© Getty ImagesRepublican National Committee chairwoman Ronna McDaniel has announced plans to step down next month.
McDaniel, 50, said in a statement she would step aside on March 8 — three days after the Super Tuesday primaries, when Republican voters in 16 delegate-rich states and territories can vote on their party's presidential nominee.
Separately, RNC Co-Chair Drew McKissick announced he would also resign, effective at the same time as McDaniel.
"I'm honored to have had the privilege to serve as RNC Co-Chair for this past year, as well as to have worked with so many grassroots leaders to help make our party successful. It's what drives me," McKissick said. "And of course being willing to put self aside for the sake of building a team and focusing on winning is a big part of being successful."
The announcement by McDaniel followed weeks of speculation and came a week after former President Donald Trump — the party's clear front-runner for the 2024 nomination and a former staunch ally of McDaniel — suggested it was time for change at the RNC.
McDaniel said it had been "the honor and privilege of my life to serve the Republican National Committee for seven years as chairwoman to elect Republicans and grow our party" — with the first in a list of her proudest accomplishments being "firing Nancy Pelosi" following the 2022 midterms.
"I have decided to step aside at our spring training on March 8 in Houston to allow our nominee to select a chair of their choosing," she said.
"The RNC has historically undergone change once we have a nominee and it has always been my intention to honor that tradition," she said.
Trump, 77, personally backed McDaniel, the niece of two-time Republican presidential contender and senator from Utah Mitt Romney, to serve as the head of the Republican National Committee following his historic 2016 election.
But criticism ramped up over the past few years over her handling of the party's finances and failed grassroots efforts to attract voters after Republicans lost Senate seats and governorships in 2022.
At the same time, the RNC had just $8 million in cash on hand as of Dec. 31 — the lowest since it had just over $5 million cash on hand at the end of 2014, according to Federal Election Commission filings.
In contrast, the Trump campaign finished off 2023 with $42 million cash on hand.
The former president hinted last Monday that McDaniel should vacate her position after the RNC reported decade-low fundraising numbers entering the presidential election year.
"I think she knows that, I think she understands that," Trump said during a Newsmax interview when asked whether McDaniel should resign after three consecutive election cycles of Republican underperformance.
Trump also teased in a Truth Social post that he'll be "making a decision the day after the South Carolina Primary as to my recommendations for RNC Growth," calling McDaniel a "friend" and praising her work in Michigan during his 2016 election victory over Hillary Clinton.
He has said he thinks "she did great when she ran Michigan for me" and "she did OK initially in the RNC."
But Trump also said, "I would say right now there'll probably be some changes made," he told Fox News earlier this month.
RNC rules require that an election for a new leader take place.
It is believed Trump will back North Carolina Republican Party chairman Michael Whatley as McDaniel's replacement.
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