WASHINGTON — Facing its first chairmanship race in more than a decade, the Republican National Committee is holding a member-only candidate forum at its winter meeting this month, where incumbent Ronna McDaniel will face challenger Harmeet Dhillon.
The closed confrontation is not technically a debate, as Dhillon has repeatedly called for, but a forum for candidates to present their pitches and, if they wish, take questions from members in attendance.
“Candidates may use the time to give a speech, take questions, or both. The use of the allotted time is at the sole discretion of each candidate,” read a memo sent to RNC 168 members on Tuesday. “A podium and a microphone will be provided, but the use of audiovisual or electronic equipment is prohibited.”
“Harmeet Dhillon has been called several times for a public debate on the race for this RNC seat,” a Dhillon spokesperson said. “It’s unfortunate that McDaniel, whose job it is to push the conservative agenda on the left, is afraid to even debate other RNC members and sends a very bad signal to RNC donors and grassroots leaders that the current seat is too weak. Or afraid to stand behind the record. self.
McDaniel, in response, said he was willing to talk to RNC members. “Ronna McDaniel looks forward to participating in the candidate forum at the winter meeting to continue the conversation with the 168 members, the grassroots leaders of our party who are eager to come together to compete and win in 2023 and 2024,” said spokeswoman Emma Vaughn.
The forum at the future meeting will be spread over two days, and feature candidates running for chair, co-chair, treasurer and secretary, according to the memo.
Dhillon, an RNC member from California, has campaigned aggressively for the post before local and state party committees as well as conservative groups. On the show, he asked the audience to contact three members of the state party’s RNC to lobby for him.
“Please poll your state party leaders on who should be the next leader of the RNC,” he told attendees at the Turning Point USA conference in Phoenix last month.
McDaniel said he was willing to debate Dhillon, but only before 168 committee members.
Dhillon’s main argument is that McDaniel has led a poor Republican performance since he was hand-picked by Donald Trump to run the RNC after he unexpectedly won the White House in 2016.
In 2018, Republicans lost control of the House. He lost the White House and the Senate two years later, then barely took back the House in recent midterms when he actually lost his seat in the Senate.
Neither Dhillon nor McDaniel, have ever publicly blamed the person who was privately recognized by the Republican Party as the reason for the loss: the former president who attempted a coup himself, who, while popular with the GOP base, has long since lost the key swing. voters.
Dhillon, in fact, has Trump as a legal client and continues to praise him, telling the audience that he voted for him twice.
The RNC leadership has a two-year term, so the chairman elected at this month’s winter meeting in Dana Point, California, will be the national party leader who will run for president in 2024.