Michael Whatley and Lara Trump were unanimously approved as the Republican National Convention’s (RNC) new chair and co-chair.
The announcement comes a few weeks after Ronna McDaniel — prior chairwoman of the RNC — announced her resignation, per Deseret News.
According to The Hill, RNC officials met in Houston for spring leadership meetings where they voted for Whatley to take the reins of the organization, with a focus on the reelection of former President Donald Trump, and for Trump’s daughter-in-law, Lara, to focus on fundraising.
Michael Whatley’s response and plan
Whatley, formerly chairman of the North Carolina GOP and RNC general counsel, promised that the RNC “will be focused like a laser on getting out the vote and protecting the ballot,” per The Hill. He reportedly agrees with the former president’s opinions on “election integrity.”
“Our country and indeed the entire world can’t take four more years of Joe Biden and Democratic control,” Whatley said in his acceptance speech obtained by NBC News. “In less than eight months we will determine not only the fate of the U.S. but the rest of the world.”
Per The Hill, Whatley has spoken about recruiting poll watchers and attorneys specifically in areas of North Carolina, as well as his skepticism of absentee and mail-in voting without voter ID requirements.
Lara Trump’s response and plan
Holding the responsibility for fundraising, Lara Trump said she is ready to raise money for the RNC, which has struggled recently to keep up with the Democratic National Committee in donations.
“We have to raise a lot of money,” she said during her acceptance speech, holding up a $100,000 check donated to the campaign, NBC News reports.
In addition, according to The Hill, she also encouraged early voting and claimed she would use “every single penny” for Trump’s election.
What happened to Ronna McDaniel?
Deseret News said that McDaniel, the niece of Sen. Mitt Romney and the “longest-serving RNC chair,” decided to step down in February to “allow our nominee to select a Chair of their choosing.”
in her parting speech, McDaniel on Friday called on the Republican Party to change its messaging on abortion.
“We cannot put our heads in the sand and ignore abortion and the Dobbs decision,” McDaniel said, per Politico. “Many of our candidates chose to ignore this issue and not talk about it.”
Politico reported McDaniel encouraged Republicans to speak about “exceptions and reasonable limitations when a baby feels pain,” compared to Democrats who support “no exceptions, no limits, not even when a baby feels pain.” She also said Republicans need to “engage independent and swing voters.”