Nebraska GOP Chairman Rescinds Endorsement of Ronna McDaniel for RNC Chair

Nebraska Republican Party Chairman Eric Underwood sent a letter to the Republican National Committee (RNC) rescinding his endorsement of Ronna McDaniel’s reelection bid for the top spot.

“At this time, I rescind my endorsement of Chairwoman McDaniel,” he wrote in the letter first reported by the Post Millennial, adding that he will “not make any further public endorsement for any leadership level at the RNC.”

McDaniel has been met with resistance as she looks to run for a fourth two-year term as RNC chair after Republicans saw poor results last month in the midterm election.

“I have decided to bring the question of RNC Leadership to a vote of the elected members of the Nebraska Central Committee at our January 21st meeting,” Underwood indicated. “I will present a vote to the 166 SCC members as to their desire for RNC Chair & I will represent the will ‘of the people’ as such.”

“Let me be clear, if these next six weeks before our RNC 2023 Winter Meeting are about publicly declaring sides, earning favor, & the ‘loyalty’ to any leadership, OR choosing to fight for the people of Nebraska…I chose the people of Nebraska,” he added.

The Post Millennial noted that after Underwood ousted his predecessor Dan Welch from the position earlier this year, he wanted to be a “unifying figure” in Nebraska’s politics. The publication noted that Underwood’s letter came after the Nebraska GOP chair noticed that the right “is subjecting ourselves to a ‘relational’ political paradigm VERSUS a platform & values-based governance of our party.”

Underwood’s letter was not taken lightly by J.L. Spray, one of Nebraska’s National Committee members. He told Breitbart News in a lengthy statement, “Anger is neither a strategy nor a tactic, but it can make a chairman nervous. Those of us who are in a position to make an informed decision ought to exercise that decision.”

“This election is an inside look back at ourselves, not a public media affair as some have tried to make it,” Spray continued. “Chairman Ronna McDaniel has been a steadfast leader that has raised record funds, provided tools and resources to all 56 state parties and territories, and invested in a permanent data-driven ground game. The RNC’s historic field operation even included an investment in Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District with staff and a community center where we saw 63% of all Republicans having voted while only 55% of all Democrats voted – an 8-point turnout overperformance. The foundation Ronna has created will set the stage for a strong 2024 election cycle. I am proud to be supporting Ronna McDaniel in her re-election as the Chairman of the Republican National Committee.”

This all comes the weekend after the executive committee of the Republican Party of Texas unanimously called for new leadership at the national party following poor results in the 2020 election and underperformance in 2022.

Texas’s State Republican Executive Committee (SREC) last Saturday, noted by a 62-0 margin, passed a resolution saying it had “no confidence” in the RNC under McDaniel’s leadership and after the GOP — under her leadership — “lost both houses of Congress and the White House, and seriously underperformed in 2022, further losing ground in the Senate and only barely winning a majority in the House.”

However, despite the effort against McDaniel gaining momentum, there are only two candidates, as of now, who have announced their plans to challenge her: My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell and attorney Harmeet Dhillon. Dhillon appears to be the current front-runner in the challenge to McDaniel’s leadership.

A source familiar with the chairwoman’s reelection effort told Breitbart News that supporters of McDaniel circulated an updated endorsement letter last week that had roughly two-thirds of the 168 RNC members on it who are backing her — which would be well above the majority she would need.

Jacob Bliss is a reporter for Breitbart News. Write to him at jbliss@breitbart.com or follow him on Twitter @JacobMBliss.