Welcome to the best time of year Christmas Carol season. It's beginning of the good luck. The Republican Party is in the midst of a fight over what it will stand for and who will lead it going forward into the future.
Now, that squabble will play out most directly in the 2024 Republican presidential race, where former President Donald Trump has already announced this candidacy. But there are plenty of others, including Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who is expected to get into that race as well.
But long before we get to the 2024 votes, there will be a test of what kind of party the GOP sees itself as and wants to be. In January, the Republican National Committee will select its chair for the next two years.
And recently, the race just got a whole lot more interesting. In late November, my Pillow CEO and ardent Trump defender Mike Lindell said on Steve Bannon's podcast that he would seek the position of RNC chair.
I am 100% running for the RNC chairman against Ronald McDaniel. 100%. I'm all in, Steve. Steve Lindel has risen to fame and infamy over the past several years by repeatedly insisting, without any proof, that the 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump.
Lindell has been propped up in these efforts by, yes, Trump, who continues to pedal that false idea that somehow the election was fraudulent. But Lindell told Axios that he didn't consult with Trump on running for the RNC chairmanship.
I did not call him and say, what do you think about this? Lindell said. This is my decision. It remains to be seen whether Lindell will actually be anything close to a serious candidate for the job or if he could even get Trump's endorsement in his race.
What we do know now is that Ronald Romney McDaniel, who first won the RNC job following Trump's win in the 2016 election, is planning to seek another term in the gig. She's been a staunch Trump ally, and he is reciprocated by praising her stewardship of the National Party Committee.
But it's unclear exactly how another McDaniel bid will be viewed after Republicans underwhelmed in the 2022 election. They failed to retake the Senate majority, and they carried the House by just a sliver small handful of seats in an op ed.
And the conservative Washington examiner blasted McDaniel for this record. Blame starts at the top. Whether in sports and organization or politics, it read, there's a reason that players frequently do not get fired from professional sporting teams, but coaches get their feet held to the fire because they are the ones who are paid to manage.
In the same aspect, the chairwoman of the RNC has to be held accountable for the GOP's failures this cycle. Ouch. McDaniel announced that the committee was launching a council of outside advisers to help the party improve on its midterm performance heading into 2024, which seems like an effort to quiet those critics.
One of her aides also told CNN earlier this month that she had received private commitments of support from about 100 of 168 RNC members, which would be well more than the simple majority she needs to be reelected to the job.
The most serious Johnson McDaniel is probably not from Lindell, but could well come from New York Congressman Lee Zeldin, who narrowly lost a surprisingly competitive race for governor to Democratic incumbent Kathy Holcol earlier in November.
Now in mid-November, in an email to RNC members, Zeldin indicated that he was very seriously considering a run for the RNC Chairmanship, adding this it is time for our party to retool transform, win back the presidency in 2024, expand our number of Republican-held seats in Congress, and elect the maximum number of down-ballot races across the country.
Sounds great. The race for RNC chair looks at the moment like it's still McDaniels to lose. But how and whether Trump decides to weigh in could have a real impact and deliver an early test. Of just how much power he still retains among GOP stalwarts.
And that is the point. If you enjoy these videos, please, I can write them.