Ronna’s Runaway Highlights RGA’s Major Recruitment Failure in Michigan

Yesterday, Politico reported that Ronna McDaniel – the widely feared RNC Chair who has been at the helm while the DGA  *checks notes* flipped nine governor’s seats blue – told party insiders “she’s considered stepping down from her post to challenge Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in 2022.” 

It was only hours later that WOOD TV in Grand Rapids reported that McDaniel was already “not considering” a gubernatorial run.

Besides being an embarrassing display of dysfunction at the RNC, the flip-flop from McDaniel highlights the RGA’s ongoing failure to recruit anyone resembling a legitimate candidate for governor in Michigan. The RGA previously lost their “dream candidate” Candice Miller, while the Detroit Free Press reported this week that “The GOP has no top-tier candidate for governor and no assurances it will get one.” 

In addition to the other C-List and no-name potential candidates being floated, the Republican Party in Michigan is an absolute mess that’s been taken over by extremists. GOP Senate leader Mike Shirkey has been taking federal aid for himself while opposing COVID relief for Michiganders, as he cozied up to dangerous militias and called the January 6 insurrection a “hoax.” Former GOP Speaker Lee Chatfield had to leave an economic development job after local business leaders called out his discriminatory record, and even the Chair of the Michigan GOP is under fire after using dangerous and violent rhetoric.

As any Republican who runs for governor in Michigan or around the country is set to face a GOP base that will demand undying loyalty to Trump and his toxic record and conspiracy theories, the RGA’s recruitment failures are widespread and growing. This includes decisions not to run from Boyd Rutherford in Maryland, Rep. Pete Stauber in Minnesota, Senator Pat Toomey in Pennsylvania, and Mayor Erin Stewart in Connecticut, among others. 

“While the DGA would have appreciated the chance to win another governor’s race against Ronna McDaniel with her as the candidate this time – it’s hard to blame anyone for running away from the complete mess in her home state GOP,” said DGA Deputy Communications Director Sam Newton. “The ongoing Republican failure to recruit any legitimate candidate to run in Michigan is just more proof that potential candidates know how miserable it will be to survive a nasty Republican primary, as Governor Whitmer continues to gain the backing of Michigan families for her decisive and popular leadership.”

###