thing, just practically speaking, you need grassroots Republicans to power this organization with volunteering and donations,” DeSantis continued. “I think it’s going to be very difficult to energize people to want to give money, to want to volunteer their time with the RNC if they don’t see a change in direction.”
America’s Governor added that his team headed up campaigns in Florida because they were disappointed in fundraising results from the RNC.
The Sunshine State was one of the few 2022 bright spots for Republicans.
DeSantis, along with Sen. Marco Rubio, both won the traditionally purple state by landslide margins and four blue House seats flipped red.
However, the GOP establishment isn’t releasing their grasp on the levers of party power easily.
McConnell is back as Senate Minority Leader.
And while a group of around 20 House conservatives won their fight to put a tighter leash on McCarthy’s ability to do the establishment’s bidding, he nevertheless has the Speaker’s Gavel.
Arguably both were reelected to their positions in the end because they control the party leadership PACs that have filled to vacuum left by weak National Committee efforts.
And yet now, McDaniel has been put back for a historic fourth term as RNC Chair.
Mitt’s niece will now hold the record for longest-serving RNC Chair, despite having a resume that features nothing but losing election cycles.
In the end, 111 RNC committee members voted to keep McDaniel in the top spot, compared to just 51 for Dhillon, four for MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, and one write-in vote for Lee Zeldin – who was one of the other 2022 GOP bright spots, falling just short of scoring a massive upset victory in his gubernatorial race in deep blue New York.
Following her win, McDaniel called Dhillon and Lindell up to the stage and promised to unite the factions within the Republican Party.
But it remains to be seen if the small dollar donors and the activist volunteer base of conservatives that DeSantis spoke about will be willing to go along with another election cycle run by a Romney.
Political Animal News will keep you up-to-date on any new developments in this ongoing story.
