Ronna McDaniel
Ronna Romney McDaniel (née Romney; born March 20, 1973) is an American political strategist who served as chair of the Republican National Committee (RNC) from 2017 until her resignation in 2024. A member of the Republican Party and the Romney family, McDaniel was chair of the Michigan Republican Party from 2015 to 2017.
Ronna McDaniel
During McDaniel's tenure as chair of the RNC, the Republican Party lost eight gubernatorial elections, four seats in the United States Senate, 20 seats in the House of Representatives, and the presidency. In December 2022, Axios wrote that McDaniel "has thus far failed to preside over a single positive election cycle."[1]
McDaniel is a granddaughter of Michigan Governor and businessman George W. Romney and a niece of Massachusetts Governor and U.S. Senator Mitt Romney of Utah. She is known for her prolific fundraising and staunch support for former President Donald Trump while RNC chair.[2][3] Under her leadership, the RNC ran ads for Trump's 2020 campaign as early as 2018, placed numerous Trump campaign workers and affiliates on the RNC payroll, spent considerable funds at Trump-owned properties, covered Trump's legal fees during the Russian interference investigation, hosted the Fake News Awards, and criticized Trump critics within the Republican Party.[2]
McDaniel and the RNC made claims of voter fraud after Joe Biden's 2020 election victory, which Trump refused to concede[4] and attempted to overturn. In 2022, McDaniel orchestrated a censure of Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, the two Republicans who served on the House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack.[5] The censure characterized the violent pro-Trump mob as having engaged in "legitimate political discourse".[5][6] In its fourth public hearing, the House January 6 Committee presented an excerpt of a deposition where McDaniel revealed she had directed the RNC to help organize fake electors for the Trump fake electors plot[7]at the request of Trump and John Eastman.[a]
On February 26, 2024, McDaniel announced her resignation as RNC chair on advice from Donald Trump following his victory in the 2024 South Carolina Republican presidential primary.[10] Her term as chair of the RNC ended March 8.[11] McDaniel served as an NBC News on-air political contributor for less than a week in March 2024.[12]
Early life and education[edit]
McDaniel was born Ronna Romney on March 20, 1973,[13] in Austin, Texas. The third of five children born to Ronna Stern Romney and Scott Romney, the older brother of Mitt Romney, McDaniel is a granddaughter of three-term Michigan Governor George W. Romney. Her mother ran for the U.S. Senate in 1996 against Carl Levin, served on the Republican National Committee, and was a delegate to the 1988 Republican National Convention. Romney's grandmother, Lenore Romney, ran for the U.S. Senate in 1970.[14] McDaniel has said her career in politics was inspired by her family.[15]
She attended Lahser High School in Bloomfield Township, Oakland County, Michigan,[14] and earned an undergraduate degree in English from Brigham Young University.[16][17]
Later career[edit]
On March 22, 2024, NBC News announced that it had hired McDaniel as a contributor.[88] Many of the network's hosts publicly opposed the hiring, due to her false statements about the 2020 election, which included instances of undermining journalism and attacks on journalistic integrity.[89] Days later, NBC reversed its decision and parted ways with McDaniel.[90]
Personal life[edit]
A member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,[91] she has two children with her husband, Patrick McDaniel.[14] They live in Northville, Michigan.[16]