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SELECTED RNC PRESS RELEASES, 2021-22
July 14, 2022
RNC LAUNCHES NEW MINORITY OUTREACH INITIATIVE
WASHINGTON – Today, the Republican
National Committee announced a new minority outreach
initiative – the Republican Civics Initiative (RCI)
which is designed to help future voters prepare for
the civics portion of the naturalization test.
Victory staff will be given training materials adapted from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) civics curriculum and will be trained by the RNC Strategic Initiatives staff who are certified USCIS instructors. The course for those hoping to become naturalized citizens is approximately 10 hours long and spread across four sessions with a celebration at the completion of the course. Lawful permanent residents will learn basic U.S. civics and history based on questions that could appear on the civics portion of the naturalization test like “When was the Declaration of Independence signed?” and “How many branches of government are there?”
“The RNC is growing our Party through purposeful education and engagement. Our commitment to provide opportunities for all to live out the American dream is broadening our base because our ideas transcend all backgrounds. Unlike Democrats, Republicans do not take minority communities for granted and we will continue to work to earn each vote ahead of November,” said RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel.
[charts:
Top Countries of Origin for Legal Permanent Residents to Naturalize:
Current State of Residence for Legal Permanent Residents to Naturalize:
More than 9.2 million lawful permanent residents (LPR), “green card” holders who legally reside within the United States who are unable to vote in federal elections or hold federal office, are eligible to naturalize as of January 2021. Most LPRs currently reside in our target states, meaning staff and community centers are already nearby to help them become naturalized citizens.
In addition to working with USCIS, the RNC will be working with nonprofits across the country, including Civics Fundamentals, as it delivers the civics curriculum. The first training course will be held on Thursday, July 14, in Doral, Florida at the RNC Hispanic Community Center, with additional trainings to be held in battleground states across the country including Texas, Georgia, Nevada, California, Pennsylvania and more.
Read more from Axios here.
April 14, 2022
WASHINGTON – Today, Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel released the following statement on the RNC’s unanimous vote to withdraw from the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD):
“Debates are an important part of the democratic process, and the RNC is committed to free and fair debates. The Commission on Presidential Debates is biased and has refused to enact simple and commonsense reforms to help ensure fair debates including hosting debates before voting begins and selecting moderators who have never worked for candidates on the debate stage.
Today, the RNC voted to withdraw from the biased CPD, and we are going to find newer, better debate platforms to ensure that future nominees are not forced to go through the biased CPD in order to make their case to the American people.”
Background Info:
January 13, 2022
Dear Mr. Fahrenkopf and Mr. Wollack:
The RNC responds to your letter of December 14, continuing the correspondence we initiated in June. The RNC has shared our concerns with the CPD in good faith, carefully documenting why the party and its voters have lost faith in your organization, and we have proposed commonsense reforms that would restore trust in the debates process. Unfortunately, neither the tone nor substance of your latest response inspires confidence that the CPD will meaningfully address the serious issues which the RNC has raised.
For reference, a brief timeline of our communications is as follows:
Unfortunately, the CPD’s responses so far seem designed to delay any reform until it is too late to matter for the 2024 election. The RNC initiated this dialogue on behalf of its future nominee, who will undoubtedly meet any debate participation criteria. As you know that individual will have little opportunity to have this dialogue with the CPD given the short window between his or her nomination and the first debate. By then the CPD will have already completed its “quadrennial review,” structural changes will be impossible, and planning for the 2024 presidential debates will essentially be complete. The RNC therefore cannot simply “wait and see,” as the CPD seems to suggest, but must act now. To do otherwise would forestall any meaningful reform and conveniently leave the CPD unaccountable for another election cycle.
We are especially frustrated with the CPD’s refusal to enact reforms aimed at ensuring nonpartisanship by claiming that doing so would somehow render the organization more partisan. The RNC has made clear that it understands the need for the CPD to be nonpartisan, and in fact has initiated this dialogue toward that end. As the RNC has proposed, one easy measure to restore trust would be to allow a representative from parties that have participated in past debates to observe CPD Board meetings, not on the basis of partisan affiliation, but on a party’s respective candidate having met the previous cycle’s debate participation criteria. We fail to see how that specific proposal, or any of the RNC’s other recommendations for that matter, would jeopardize the CPD’s nonpartisanship, as you suggest. Instead, the Commission appears more concerned about the supposed “partisanship” of allowing recent participants to observe its Board meetings than it is of its own partisan actions and those of its members and moderators.
The RNC has a duty to ensure that its future presidential nominees have the opportunity to debate their opponents on a level playing field. So long as the CPD appears intent on stonewalling the meaningful reforms necessary to restore its credibility with the Republican Party as a fair and nonpartisan actor, the RNC will take every step to ensure that future Republican presidential nominees are given that opportunity elsewhere. Accordingly, the RNC will initiate the process of amending the Rules of the Republican Party at our upcoming Winter Meeting to prohibit future Republican nominees from participating in CPD-sponsored debates.
Sincerely,
Ronna McDaniel
Chairman, Republican National Committee
November 5, 2021
Ambassador Buchan was confirmed by both the United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations and the full Senate without any opposition as Ambassador to Spain and Andorra. Ambassador Buchan was highly focused on policy and the advancement of the United States’ global interests during his service. He is a successful businessman, farmer, philanthropist, husband and father of three teenage children.
"It is an honor to be unanimously elected by the Republican National Committee to serve as Finance Chair to work to grow our party," said Ambassador Duke Buchan. "I look forward to building on our momentum, strengthening our party’s infrastructure, and raising the resources needed to support Republicans' message of freedom and prosperity across the country."
“For the past three and a half years, I have been privileged to serve as the Finance Chairman of the Republican National Committee,” said outgoing Finance Chairman Todd Ricketts. “Thank you to Chairwoman McDaniel, Co-Chair Tommy Hicks, the Members of the National Committee, generous donors and of course the incredible RNC staff for entrusting me to advance our party’s values and promote our pro-growth, conservative agenda. I am also proud to have served as the Finance Chair for President Trump and Vice President Pence’s re-election effort. I’m excited by all the Republican candidates we helped elect during my tenure as well as the investments we made and the infrastructure we developed as a party. I’m confident the RNC will continue to be an outstanding organization to serve Republicans across the country and I look forward to continuing to help the cause.”
"On behalf of Republicans across the country, thank you to Todd Ricketts for his exemplary service and unwavering support of our Republican Party," said RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel. "We are thrilled to have Ambassador Buchan serve as RNC Finance Chair following Todd's departure. We are confident Duke will continue to grow our party and help deliver Republican victories in 2022 and beyond.”
Hello and welcome to our 2021 Summer Meeting!
I am thrilled to be here in Nashville with all of you.
There are so many people I need to thank for making this week possible:
Being a mom and wife are the most important jobs I have, and I am so grateful for their love and support.
I want to honor the memory of two individuals not with us today.
Margaret Metcalfe and Bill Brock: both led amazing lives, were extraordinary leaders, and leave behind remarkable legacies. We miss their kind presence and their friendship.
Thank you to our Tennessee hosts.
Thank you for stepping up to serve our Party and the country we love.
Since Winter Meeting, we have added more than 20 new State Chairs, committeemen and women to our team.
You are already making incredible contributions to our Party. You are going help lead Republicans to victories in 2022!
This is now my 5th Summer Meeting as RNC Chair.
I am so proud to be Chairman of a Party that is growing, leading, and uniting to win!
At the RNC, we are doing our part to make that happen. You are doing your part to make it happen.
We are making tremendous progress.
That starts with raising the resources we need to win.
We have brought in 85 million dollars already this cycle.
We have more than 81 million dollars on hand. All without any debt!
We have spent tens of millions of dollars to defend election integrity, hold Democrats accountable, grow our data and ground game, register voters, and open minority engagement community centers earlier than ever.
Key to our success is reaching new voters. We continue to bring our Party’s empowering message to every community.
Every day more and more Americans are finding their home in our Party.
We have welcomed more than 25 million new Republican voters since 2016.
This is in large part due to our outreach and engagement.
We are opening community centers in cities across the country dedicated to engaging Black, Hispanic, and Asian Americans.
Last week we cut the ribbon on our first Black Community Center in Cleveland.
In June, we opened our first APA community center in Congresswoman Michelle Steel’s District.
At the event, I met a young man named Brandon Nguyen.
Brandon is a superstar volunteer who helped Michelle Steel get elected.
He made over 100,000 phone calls, knocked on more than 1,000 doors, and wrote personalized postcards to voters.
Brandon is only 16!
He is the first recipient of the Chairman’s Champion award, which recognizes and celebrates our great grassroots volunteers
We are also engaging the Hispanic community with our office openings in Laredo and McAllen, Texas next week – with many more on the way!
Doing this kind of engagement this early demonstrates we are committed to investing and building in diverse communities for the long-term.
Democrats continuously take these communities for granted.
This is about so much more than just politics – we are going to be present in these communities every day.
We are having conversations and learning from them about how we can better represent their communities as a party.
This type of engagement is paying off.
Look at Texas.
In June, a Republican flipped the mayorship in McAllen.
This is a city that is 85 percent Hispanic and voted for Hillary Clinton by 40 points!
We are competing for every vote and we are winning!
We are also looking ahead to three big races this Fall. The recall of Gavin Newsom in California, and the elections of Glenn Youngkin in Virginia and Jack Ciattarelli in New Jersey.
But we cannot talk about winning at the ballot box if we do not restore confidence in free and fair elections.
Every one of us knows we can never let what we saw in 2020 happen again.
Democrats waged war on election transparency, security, and integrity - undermining our elections.
We are using every tool at our disposal to protect every vote.
We formed an Election Integrity Committee
We are in 19 lawsuits protecting common-sense election integrity laws across the country.
We are leading this fight and winning. Our elections will be secure!
When we met in January, we were all dreading the thought of Joe Biden stumbling and bumbling around the White House.
We could not have imagined how much damage and division he could cause in such a short period of time.
On the world stage, more failure:
And one more obvious question - where is Kamala? She is supposed to be in charge. Where is she?
It gets worse. Violent crime is surging because Democrats are Defunding the Police.
As Democrats defund, demean, and disparage police, let us acknowledge the men and women in law enforcement for the heroes they are.
We stand with them and appreciate the sacrifices they make every day.
Republicans Back the Blue!
Nowhere is Democrats’ extremism more evident than when it comes to our most fundamental right of all: the right to life.
Not long-ago Democrats believed abortion should be “safe, legal and, rare.” Now they support taxpayer funded abortion on demand, up to and after the point of birth.
Whether it is on:
This only motivates us to work harder!
I am confident as ever in our country’s future.
Confident because of the leaders in our Party and the work they are doing to improve the lives of all Americans.
Republican leaders are showing Americans what strong, conservative leadership looks like.
There is no clearer contrast, than the way Republican governors have led during this pandemic vs how Democrat governors have failed through this pandemic.
Trust me, I know - I am from the People’s Republic of Michigan.
Whitmer, Cuomo and Newsom took away freedoms to increase their own power.
They destroyed small businesses with disastrous lockdowns.
They kept children out of the classroom and imposed unscientific mandates – only to be caught breaking their own rules time and again
Meanwhile, Governors like Abbott, DeSantis and Noem are leading.
They followed the science, kept small businesses open, kept our kids in school, and kept our churches open.
They protected our liberties and preserved our freedoms!
The results do not lie:
“Real America” highlights Republican leaders and shows how Republican policies are leading America’s comeback through conservative values and commonsense solutions.
At the heart of what we stand for as Republicans is our optimistic agenda. A mission to create opportunity for every American.
A great example of our Party’s optimistic, uplifting message is the one Tim Scott delivered a few months back.
We are the Party that cares about achieving measurable, meaningful results for all Americans.
We stand for freedom. We stand for our Constitution. And we stand for our American flag!
We stand united in our belief that America is the greatest nation on earth and the greatest force for good the world has ever known!
It was Ronald Reagan who said: “The greatest leaders are not necessarily the ones who do the greatest things. They are the ones who get people to do the greatest things.”
RNC Members, now it is our time to be those leaders.
To be out there mobilizing and inspiring others to get involved in the greatest fight our nation has ever faced.
A fight that will determine whether we can keep the America we know and love.
America’s future is always worth fighting for.
Freedom is always worth fighting for.
I am proud to be in this fight alongside every one of you.
I am so optimistic about this next election because I see the energy and passion of people across our country every day.
I also know one other thing. Democrats and their radical policies have awakened a sleeping giant – moms!
Moms are mobilizing against what Democrats are doing to our kids.
We will not let you teach our kids that they were born racist or oppressed based on the color of their skin.
We will fight for school-choice and the best education for our kids.
Democrats are the party of limiting opportunity. We are the party of limitless opportunity.
We know the best path to the American dream comes from a good education and the right to choose the best school for your child.
We will not allow Democrats to close our classrooms again or mask up our children again.
We will not allow unions to teach our kids anything other than that the United States is the greatest nation on earth.
Finally, the Democrats cannot take away my right to call myself a mom – not a birthing person – a mom.
It is the most important job I will ever have.
So Joe Biden, Kamala, Nancy, Chuck, Big tech censors, Liberal media, and the Democrat socialist, defund the police party, we have a message for you!
The American people love freedom. Freedom of speech, religion, and opportunity.
We love this country and, despite all you do, freedom matters, and freedom will win.
We will take back the House and Senate in 2022 and we will take back the White House in 2024.
Thank you, God Bless you and God Bless the United States of America!
June 1, 2021
Frank J. Fahrenkopf, Jr.
Kenneth Wollack
Co-Chairs
The Commission on Presidential Debates
P.O. Box 58247
Washington, DC 20037
Dear Mr. Fahrenkopf and Mr. Wollack:
As Chairman of the Republican National Committee (RNC}, I write on behalf of the Republican Party and 74 million Americans who voted for President Donald J. Trump to express our extreme disappointment in the Commission on Presidential Debates' (CPD) recent performance and our concern about its continued role in hosting presidential debates. The CPD's repeated missteps and the partisan actions of its Board Members make clear that the organization no longer provides the fair and impartial forum for presidential debates which the law requires and the American people deserve. Unless the CPD adopts significant reforms to ensure that it better fulfills this important, nonpartisan function, the RNC will have no choice but to advise its future nominees against participating in CPD-hosted debates.1
First, the CPD's record of significant errors calls the organization's basic competency into question. It is inexcusable and self-defeating, for instance, that the CPD waited to host a single debate until after the start of early voting in eight states, absentee voting in twenty-six states, and uniformed and overseas voting in all fifty states. In doing so, the CPD failed in its most basic function and deprived voters of a meaningful opportunity to hear from the candidates before heading to the polls.
The CPD also has undermined the conditions for fair and impartial debates by making unilateral changes to previously agreed-upon formats and conditions, in some instances without even notifying the candidates. The CPD's decision to switch the October 15 debate to a "virtual" format, without any attempt to accommodate the candidates in-person and suspiciously amidst a growing controversy over its chosen moderator, was a massive disservice to the candidates and all who had helped plan and prepare for that debate. It also deprived the American people of the opportunity to see the candidates on stage together at a critical juncture of the campaign.
Then, when it held the October 22 debate, the CPD made an amateur error that nearly derailed the debate itself. On his walkthrough, President Trump noticed that the CPD had installed plexiglass shields without informing the candidates. Thanks to his background in television, the President realized that the candidates would see only their reflections once the stage was lit and the debate began. Had it not been caught by the President of the United States, the CPD's unforced error would have caused a surprising and awkward distraction for both candidates once the cameras started to roll.
Furthermore, the CPD's history of vetting and selecting its pool of potential moderators despite obvious conflicts of interest is incomprehensible. It should be obvious, for instance, that no person should serve as a moderator who previously worked for one of the candidates. Nevertheless, the CPD selected Steve Scully as a moderator even though he had once worked for Joe Biden. It came as little surprise to Republicans then when Mr. Scully accidentally revealed that he was seeking advice on how to attack the President from one of his fiercest critics. Mr. Scully then went on to lie and claim that his twitter account had been hacked. The CPD defended Mr. Scully, only for him later to admit that was not true.
Second, the CPD can hardly claim to be nonpartisan, as the law requires, when the majority of its Board of Directors insert themselves into the campaign by making partisan and biased statements opposing one of the candidates. To our knowledge, six of the CPD's ten-member Board of Directors (Sen. John Danforth, Charles Gibson, Rep. Jane Harman, Newton Minow, Richard Parsons, and Sen. Olympia Snowe) have gone on record making disparaging comments about President Trump while serving on the Board. Mr. Minow, in particular, went so far as to ask the five living former Presidents to "lead us to safety" from President Trump, "supply the leadership our country needs" and "lead the nation to explore informal and formal next steps" regarding his ongoing Presidency. 2 The fact that the CPD's Directors would make such comments is appalling, and the CPD's tolerance of this behavior undermines any legitimacy it claims as a nonpartisan organization.
For too long, the CPD has failed to meet its responsibility to presidential candidates and American voters nationwide in providing a neutral forum for candidate debates. What began as a nonpartisan organization fulfilling a critical role in the electoral process has now seemingly transformed into a cushy, multi-million-dollar club with no accountability and little commitment to partisan balance or fairness. This situation is intolerable, and the RNC can no longer give the CPD the benefit of the doubt. The CPD must act now to undertake meaningful reforms and work with stakeholders to restore the faith and legitimacy it has lost.
To this end, the RNC strongly encourages the CPD to:
We respectfully ask that the CPD respond to this letter, in writing, by July 31, 2021 to advise regarding its willingness to undertake these much-needed reforms.
Sincerely
Ronna McDaniel
1 The RNC understands that the party itself has no formal role in the debates process. However, as a practical matter, any conceivable participation criteria established by the CPD would allow for participation by the Republican Party nominee.
2 Newton N. Minow, Op-Ed., To the five former presidents: You can lead us to safety, WASHINGTON POST, Oct. 6, 2017.
April 15, 2021
"I am proud to announce Caleb Heimlich, Dan Lederman, Demi Kouzounas, and Michael Whatley as our new Regional Co-Chairs," said Chairwoman McDaniel. "They are excellent, highly qualified additions to our team, and each of them boasts a wealth of experience as effective leaders at the grassroots and regional level. These Co-Chairs represent red and blue states alike, and possess unique knowledge about their respective regions that will be invaluable as we head into the 2022 midterms and beyond."
Regional Co-Chairs:
Caleb Heimlich, Western Region
One of the youngest State Republican Party Chairmen in the country, Caleb has successfully helped many Republican candidates win elections in Washington State. Caleb graduated from Hillsdale College Magna Cum Laude with a degree in Political Economy. Upon graduation, he worked for Americans for Prosperity in Washington DC and then for AFP in Washington State organizing grass roots activists. That led to being hired as the Political Director of the WSRP in 2011, promoted to Executive Director in 2013 with the additional title of Chief of Staff in 2016. In January of 2018 he was elected Chairman of the State Republican Party with over 70% of the vote.
Dan Lederman, Midwest Region
Dan Lederman serves as the Chair of the South Dakota Republican Party. Prior to his service for the State Party, Dan served in the State Senate as Assistant Majority Leader and in the House of Representatives. Dan currently holds the Chair position for his home county, Union County and has been the county chair since 2005. Before his entry into politics, Dan served in the Army National Guard as a Combat Medic.
Demi Kouzounas, Northeast Region
Demi Kouzounas serves as chair of the Maine Republican Party. She is a graduate from University of Maine at Orono and graduated in 1981 from Tufts University School of Dental Medicine. She and her husband (Joseph G. Penna, DMD) then joined the U. S. Army, serving in the 86th Medical Detachment in Giessen, Germany from 1981-1984. They have practiced dentistry together for over 30 years and own two dental practices.
Michael Whatley, Southern Region
Michael Whatley currently serves as the Chairman for the North Carolina Republican Party. In addition, he is a partner at HBW Resources. Whatley previously served as Chief of Staff for Senator Elizabeth Dole (R-NC), Subcommittee Staff Director and Chief Counsel for the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Energy and Counsel to the U.S. Senate Republican Conference Secretary Paul Coverdell (R-GA).
February 17, 2021
“Election integrity is one of the most critical issues we face as a Party and as a country. What we saw this past election – states undoing important safeguards, bypassing the proper legislative processes, and changing election laws in the eleventh hour – was deeply troubling and brought chaos and uncertainty to our sacred democratic processes. As RNC Chair, I will not sit idly by and the Party will respond. The RNC will play a crucial role in restoring confidence in our elections, promoting election integrity, and recommending best practices to ensure that future elections are free, fair, and transparent.” – RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel
This past cycle, the RNC ran its most comprehensive legal strategy to date, spending more than $30 million on election protection efforts in battleground states across the country. The Committee on Election Integrity represents a renewed focus on continuing this important work and fighting Democrats’ unprecedented attempts to change election laws. This committee will work closely with state parties and other stakeholders in our elections across the country on voting policies and best practices, such as ensuring poll watchers are allowed to properly observe counting processes, meaningful voter ID laws are codified, and all Americans have faith in our elections process.
The RNC Committee on Election Integrity will be chaired by Florida Republican Party Chairman Joe Gruters, with Ashley MacLeay, National Committeewoman from the District of Columbia, serving as Co-Chair. The full temporary RNC committee will consist of 12 men and 12 women, representing the RNC from 21 states and the District of Columbia.
I also want to thank all of our incredible RNC staff, including: Our Finance Chairman Todd Ricketts, Our Chief of Staff Richard Walters, The dedicated Member Services Team of Mariana Herrera, Callie Estes, Sarah Valdez and Madeline Fennell. And I especially want to thank my family – my husband Patrick, and my wonderful children Abigail and Nash.
Before I begin, let me address the terrible events that took place at our U.S. Capitol this week. This committee condemned the violence that occurred in the strongest possible terms. The violence does not represent acts of patriotism, but an attack on our country and its founding principles. Our Founding Fathers established a nation of laws, not a nation of anarchy. It especially hit home with the incredibly frightening bomb scare we had at the RNC on the same day. I want to thank our amazing security team who handled the situation with professionalism and for always working tirelessly to keep us all safe. As the transition of power continues over the next two weeks, I call on individuals to respect law enforcement, law and order, and our great system of governance.
Now, when I began this journey as RNC Chairwoman four years ago, I knew I had big shoes to fill. I also knew I wanted to put my own stamp on the Party and take on big projects that would set us up for success in 2020 and beyond. It goes without saying that when all of us met this time last year, none of us could have imagined everything the coming year would throw at us.
From planning our nominating convention, not once, not twice, but three times to the countless other challenges we faced this past year, 2020 put us all to the test.Of course, the greatest challenge of all has been the loss of friends and family members to this horrific virus. Yet through it all, you never wavered in the face of adversity.
All of you stepped up to the plate and carried out our mission with conviction and because you did, we accomplished so many of the things we set out to do.
We raised the most money ever in the history of our Party. We coalesced around one platform to drive small-dollar donations by launching WinRed. Even in its infancy, WinRed has proven successful beyond our wildest dreams. We’ve raised more than $2 billion in just a year and a half with WinRed – something it took Democrats a full 14 years to do with their small dollar donation platform.
We built the largest political infrastructure ever, talking to more voters, 182 million of them, than any other campaign in history. Our data-driven ground game turned out millions more Republicans than ever, and it set the standard by which future campaigns will be judged.
One of the things I am most proud of is how we stepped up our efforts to engage minority voters and expand our party this election cycle. You can’t win votes if you don’t ask for them, and this cycle we made an unprecedented effort to meet voters where they are and invest in their communities. We opened community centers dedicated to engaging Black, Latino, and Hispanic Americans and amplifying Republicans’ winning message. The nearly 10,000 events our Trump Victory Strategic Initiatives team held this cycle included events aimed at engaging Asian Pacific Americans, Black Americans, and Hispanic Americans. We held our TVLIs in 14 difference languages including Vietnamese, Hindi, Haitian Creole, Hmong and Greek and Portuguese, just to name a few! We dovetailed our community events with an aggressive media strategy that included 2,000 bookings in black media outlets and more than 1,300 interviews for RNC officials and surrogates on Hispanic TV and radio stations across the country.
Our message clearly resonated, and the years-long investment we made was a big part of the reason why President Trump earned the highest share of minority votes for a Republican in 60 years. Over a quarter of his support in this election came from non-white voters. He significantly broadened his base among black voters – winning close to 20% of black men and more than doubling his support among black women. We saw similar trends with Hispanic voters and Asian-Americans. There is no doubt that he has redrawn the political map for our Party and proved we can compete and win in nontraditionally Republican communities.
Building on our minority engagement efforts, we also held a different kind of convention last summer that showcased a more diverse Republican Party. Americans saw that we are the Big Tent Party, a Party the President helped expand and one that now looks more like the rest of America.
While we all are disappointed about races that we lost, we also saw important wins for Republican candidates across the country. Contrary to what every political pundit in the Beltway Bubble was predicting and not so secretly hoping for, no Blue Wave materialized on Election Day.
As we learn every election, candidates matter, and in November Americans elected Republicans with compelling life stories to the House of Representatives. Young Kim and Michelle Steel were both born abroad and knew each other while raising their kids here in America. They saw firsthand how Democrat policies of high taxes combined with crippling government regulations were crushing small businesses and the American Dream in their Southern California communities. They realized they couldn’t afford to sit on the sidelines, and this week they became the first two Korean-American women to be seated in the United States Congress.
For Americans who are sick and tired of hearing about AOC and the rest of the Socialist Squad, we have good news.That’s because we have now have our own squad, the freedom squad, made up of people who know firsthand the perils of socialism in practice.People like Nicole Malliotakis, Carlos Gimenez, Maria Salazar and Victoria Spartz, who will be on the frontlines defending freedom and standing up to Speaker Pelosi’s extreme agenda every single day.
It’s also especially fitting and a point of pride for me that in the year we celebrated the 100th anniversary of women gaining the right to vote – a cause championed by Republicans – our country voted to send a record number of Republican women to Congress. These reasons give me every cause to be confident and optimistic about the future of our Party as we begin a new year. Yet, while we were encouraged by our track record in competitive House and other down ballot races, we are certainly disappointed with results elsewhere. I’ve said it a few times this week, but I am pissed about losing in critical elections.
We have a lot of hard work to do to take back the Senate and the House in 2022, but I am telling you right now it must happen and I am committed to getting it done. We are not going to cede our country to the far-left who want to turn us toward socialism, institute a Green New Deal, and remake America as we know it. So, get ready, buckle your seatbelt, we have much more to accomplish.
Before I end, I want to say how proud I am to serve in this role as RNC Chairman at this pivotal point in our nation’s history. RNC Chairs have included governors, Speakers of the House, Senators and even a future President. I will always be grateful to President Trump and all of you for believing in me and giving me this opportunity of a lifetime. I love the RNC and everything it stands for. The RNC is the steady ship in the storm, and we are there for our candidates when they need us. It is now up to us to keep the ship on course, and together we are building an institution that is stronger than ever.
I also love the opportunity to work with each and every one of you. People who take on the sacrifices being an RNC Member entails, and do it joyfully because you believe in all your heart the causes and values we are fighting for.
Most of all, I love the RNC because it gives me an opportunity in some small way to give back to the country we all love. And because this land of liberty we are lucky to call home is still worth fighting for, let us not grow weary in doing good as Scripture teaches, for in due time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Thank you again for being willing to step up and serve as RNC Members.May God Bless you and your families, and may God continue to bless the United States America.
Victory staff will be given training materials adapted from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) civics curriculum and will be trained by the RNC Strategic Initiatives staff who are certified USCIS instructors. The course for those hoping to become naturalized citizens is approximately 10 hours long and spread across four sessions with a celebration at the completion of the course. Lawful permanent residents will learn basic U.S. civics and history based on questions that could appear on the civics portion of the naturalization test like “When was the Declaration of Independence signed?” and “How many branches of government are there?”
“The RNC is growing our Party through purposeful education and engagement. Our commitment to provide opportunities for all to live out the American dream is broadening our base because our ideas transcend all backgrounds. Unlike Democrats, Republicans do not take minority communities for granted and we will continue to work to earn each vote ahead of November,” said RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel.
[charts:
Top Countries of Origin for Legal Permanent Residents to Naturalize:
Current State of Residence for Legal Permanent Residents to Naturalize:
More than 9.2 million lawful permanent residents (LPR), “green card” holders who legally reside within the United States who are unable to vote in federal elections or hold federal office, are eligible to naturalize as of January 2021. Most LPRs currently reside in our target states, meaning staff and community centers are already nearby to help them become naturalized citizens.
In addition to working with USCIS, the RNC will be working with nonprofits across the country, including Civics Fundamentals, as it delivers the civics curriculum. The first training course will be held on Thursday, July 14, in Doral, Florida at the RNC Hispanic Community Center, with additional trainings to be held in battleground states across the country including Texas, Georgia, Nevada, California, Pennsylvania and more.
Read more from Axios here.
April 14, 2022
RNC UNANIMOUSLY VOTES TO WITHDRAW FROM COMMISSION ON PRESIDENTIAL DEBATES
RNC will begin to look for
freer and fairer debate platforms
WASHINGTON – Today, Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel released the following statement on the RNC’s unanimous vote to withdraw from the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD):
“Debates are an important part of the democratic process, and the RNC is committed to free and fair debates. The Commission on Presidential Debates is biased and has refused to enact simple and commonsense reforms to help ensure fair debates including hosting debates before voting begins and selecting moderators who have never worked for candidates on the debate stage.
Today, the RNC voted to withdraw from the biased CPD, and we are going to find newer, better debate platforms to ensure that future nominees are not forced to go through the biased CPD in order to make their case to the American people.”
Background Info:
- Restoring faith in our elections means making sure our candidates can compete on a level playing field.
- Today, the RNC has voted to withdraw Republican participation from the biased Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD). The rule change is the culmination of a year-long process.
- To be clear: we are not walking away from debates. We are walking away from the CPD.
- It is biased and does not serve the interest of the American people.
- Waiting until 26 states had begun early voting before hosting the first presidential debate in 2020.
- Making unilateral changes to previously agreed-upon debate formats and conditions, in some cases without even notifying the candidates.
- Selecting a moderator in 2020 who had once worked for Joe Biden.
- Failing to maintain the organization’s strict nonpartisanship, with a majority of its Board Members publicly disparaging the Republican-nominee.
- Chairwoman McDaniel and RNC officials repeatedly asked the CPD to reform and make changes to future debates to ensure a fair and impartial forum – unfortunately, the CPD was unwilling to make commonsense reforms.
- The Republican Party deserves better. The American people deserve better.
- We know that when Republicans have a free and fair forum, we win because our policies are best for the American people.
- We look forward to exploring other avenues for candidates to have a free and fair forum for all Americans.
- Ronna McDaniel: The RNC Is Fighting for Fair Debates
January 13, 2022
RNC RELEASES LETTER TO COMMISSION ON PRESIDENTIAL DEBATES
WASHINGTON - Today, the Republican National Committee (RNC) sent the following letter to the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD), following the correspondence we initiated in June.Dear Mr. Fahrenkopf and Mr. Wollack:
The RNC responds to your letter of December 14, continuing the correspondence we initiated in June. The RNC has shared our concerns with the CPD in good faith, carefully documenting why the party and its voters have lost faith in your organization, and we have proposed commonsense reforms that would restore trust in the debates process. Unfortunately, neither the tone nor substance of your latest response inspires confidence that the CPD will meaningfully address the serious issues which the RNC has raised.
For reference, a brief timeline of our communications is as follows:
- Beginning with phone conversations on March 22 and April 5, 2021 and continuing with an in-person meeting on May 6, the RNC raised its concerns through discussions between CPD Co-Chair Fahrenkopf and RNC Member David Bossie, who serves as Chair of the RNC’s Temporary Presidential Debates Committee.
- On June 1 the RNC wrote to the CPD outlining its serious missteps and the partisan actions of its board members, explaining that these actions have damaged the RNC’s faith that the CPD can provide a fair and impartial forum for presidential debates, and proposing reforms to address these concerns.
- On July 12 David Bossie, RNC Chief of Staff Richard Walters, and I met with CPD CoChair Fahrenkopf via Zoom to discuss the RNC’s concerns.
- On July 15 the CPD responded, stating that it would keep the RNC’s concerns “in mind” during its internal review of the 2020 debates but declining to address any of the specific issues raised, other than stating that it would be “mindful” of the “early voting issue” as it schedules presidential debates for 2024.
- On October 1 the RNC responded asking if the CPD intended to adopt any of the proposed reforms. Noting the lack of transparency in the CPD’s internal decisionmaking, the RNC further requested that the CPD adopt a policy permitting any political party whose nominee participated in the previous election cycle’s debates to appoint a nonvoting observer to attend CPD Board meetings.
- On November 15 I hosted CPD Co-Chair Fahrenkopf at the RNC to discuss these issues in person. The meeting was cordial but yielded no firm indication that the CPD is committed to addressing the RNC’s concerns.
- On December 14 the CPD responded again declining any firm commitment toward reform, while stating that it “answers to no political party or candidate” and “does not negotiate the terms or conditions of [its] operations with anyone.” The CPD did state that it will consider scheduling issues related to early voting, the partisan activities of its board members, and moderator selection processes as part of its internal “quadrennial review.” However, the CPD also refused to allow nonvoting observers to attend its Board meetings, claiming that doing so might jeopardize its status as a nonpartisan organization.
- Waiting until after early voting had already begun to host the first presidential debate;
- Making unilateral changes to previously agreed-upon debate formats and conditions, in some cases without even notifying the candidates;
- Selecting a moderator who had once worked for the Democrat nominee, a glaring conflict of interest; and
- Failing to maintain the organization’s strict nonpartisanship, with a majority of its Board Members publicly disparaging the Republican nominee.
- Adopt term limits for its Board of Directors, several members of which have served for more than a decade;
- Commit to holding at least one debate before the start of early voting, and in no case after the deadline for states to mail absentee ballots to uniformed and overseas voters;
- Enact a code of conduct prohibiting CPD officers, directors, and staff from making public comments supporting or opposing any candidate, or otherwise engaging in partisan political activity in connection with the presidential election, with meaningful consequences for violations;
- Establish transparent criteria for selecting debate moderators that would disqualify individuals from consideration who have apparent conflicts of interest due to personal, professional, or partisan factors; and
- Enact a transparent code of conduct for moderators in conducting debates, including guidelines for appropriate interactions with the participating nominees, with meaningful penalties for violations.
Unfortunately, the CPD’s responses so far seem designed to delay any reform until it is too late to matter for the 2024 election. The RNC initiated this dialogue on behalf of its future nominee, who will undoubtedly meet any debate participation criteria. As you know that individual will have little opportunity to have this dialogue with the CPD given the short window between his or her nomination and the first debate. By then the CPD will have already completed its “quadrennial review,” structural changes will be impossible, and planning for the 2024 presidential debates will essentially be complete. The RNC therefore cannot simply “wait and see,” as the CPD seems to suggest, but must act now. To do otherwise would forestall any meaningful reform and conveniently leave the CPD unaccountable for another election cycle.
We are especially frustrated with the CPD’s refusal to enact reforms aimed at ensuring nonpartisanship by claiming that doing so would somehow render the organization more partisan. The RNC has made clear that it understands the need for the CPD to be nonpartisan, and in fact has initiated this dialogue toward that end. As the RNC has proposed, one easy measure to restore trust would be to allow a representative from parties that have participated in past debates to observe CPD Board meetings, not on the basis of partisan affiliation, but on a party’s respective candidate having met the previous cycle’s debate participation criteria. We fail to see how that specific proposal, or any of the RNC’s other recommendations for that matter, would jeopardize the CPD’s nonpartisanship, as you suggest. Instead, the Commission appears more concerned about the supposed “partisanship” of allowing recent participants to observe its Board meetings than it is of its own partisan actions and those of its members and moderators.
The RNC has a duty to ensure that its future presidential nominees have the opportunity to debate their opponents on a level playing field. So long as the CPD appears intent on stonewalling the meaningful reforms necessary to restore its credibility with the Republican Party as a fair and nonpartisan actor, the RNC will take every step to ensure that future Republican presidential nominees are given that opportunity elsewhere. Accordingly, the RNC will initiate the process of amending the Rules of the Republican Party at our upcoming Winter Meeting to prohibit future Republican nominees from participating in CPD-sponsored debates.
Sincerely,
Ronna McDaniel
Chairman, Republican National Committee
November 5, 2021
AMBASSADOR RICHARD "DUKE" BUCHAN III TO SERVE AS REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE FINANCE CHAIRMAN
WASHINGTON D.C. – The Republican National Committee (RNC) announced today Ambassador Richard “Duke” Buchan III will serve as the next RNC Finance Chairman. Buchan is succeeding Todd Ricketts, who served as Finance Chair since 2018. The RNC Executive Committee voted unanimously to confirm Ambassador Buchan, who will transition fully into the role in January 2022.Ambassador Buchan was confirmed by both the United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations and the full Senate without any opposition as Ambassador to Spain and Andorra. Ambassador Buchan was highly focused on policy and the advancement of the United States’ global interests during his service. He is a successful businessman, farmer, philanthropist, husband and father of three teenage children.
"It is an honor to be unanimously elected by the Republican National Committee to serve as Finance Chair to work to grow our party," said Ambassador Duke Buchan. "I look forward to building on our momentum, strengthening our party’s infrastructure, and raising the resources needed to support Republicans' message of freedom and prosperity across the country."
“For the past three and a half years, I have been privileged to serve as the Finance Chairman of the Republican National Committee,” said outgoing Finance Chairman Todd Ricketts. “Thank you to Chairwoman McDaniel, Co-Chair Tommy Hicks, the Members of the National Committee, generous donors and of course the incredible RNC staff for entrusting me to advance our party’s values and promote our pro-growth, conservative agenda. I am also proud to have served as the Finance Chair for President Trump and Vice President Pence’s re-election effort. I’m excited by all the Republican candidates we helped elect during my tenure as well as the investments we made and the infrastructure we developed as a party. I’m confident the RNC will continue to be an outstanding organization to serve Republicans across the country and I look forward to continuing to help the cause.”
"On behalf of Republicans across the country, thank you to Todd Ricketts for his exemplary service and unwavering support of our Republican Party," said RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel. "We are thrilled to have Ambassador Buchan serve as RNC Finance Chair following Todd's departure. We are confident Duke will continue to grow our party and help deliver Republican victories in 2022 and beyond.”
RNC CHAIRWOMAN RONNA MCDANIEL
SUMMER MEETING 2021: GENERAL SESSION
AUGUST 13, 2021
NASHVILLE, TN
REMARKS AS PREPARED FOR DELIVERY
Hello and welcome to our 2021 Summer Meeting!
I am thrilled to be here in Nashville with all of you.
There are so many people I need to thank for making this week possible:
- RNC Co-Chairman Tommy Hicks
- Finance Chair Todd Ricketts
- Chief of Staff Richard Walters
- Chief Operating Officer Tinna Jackson
- Deputy Chief of Staff Mike Reed
- Our great Legal Counsel’s Office
- RNC Officers Ron Kaufman, Vicki Drummond and Kyle Hupfer
- Every single RNC staffer working tirelessly to bring us closer to victory.
- Marianna Herrera and our dedicated Member Services team.
Being a mom and wife are the most important jobs I have, and I am so grateful for their love and support.
I want to honor the memory of two individuals not with us today.
Margaret Metcalfe and Bill Brock: both led amazing lives, were extraordinary leaders, and leave behind remarkable legacies. We miss their kind presence and their friendship.
Thank you to our Tennessee hosts.
- Chairman Scott Golden
- Committeewoman Beth Campbell
- Committeeman Oscar Brock
Thank you for stepping up to serve our Party and the country we love.
Since Winter Meeting, we have added more than 20 new State Chairs, committeemen and women to our team.
You are already making incredible contributions to our Party. You are going help lead Republicans to victories in 2022!
This is now my 5th Summer Meeting as RNC Chair.
I am so proud to be Chairman of a Party that is growing, leading, and uniting to win!
At the RNC, we are doing our part to make that happen. You are doing your part to make it happen.
We are making tremendous progress.
That starts with raising the resources we need to win.
We have brought in 85 million dollars already this cycle.
We have more than 81 million dollars on hand. All without any debt!
We have spent tens of millions of dollars to defend election integrity, hold Democrats accountable, grow our data and ground game, register voters, and open minority engagement community centers earlier than ever.
Key to our success is reaching new voters. We continue to bring our Party’s empowering message to every community.
Every day more and more Americans are finding their home in our Party.
We have welcomed more than 25 million new Republican voters since 2016.
This is in large part due to our outreach and engagement.
We are opening community centers in cities across the country dedicated to engaging Black, Hispanic, and Asian Americans.
Last week we cut the ribbon on our first Black Community Center in Cleveland.
In June, we opened our first APA community center in Congresswoman Michelle Steel’s District.
At the event, I met a young man named Brandon Nguyen.
Brandon is a superstar volunteer who helped Michelle Steel get elected.
He made over 100,000 phone calls, knocked on more than 1,000 doors, and wrote personalized postcards to voters.
Brandon is only 16!
He is the first recipient of the Chairman’s Champion award, which recognizes and celebrates our great grassroots volunteers
We are also engaging the Hispanic community with our office openings in Laredo and McAllen, Texas next week – with many more on the way!
Doing this kind of engagement this early demonstrates we are committed to investing and building in diverse communities for the long-term.
Democrats continuously take these communities for granted.
This is about so much more than just politics – we are going to be present in these communities every day.
We are having conversations and learning from them about how we can better represent their communities as a party.
This type of engagement is paying off.
Look at Texas.
In June, a Republican flipped the mayorship in McAllen.
This is a city that is 85 percent Hispanic and voted for Hillary Clinton by 40 points!
We are competing for every vote and we are winning!
We are also looking ahead to three big races this Fall. The recall of Gavin Newsom in California, and the elections of Glenn Youngkin in Virginia and Jack Ciattarelli in New Jersey.
But we cannot talk about winning at the ballot box if we do not restore confidence in free and fair elections.
Every one of us knows we can never let what we saw in 2020 happen again.
Democrats waged war on election transparency, security, and integrity - undermining our elections.
We are using every tool at our disposal to protect every vote.
We formed an Election Integrity Committee
We are in 19 lawsuits protecting common-sense election integrity laws across the country.
- Georgia now requires voter ID for absentee ballots
- Iowa is standardizing their election practices and ending ballot harvesting
- Florida is strengthening drop-box security and increasing Election Day transparency
- We just won at the Supreme Court to ban ballot harvesting.
We are leading this fight and winning. Our elections will be secure!
When we met in January, we were all dreading the thought of Joe Biden stumbling and bumbling around the White House.
We could not have imagined how much damage and division he could cause in such a short period of time.
- Muddled messaging on covid
- Skyrocketing inflation and rising prices
- High unemployment
- Killing the Keystone Pipeline
- Labor shortages and ‘Help Wanted’ signs on every Main Street in America
On the world stage, more failure:
- Abandoning Israel
- Kowtowing to China and Russia
- Turning his back on the Cuban people
- 210,000 illegal immigrants caught at the border last month
- 19,000 unaccompanied minors just last month
- 800% increase in fentanyl pouring across Texas
- Border agents are exhausted and outnumbered
- Facilities are being overrun
- Our entire immigration system is overwhelmed
And one more obvious question - where is Kamala? She is supposed to be in charge. Where is she?
It gets worse. Violent crime is surging because Democrats are Defunding the Police.
- Shootings and homicide rates are up
- Cops are retiring in record numbers
- Democrat-run cities like Chicago, DC, New York, Oakland and Seattle are failing
As Democrats defund, demean, and disparage police, let us acknowledge the men and women in law enforcement for the heroes they are.
We stand with them and appreciate the sacrifices they make every day.
Republicans Back the Blue!
Nowhere is Democrats’ extremism more evident than when it comes to our most fundamental right of all: the right to life.
Not long-ago Democrats believed abortion should be “safe, legal and, rare.” Now they support taxpayer funded abortion on demand, up to and after the point of birth.
Whether it is on:
- abortion
- packing the Supreme Court
- open borders
- defunding the police
- a federal takeover of our elections
- or ending the filibuster
This only motivates us to work harder!
I am confident as ever in our country’s future.
Confident because of the leaders in our Party and the work they are doing to improve the lives of all Americans.
Republican leaders are showing Americans what strong, conservative leadership looks like.
There is no clearer contrast, than the way Republican governors have led during this pandemic vs how Democrat governors have failed through this pandemic.
Trust me, I know - I am from the People’s Republic of Michigan.
Whitmer, Cuomo and Newsom took away freedoms to increase their own power.
They destroyed small businesses with disastrous lockdowns.
They kept children out of the classroom and imposed unscientific mandates – only to be caught breaking their own rules time and again
Meanwhile, Governors like Abbott, DeSantis and Noem are leading.
They followed the science, kept small businesses open, kept our kids in school, and kept our churches open.
They protected our liberties and preserved our freedoms!
The results do not lie:
- 17 of the top 20 states for jobs recovered have Republican governors
- 15 of the top 20 states with the lowest unemployment are Republican run
- 21 Republican-led states have recovered at least two-thirds of jobs lost from the pandemic
“Real America” highlights Republican leaders and shows how Republican policies are leading America’s comeback through conservative values and commonsense solutions.
At the heart of what we stand for as Republicans is our optimistic agenda. A mission to create opportunity for every American.
A great example of our Party’s optimistic, uplifting message is the one Tim Scott delivered a few months back.
We are the Party that cares about achieving measurable, meaningful results for all Americans.
We stand for freedom. We stand for our Constitution. And we stand for our American flag!
We stand united in our belief that America is the greatest nation on earth and the greatest force for good the world has ever known!
It was Ronald Reagan who said: “The greatest leaders are not necessarily the ones who do the greatest things. They are the ones who get people to do the greatest things.”
RNC Members, now it is our time to be those leaders.
To be out there mobilizing and inspiring others to get involved in the greatest fight our nation has ever faced.
A fight that will determine whether we can keep the America we know and love.
America’s future is always worth fighting for.
Freedom is always worth fighting for.
I am proud to be in this fight alongside every one of you.
I am so optimistic about this next election because I see the energy and passion of people across our country every day.
I also know one other thing. Democrats and their radical policies have awakened a sleeping giant – moms!
Moms are mobilizing against what Democrats are doing to our kids.
We will not let you teach our kids that they were born racist or oppressed based on the color of their skin.
We will fight for school-choice and the best education for our kids.
Democrats are the party of limiting opportunity. We are the party of limitless opportunity.
We know the best path to the American dream comes from a good education and the right to choose the best school for your child.
We will not allow Democrats to close our classrooms again or mask up our children again.
We will not allow unions to teach our kids anything other than that the United States is the greatest nation on earth.
Finally, the Democrats cannot take away my right to call myself a mom – not a birthing person – a mom.
It is the most important job I will ever have.
So Joe Biden, Kamala, Nancy, Chuck, Big tech censors, Liberal media, and the Democrat socialist, defund the police party, we have a message for you!
The American people love freedom. Freedom of speech, religion, and opportunity.
We love this country and, despite all you do, freedom matters, and freedom will win.
We will take back the House and Senate in 2022 and we will take back the White House in 2024.
Thank you, God Bless you and God Bless the United States of America!
June 1, 2021
Frank J. Fahrenkopf, Jr.
Kenneth Wollack
Co-Chairs
The Commission on Presidential Debates
P.O. Box 58247
Washington, DC 20037
Dear Mr. Fahrenkopf and Mr. Wollack:
As Chairman of the Republican National Committee (RNC}, I write on behalf of the Republican Party and 74 million Americans who voted for President Donald J. Trump to express our extreme disappointment in the Commission on Presidential Debates' (CPD) recent performance and our concern about its continued role in hosting presidential debates. The CPD's repeated missteps and the partisan actions of its Board Members make clear that the organization no longer provides the fair and impartial forum for presidential debates which the law requires and the American people deserve. Unless the CPD adopts significant reforms to ensure that it better fulfills this important, nonpartisan function, the RNC will have no choice but to advise its future nominees against participating in CPD-hosted debates.1
First, the CPD's record of significant errors calls the organization's basic competency into question. It is inexcusable and self-defeating, for instance, that the CPD waited to host a single debate until after the start of early voting in eight states, absentee voting in twenty-six states, and uniformed and overseas voting in all fifty states. In doing so, the CPD failed in its most basic function and deprived voters of a meaningful opportunity to hear from the candidates before heading to the polls.
The CPD also has undermined the conditions for fair and impartial debates by making unilateral changes to previously agreed-upon formats and conditions, in some instances without even notifying the candidates. The CPD's decision to switch the October 15 debate to a "virtual" format, without any attempt to accommodate the candidates in-person and suspiciously amidst a growing controversy over its chosen moderator, was a massive disservice to the candidates and all who had helped plan and prepare for that debate. It also deprived the American people of the opportunity to see the candidates on stage together at a critical juncture of the campaign.
Then, when it held the October 22 debate, the CPD made an amateur error that nearly derailed the debate itself. On his walkthrough, President Trump noticed that the CPD had installed plexiglass shields without informing the candidates. Thanks to his background in television, the President realized that the candidates would see only their reflections once the stage was lit and the debate began. Had it not been caught by the President of the United States, the CPD's unforced error would have caused a surprising and awkward distraction for both candidates once the cameras started to roll.
Furthermore, the CPD's history of vetting and selecting its pool of potential moderators despite obvious conflicts of interest is incomprehensible. It should be obvious, for instance, that no person should serve as a moderator who previously worked for one of the candidates. Nevertheless, the CPD selected Steve Scully as a moderator even though he had once worked for Joe Biden. It came as little surprise to Republicans then when Mr. Scully accidentally revealed that he was seeking advice on how to attack the President from one of his fiercest critics. Mr. Scully then went on to lie and claim that his twitter account had been hacked. The CPD defended Mr. Scully, only for him later to admit that was not true.
Second, the CPD can hardly claim to be nonpartisan, as the law requires, when the majority of its Board of Directors insert themselves into the campaign by making partisan and biased statements opposing one of the candidates. To our knowledge, six of the CPD's ten-member Board of Directors (Sen. John Danforth, Charles Gibson, Rep. Jane Harman, Newton Minow, Richard Parsons, and Sen. Olympia Snowe) have gone on record making disparaging comments about President Trump while serving on the Board. Mr. Minow, in particular, went so far as to ask the five living former Presidents to "lead us to safety" from President Trump, "supply the leadership our country needs" and "lead the nation to explore informal and formal next steps" regarding his ongoing Presidency. 2 The fact that the CPD's Directors would make such comments is appalling, and the CPD's tolerance of this behavior undermines any legitimacy it claims as a nonpartisan organization.
For too long, the CPD has failed to meet its responsibility to presidential candidates and American voters nationwide in providing a neutral forum for candidate debates. What began as a nonpartisan organization fulfilling a critical role in the electoral process has now seemingly transformed into a cushy, multi-million-dollar club with no accountability and little commitment to partisan balance or fairness. This situation is intolerable, and the RNC can no longer give the CPD the benefit of the doubt. The CPD must act now to undertake meaningful reforms and work with stakeholders to restore the faith and legitimacy it has lost.
To this end, the RNC strongly encourages the CPD to:
• Adopt term limits for its Board of Directors, several Members of which have sat on the Board for a decade, with two sitting on the Board since 1996.Our sincere hope is that the CPD accepts this criticism and works to correct its mistakes. If not, the RNC will have no choice but to advise future Republican candidates against participating in CPDhosted debates, and the RNC will look for other options for its candidates to debate the issues before the American people in a neutral and nonpartisan forum.
• Enact a code of conduct which prohibits CPD officers, directors, and staff from making public comments supporting or opposing any candidate, or otherwise engaging in partisan political activity in connection with the presidential election;
• Enforce meaningful consequences for violating such rules, up to and including removal from the Board of Directors;
• Commit to hosting at least one debate prior to the start of early voting in any state, and in no case after the deadline for states to mail absentee ballots to uniformed and overseas voters (45 days before the general election);
• Establish transparent criteria for selecting moderators, disqualifying individuals from consideration who have an appearance of bias due to personal, professional, or partisan factors;
• Enact a transparent code of conduct for moderators, to include guidelines for appropriate interactions with the candidates during the debates; and
• Impose penalties for violating such guidelines, to include suspending their employer network from participating in future debates.
We respectfully ask that the CPD respond to this letter, in writing, by July 31, 2021 to advise regarding its willingness to undertake these much-needed reforms.
Sincerely
Ronna McDaniel
1 The RNC understands that the party itself has no formal role in the debates process. However, as a practical matter, any conceivable participation criteria established by the CPD would allow for participation by the Republican Party nominee.
2 Newton N. Minow, Op-Ed., To the five former presidents: You can lead us to safety, WASHINGTON POST, Oct. 6, 2017.
April 15, 2021
RNC REGIONAL CO-CHAIR ANNOUNCEMENT
WASHINGTON —Today, Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel announced four new RNC Regional Co-Chairs who will play key roles in supporting Chairwoman McDaniel as she continues her successful leadership of the party. Their duties will also include providing local support to RNC initiatives and advising RNC Chair of Chairs Jessica Patterson."I am proud to announce Caleb Heimlich, Dan Lederman, Demi Kouzounas, and Michael Whatley as our new Regional Co-Chairs," said Chairwoman McDaniel. "They are excellent, highly qualified additions to our team, and each of them boasts a wealth of experience as effective leaders at the grassroots and regional level. These Co-Chairs represent red and blue states alike, and possess unique knowledge about their respective regions that will be invaluable as we head into the 2022 midterms and beyond."
Regional Co-Chairs:
Caleb Heimlich, Western Region
One of the youngest State Republican Party Chairmen in the country, Caleb has successfully helped many Republican candidates win elections in Washington State. Caleb graduated from Hillsdale College Magna Cum Laude with a degree in Political Economy. Upon graduation, he worked for Americans for Prosperity in Washington DC and then for AFP in Washington State organizing grass roots activists. That led to being hired as the Political Director of the WSRP in 2011, promoted to Executive Director in 2013 with the additional title of Chief of Staff in 2016. In January of 2018 he was elected Chairman of the State Republican Party with over 70% of the vote.
Dan Lederman, Midwest Region
Dan Lederman serves as the Chair of the South Dakota Republican Party. Prior to his service for the State Party, Dan served in the State Senate as Assistant Majority Leader and in the House of Representatives. Dan currently holds the Chair position for his home county, Union County and has been the county chair since 2005. Before his entry into politics, Dan served in the Army National Guard as a Combat Medic.
Demi Kouzounas, Northeast Region
Demi Kouzounas serves as chair of the Maine Republican Party. She is a graduate from University of Maine at Orono and graduated in 1981 from Tufts University School of Dental Medicine. She and her husband (Joseph G. Penna, DMD) then joined the U. S. Army, serving in the 86th Medical Detachment in Giessen, Germany from 1981-1984. They have practiced dentistry together for over 30 years and own two dental practices.
Michael Whatley, Southern Region
Michael Whatley currently serves as the Chairman for the North Carolina Republican Party. In addition, he is a partner at HBW Resources. Whatley previously served as Chief of Staff for Senator Elizabeth Dole (R-NC), Subcommittee Staff Director and Chief Counsel for the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Energy and Counsel to the U.S. Senate Republican Conference Secretary Paul Coverdell (R-GA).
February 17, 2021
RNC CHAIRWOMAN RONNA MCDANIEL ANNOUNCES NEW ELECTION INTEGRITY COMMITTEE
WASHINGTON, D.C – Today, Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel announced the formation of the new Committee on Election Integrity dedicated to restoring election transparency and ensuring voters have confidence in future election processes.“Election integrity is one of the most critical issues we face as a Party and as a country. What we saw this past election – states undoing important safeguards, bypassing the proper legislative processes, and changing election laws in the eleventh hour – was deeply troubling and brought chaos and uncertainty to our sacred democratic processes. As RNC Chair, I will not sit idly by and the Party will respond. The RNC will play a crucial role in restoring confidence in our elections, promoting election integrity, and recommending best practices to ensure that future elections are free, fair, and transparent.” – RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel
This past cycle, the RNC ran its most comprehensive legal strategy to date, spending more than $30 million on election protection efforts in battleground states across the country. The Committee on Election Integrity represents a renewed focus on continuing this important work and fighting Democrats’ unprecedented attempts to change election laws. This committee will work closely with state parties and other stakeholders in our elections across the country on voting policies and best practices, such as ensuring poll watchers are allowed to properly observe counting processes, meaningful voter ID laws are codified, and all Americans have faith in our elections process.
The RNC Committee on Election Integrity will be chaired by Florida Republican Party Chairman Joe Gruters, with Ashley MacLeay, National Committeewoman from the District of Columbia, serving as Co-Chair. The full temporary RNC committee will consist of 12 men and 12 women, representing the RNC from 21 states and the District of Columbia.
RNC CHAIRWOMAN RONNA MCDANIEL
WINTER MEETING 2021: GENERAL SESSION
JANUARY 8, 2021
AMELIA ISLAND, FLORIDA
REMARKS AS PREPARED FOR DELIVERY
Thank you all for being here in Amelia Island,
Florida! I want to begin by thanking our Co-Chair
Tommy Hicks, who has been a warrior traveling this
country far and wide, fighting for freedom in the
battle to win over hearts and minds. He is a great
partner to work with, and all of us are lucky to have
him help lead our Party.I also want to thank all of our incredible RNC staff, including: Our Finance Chairman Todd Ricketts, Our Chief of Staff Richard Walters, The dedicated Member Services Team of Mariana Herrera, Callie Estes, Sarah Valdez and Madeline Fennell. And I especially want to thank my family – my husband Patrick, and my wonderful children Abigail and Nash.
Before I begin, let me address the terrible events that took place at our U.S. Capitol this week. This committee condemned the violence that occurred in the strongest possible terms. The violence does not represent acts of patriotism, but an attack on our country and its founding principles. Our Founding Fathers established a nation of laws, not a nation of anarchy. It especially hit home with the incredibly frightening bomb scare we had at the RNC on the same day. I want to thank our amazing security team who handled the situation with professionalism and for always working tirelessly to keep us all safe. As the transition of power continues over the next two weeks, I call on individuals to respect law enforcement, law and order, and our great system of governance.
Now, when I began this journey as RNC Chairwoman four years ago, I knew I had big shoes to fill. I also knew I wanted to put my own stamp on the Party and take on big projects that would set us up for success in 2020 and beyond. It goes without saying that when all of us met this time last year, none of us could have imagined everything the coming year would throw at us.
From planning our nominating convention, not once, not twice, but three times to the countless other challenges we faced this past year, 2020 put us all to the test.Of course, the greatest challenge of all has been the loss of friends and family members to this horrific virus. Yet through it all, you never wavered in the face of adversity.
All of you stepped up to the plate and carried out our mission with conviction and because you did, we accomplished so many of the things we set out to do.
We raised the most money ever in the history of our Party. We coalesced around one platform to drive small-dollar donations by launching WinRed. Even in its infancy, WinRed has proven successful beyond our wildest dreams. We’ve raised more than $2 billion in just a year and a half with WinRed – something it took Democrats a full 14 years to do with their small dollar donation platform.
We built the largest political infrastructure ever, talking to more voters, 182 million of them, than any other campaign in history. Our data-driven ground game turned out millions more Republicans than ever, and it set the standard by which future campaigns will be judged.
One of the things I am most proud of is how we stepped up our efforts to engage minority voters and expand our party this election cycle. You can’t win votes if you don’t ask for them, and this cycle we made an unprecedented effort to meet voters where they are and invest in their communities. We opened community centers dedicated to engaging Black, Latino, and Hispanic Americans and amplifying Republicans’ winning message. The nearly 10,000 events our Trump Victory Strategic Initiatives team held this cycle included events aimed at engaging Asian Pacific Americans, Black Americans, and Hispanic Americans. We held our TVLIs in 14 difference languages including Vietnamese, Hindi, Haitian Creole, Hmong and Greek and Portuguese, just to name a few! We dovetailed our community events with an aggressive media strategy that included 2,000 bookings in black media outlets and more than 1,300 interviews for RNC officials and surrogates on Hispanic TV and radio stations across the country.
Our message clearly resonated, and the years-long investment we made was a big part of the reason why President Trump earned the highest share of minority votes for a Republican in 60 years. Over a quarter of his support in this election came from non-white voters. He significantly broadened his base among black voters – winning close to 20% of black men and more than doubling his support among black women. We saw similar trends with Hispanic voters and Asian-Americans. There is no doubt that he has redrawn the political map for our Party and proved we can compete and win in nontraditionally Republican communities.
Building on our minority engagement efforts, we also held a different kind of convention last summer that showcased a more diverse Republican Party. Americans saw that we are the Big Tent Party, a Party the President helped expand and one that now looks more like the rest of America.
While we all are disappointed about races that we lost, we also saw important wins for Republican candidates across the country. Contrary to what every political pundit in the Beltway Bubble was predicting and not so secretly hoping for, no Blue Wave materialized on Election Day.
As we learn every election, candidates matter, and in November Americans elected Republicans with compelling life stories to the House of Representatives. Young Kim and Michelle Steel were both born abroad and knew each other while raising their kids here in America. They saw firsthand how Democrat policies of high taxes combined with crippling government regulations were crushing small businesses and the American Dream in their Southern California communities. They realized they couldn’t afford to sit on the sidelines, and this week they became the first two Korean-American women to be seated in the United States Congress.
For Americans who are sick and tired of hearing about AOC and the rest of the Socialist Squad, we have good news.That’s because we have now have our own squad, the freedom squad, made up of people who know firsthand the perils of socialism in practice.People like Nicole Malliotakis, Carlos Gimenez, Maria Salazar and Victoria Spartz, who will be on the frontlines defending freedom and standing up to Speaker Pelosi’s extreme agenda every single day.
It’s also especially fitting and a point of pride for me that in the year we celebrated the 100th anniversary of women gaining the right to vote – a cause championed by Republicans – our country voted to send a record number of Republican women to Congress. These reasons give me every cause to be confident and optimistic about the future of our Party as we begin a new year. Yet, while we were encouraged by our track record in competitive House and other down ballot races, we are certainly disappointed with results elsewhere. I’ve said it a few times this week, but I am pissed about losing in critical elections.
We have a lot of hard work to do to take back the Senate and the House in 2022, but I am telling you right now it must happen and I am committed to getting it done. We are not going to cede our country to the far-left who want to turn us toward socialism, institute a Green New Deal, and remake America as we know it. So, get ready, buckle your seatbelt, we have much more to accomplish.
Before I end, I want to say how proud I am to serve in this role as RNC Chairman at this pivotal point in our nation’s history. RNC Chairs have included governors, Speakers of the House, Senators and even a future President. I will always be grateful to President Trump and all of you for believing in me and giving me this opportunity of a lifetime. I love the RNC and everything it stands for. The RNC is the steady ship in the storm, and we are there for our candidates when they need us. It is now up to us to keep the ship on course, and together we are building an institution that is stronger than ever.
I also love the opportunity to work with each and every one of you. People who take on the sacrifices being an RNC Member entails, and do it joyfully because you believe in all your heart the causes and values we are fighting for.
Most of all, I love the RNC because it gives me an opportunity in some small way to give back to the country we all love. And because this land of liberty we are lucky to call home is still worth fighting for, let us not grow weary in doing good as Scripture teaches, for in due time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Thank you again for being willing to step up and serve as RNC Members.May God Bless you and your families, and may God continue to bless the United States America.
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