Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel is urging her party to come together to fight against President Joe Biden’s reelection, calling for unity despite criticism of her leadership of the GOP establishment.
“We Republicans will stick together, as united as the union our party long ago fought to preserve,” McDaniel told supporters at the RNC’s winter meeting in Las Vegas on Friday, according to the Associated Press. “We’ll have our battles ahead of us, but they’re good battles, and they’re worth fighting for.”
The call for unity comes after it was revealed earlier this week that the RNC raised only $87.2 million in 2023 and ended with $1.8 million in debts and just $8 million in cash on hand, according to campaign finance filings reported to the Federal Election Commission. The report marked the committee’s worst fundraising haul since 2013.
In comparison, the Democratic National Committee raised $120 million in 2023, ending the year with $21 million cash.
The poor showing for the RNC prompted criticism from some conservatives, particularly those who have already been critical of McDaniel’s leadership after the party’s worse-than-expected performance in the 2022 midterm elections.
“The RNC has barely been keeping their head above water,” said Arizona Republican Committeeman and Turning Point Action Chief Operating Officer Tyler Bowyer.
Bowyer has previously pushed against McDaniel, even supporting Harmeet Dhillon, who ran to replace the GOP chairwoman during RNC leadership elections last year.
McDaniel’s call for unity comes as several national Republicans have called for the party to coalesce behind former President Donald Trump‘s reelection bid, even as he faces a challenge from Nikki Haley for the party’s nomination. Some RNC members sought to declare Trump the party’s presumptive nominee but later backed off those efforts amid criticism from Haley’s campaign.
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RNC spokeswoman Emma Vaughn brushed off the criticism, arguing any criticism of McDaniel’s leadership is just a distraction from the 2024 election.
“Outside noise might be what keyboard warriors and the Democrats are focused on,” Vaughn told the Associated Press. “Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel and the entire Republican National Committee are laser-focused on beating Biden this fall.”