By The FirstNew York Congressman Lee Zeldin has announced that he will not run for the chairmanship of the Republican National Committee. The announcement comes after weeks of speculation that the former candidate for New York Governor would likely challenge Ronna McDaniel for the position.
Despite his decision not to seek the position himself, Zeldin was critical of the current chair, saying that the GOP needs new leadership and that McDaniel should not seek a 4th term.
In a statement released on Wednesday morning Zendin wrote:
“I am grateful for all the messages I have received from across the country the past few weeks encouraging me to run for Chair of the Republican National Committee. Change is desperately needed, and there are many leaders, myself included, ready and willing to step up to ensure our party retools and transforms as critical elections fast approach, namely the 2024 Presidential and Congressional races. However, the issue is Chairwoman McDaniel’s re-election appears to already be pre-baked, as if the disappointing results of every election during her tenure, including yesterday in Georgia, do not and should not even matter.
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“Republican voters already believe that Washington, D.C. is an irredeemable swamp. They will be proven right, yet again, if Chairwoman McDaniel moves forward with running for a fourth term, despite her prior pledge not to do so. It appears to me that her re-election with a majority vote from the 168 RNC members would then be pre-determined.
“The better path forward would be for Chairwoman McDaniel to listen to and respect the wishes of the actual grassroots voters of our party, and allow the RNC to forge ahead with new leadership. Her greatest service to the Republican Party at this time would be to make room for a new Chair.”