Why Trumpified RNC 'shakeup' could imperil GOP state committees: report

15 February 2024

With Ronna Romney McDaniel on her way out as Republic National Committee (RNC) chair, former President Donald Trump and his loyalists are pushing for new ultra-MAGA leadership. And the people Trump has in mind include Michael Whatley (who heads the North Carolina Republican Party) as chairman and Lara Trump (Eric Trump's wife) as co-chair.

The RNC is already very MAGA-friendly, but if Donald Trump has its way, it would become even more MAGA.

In an article published on February 15, the Daily Beast's Roger Sollenberger explains why this "RNC shakeup" could be financially painful for Republicans at the state and local levels.

"Donald Trump doesn't want his snowballing legal troubles to just be his problem — he's trying to make it an issue for the entire Republican Party," Sollenberger reports. "During a monumental election year for the GOP, Trump has effectively taken over the Republican National Committee, a bid to ensure that the national fundraising juggernaut will chiefly serve him, and not other Republican efforts."

During a February 13 appearance on Newsmax, Sollenberger notes, Lara Trump declared, "Every single penny will go to the No. 1 and the only job of the RNC: that is, electing Donald J. Trump as president of the United States."

Sollenberger, however, emphasizes that "if the RNC is only going to operate with Trump in mind, it'll be a massive blow to down-ballot Republicans and state parties desperate for the cash infusion they usually get in presidential election years."

"Even if Trump doesn't seize RNC cash for his own purposes," Sollenberger reports, "the prospect of him doing so could very well have a chilling effect on donors turning over their cash. Despite Lara Trump's priorities, simply electing Trump isn't the RNC's only job. National parties also serve as the strategic and financial hubs of a campaign support system, providing critical backing to down-ballot candidates and state party committees around the country."

The Daily Beast reporter continues, "A shakeup providing Trump with more opportunities to purloin from the RNC couldn't come at a worse time for these groups. The RNC is coming fresh off a historically poor fundraising year, going through a major leadership overhaul, and scrambling to support its flotilla of state parties. Many of those state committees have been further hamstrung by their own legal and financial woes, and are dangerously close to the red — all while they gear up for the 2024 elections. And this includes state parties in some of the most contentious battlegrounds in the country."

Read the Daily Beast's full report at this link (subscription required).

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