The Republican National Committee (RNC) has gathered an array of influential Republicans to review the Republican Party’s lackluster midterm election performance.
The RNC announced Tuesday it will review the party’s performance by launching a “Republican Party Advisory Council” to analyze why Republicans failed to achieve what was perceived to be an incoming red wave.
Those asked to be on the review board are some of the most prominent conservative minds, including former President Donald Trump’s former White House adviser Kellyanne Conway, former Arizona Senate candidate Blake Masters, and conservative attorney and RNC committeewoman Harmeet Dhillon.
The review will likely be concluded and published in the early part of 2023, just before the 2024 presidential campaign season kicks into gear.
RNC chair Ronna McDaniel, the niece of failed presidential candidate Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT), said she assembled a “diverse” council to “chart a winning course in the years to come.”
“As we assess the midterms and plan for 2024, we are gathering a diverse range of respected leaders in our movement to join together and help chart a winning course in the years to come,” she said in a statement to Politico. “I am thrilled that this talented group of Republicans will be shoulder to shoulder with us as we work to grow our party, hold Democrats accountable, and elect Republicans.”
McDaniel’s full list of councilmembers are:
- Henry Barbour, Mississippi RNC committeeman
- Haley Barbour, former RNC chair
- Harmeet Dhillon, California RNC committeewoman
- Sen.-elect Katie Britt (R-AL)
- Rep.-elect Monica De La Cruz (R-TX)
- Rep.-elect John James (R-MI), a black Republican who graduated from West Point
- Blake Masters, former Arizona Senate candidate
- Kellyanne Conway, Trump’s former White House and 2020 campaign adviser
- Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council
Masters, who narrowly lost his campaign to Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ), told Politico the Republican Party must understand how to compete with the Democrats’ ability to turn out early voting.
“Our party needs to modernize. We’re fighting against Big Tech, the media, and now, the Democrats’ GOTV early voting machine,” Masters said in a statement. “I look forward to working with Ronna to make sure the party effectively supports our candidates and wins big in 2024.”
The review comes as McDaniel is up for reelection as RNC chair. First elected in 2017 as RNC chair, McDaniel has served three terms in the position. McDaniel has released a list of 100 RNC members who already support her reelection. The members represent more than a majority needed to secure a fourth term.
McDaniel gained notoriety as Michigan’s GOP chair by working to secure the state for Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. She was then promoted to RNC chair in 2017, where she successfully navigated Trump’s presidency. In 2020, she was backed by Trump for another term and reelected as chair after she pushed early for investigations into possible voter fraud during the presidential election.
In 2022, McDaniel led the RNC as it invested $30 million in “election integrity” initiatives, including at least 73 lawsuits in 20 states during the cycle. The RNC also guided over 70,000 poll workers and hired over 35 “election integrity counsels” to work with those poll workers to ensure election integrity. On November 1, the RNC won a pivotal lawsuit in Pennsylvania to block undated and incorrectly dated mail ballots.
Despite McDaniel’s leadership, her fourth candidacy for chair is challenged by My Pillow CEO Michael Lindell. Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY) is also rumored to be considering a bid.
