Dhillon makes pitch to be RNC chief

California attorney Harmeet Dhillon made her latest pitch to members of the Republican National Committee (RNC) this week about why she should replace current Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel ahead of the RNC’s elections in California. 

McDaniel, Dhillon and MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell are all running for RNC chair, with candidate forums scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday ahead of the vote on Friday. Dhillon sent an email to RNC members, which was obtained by Politico Playbook, laying out the changes she would make if elected.

She said she and her husband would move to Washington, D.C., rebuild relationships with donors, and involve more members in funding distribution decisions, among other proposals. She also said she would “not make it my business to recruit candidates into regional and officer leadership races.”

“I believe that every RNC member should have a chance to step up to leadership positions and run their races without fear that the chair or people acting on her behalf, will interfere with the race,” she added.

Dhillon’s latest pitch to RNC members comes as McDaniel vies for a fourth term as chairwoman. The incumbent has fielded criticism of her leadership after Republicans failed to take the House in 2018; lost the House, Senate and presidency in 2020; and were unable to flip the Senate in 2022. 

However, McDaniel has projected confidence that she’ll be able to win another term, with several letters circulating in recent months indicating that more than 100 RNC members support her reelection. A candidate needs a simple majority from the 168 members of the committee to win the race. 

“I think there’s a tendency to scapegoat or ignore the wins,” McDaniel said in an interview to Semafor published last week. “I mean, we defied history in 2018, picking up three Senate seats in a midterm year. We picked up 15 seats in 2020 in the House, which was unprecedented, and then this year, winning back the House.”