HOUSTON — The Republican National Committee elected its new senior leadership team Friday at the party’s annual spring meeting, closing the book on Ronna McDaneil’s longtime stewardship of the Republican Party.
Taking the reins of the RNC are Chairman Michael Whatley and Co-Chair Lara Trump, who were handpicked by former President Donald Trump for the election-year takeover of the GOP after he forced out Ms. McDaniel.
The 168 RNC members unanimously elected Mr. Whatley and Ms. Trump in a voice vote Friday at the RNC’s spring meeting in Houston.
Ms. Trump is married to the former president’s son, Eric Trump. She has said the RNC’s chief mission is getting her father-in-law back in the White House and advancing the Make America Great Again movement.
Mr. Whatley, who is chair of the North Carolina GOP, is known for voter integrity initiatives. In his acceptance speech Friday, he said winning in November will depend on how the party oversees voting in battleground states.
“The races in those states and districts will be won or lost by the narrowest of margins. In order for Republicans to win, we must focus on two primary conditions, getting out the vote and protecting the data,” he said. “Which means that the Republican National Committee will be focused like a laser on getting out the vote and protecting the ballot.”
After her election, Ms. Trump told the crowd that election integrity, early voting and fundraising must dominate the RNC’s agenda.
“We have to play the game a little bit differently. We have to encourage people to do things like early voting,” she said. “We have to raise a lot of money.”
The RNC leadership team also includes Trump campaign co-chair and his senior adviser Chris LaCivita as the RNC’s chief operating officer.
The committeemen lauded their new leaders.
California GOP Committeeman Shawn Steele said Mr. Trump made a “very smart, political choice” with Mr. Whatley.
“He’s not some outsider, somebody that we don’t know. And he’ll run a good show,” said Mr. Steele, who is married to Rep. Michelle Steele, California Republican.
Oscar Brock, a national committeeman from Tennessee, said Ms. Trump was a powerful asset for the party.
“She seems to command a great presence. I think she’ll be great doing media and fundraising and taking advantage of her celebrity status and getting people to return her phone calls when she’s calling around asking for money,” said Mr. Brock.
The RNC has struggled financially over the past several months, and reversing that trend will be a top priority for Mr. Whatley and Ms. Trump.
Ms. McDaniel had been rapidly losing support in RNC circles despite winning reelection last year, which made her the longest-serving RNC chair in modern history. She was endorsed by Mr. Trump for the job when she took over the RNC in 2017.
Mr. Whatley has been involved in GOP politics for a couple of decades.
Before his work at the RNC, Mr. Whatley served as a federal law clerk and senior official in the George W. Bush administration.
He also served as a senior advisor to the Bush-Cheney campaign, Florida recount and transition teams, as well as the Trump-Pence transition teams. Additionally, he worked as chief of staff for Sen. Elizabeth Dole, North Carolina Republican.
• Kerry Picket can be reached at kpicket@washingtontimes.com.
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