(NewsNation) — Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel will serve a fourth term atop the GOP’s governing body after winning reelection Friday.
The 168 voting members of the RNC chose McDaniel over Harmeet Dhillon — a former Trump legal adviser — and Mike Lindell, the CEO of My Pillow, Inc. and outspoken 2020 election denier.
Of the 167 votes cast, McDaniel received 111, Dhillon earned 51 and four went to Lindell. One person voted for Lee Zeldin, who was not nominated.
“It is an honor to be re-elected as Chairwoman of the RNC, and I am deeply grateful that our members have entrusted me with another term in this role,” McDaniel said in a statement Friday. “The work to make Joe Biden a one-term president is already underway: it is time for our party to unite and re-dedicate ourselves to electing Republicans up and down the ballot.”
The incumbent’s victory comes despite Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ calls Thursday for a change in RNC leadership after “three substandard election cycles in a row” for the GOP.
Other prominent conservative commentators have also expressed dissatisfaction with the party’s performance under McDaniel.
The RNC chairwoman invited her two opponents on stage as a show of unity following her win Friday. McDaniel said she understands the concerns across the party and called for everyone to come together.
In comments to the press following the vote, Dhillon said there are challenges McDaniel will have to address going forward.
“A lot of supporters of Ronna came to me, thanked me for running, saying ‘you raised important issues’ and there are things that the chair is going to need to answer for,” said Dhillon.
Last week, more than 150 GOP donors signed a letter in support of the incumbent, including casino mogul Steve Wynn and billionaire Elizabeth Uihlein. The donors praised her fundraising ability, as well as the party’s voter turnout efforts under her leadership.
Conservative radio host Erick Ericson told NewsNation’s “On Balance” Thursday night that McDaniel’s fundraising prowess is crucial for the position.
“The donors trust Ronna McDaniel across the board — from the non-Trump people to the Trump people — they treat her as an honest broker,” said Erickson.
The other two candidates — Dhillon and Lindell — were too closely aligned with people who were holding Republicans back, Erickson argued.
“There’s a lot of concern within the RNC, if you went with Harmeet Dhillon and Mike Lindell, we would be grounding ourselves in the Election 2020 fracas,” he said.
This story will continue to be updated.