Trump lawyer Harmeet Dhillon latest to challenge McDaniel to lead RNC, in growing competitive field

New York GOP Rep. Lee Zeldin and My Pillow CEO are also among those considering or already committed to running for the RNC post.

Published: December 5, 2022 8:29am

Updated: December 5, 2022 11:22am

Trump lawyer Harmeet Dhillon has become the latest to challenge Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel for her post, citing three election cycles in which the GOP has underperformed against Democrats.

"After three successive terms of underwhelming results at the polls for the GOP," Dhillon said in a statement obtained by Politico and published Sunday. "I feel that we owe it to our voters to have a serious debate about the leadership of the party and what we must change to actually win in 2024."

Republicans in 2018 lost the House, in 2020 lost the presidency and in 2022 failed to surf a predicted "red wave" – pulsed by a shaky economy and historical trends – into Congress to win control of the Senate and rack up a big House majority.

Dhillion is an RNC member and former vice chairwoman of the California Republican Party whose law firm has represented former President Trump – including being a legal adviser on the Trump 2020 campaign.

Dhillon has confirmed her challenge by retweeting multiple news stories about her run and several endorsements.

McDaniel was picked by Trump to run the RNC after he won the presidency in 2016.

Dhillion will join an already competitive field eyeing the post to lead Washington Republicans.

GOP Rep. Lee Zeldin lost his 2022 New York gubernatorial bid but appears to be using his near-upset in the liberal-leaning state to advance his political career and compete for the RNC post, though he has yet to formally announce.

My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell has already launched a bid.

Though Lindell has no formal political experience, he is a strong Trump ally, which could bring strong support from the GOP's MAGA wing, and his commercials on the Fox News Channel give him national name recognition.

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