Ronna McDaniel to step down as RNC chair in March

Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel will officially step down from her position on March 8, days after Super Tuesday.

“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. The RNC has historically undergone change once we have a nominee and it has always been my intention to honor that tradition. I remain committed to winning back the White House and electing Republicans up and down the ballot in November,” McDaniel said in a statement shared with CNN.

CNN reported earlier this month that McDaniel offered to leave her position following the South Carolina primary. Her departure comes amid a period of rising tensions between former President Donald Trump, the GOP presidential front-runner, and the RNC.

Following McDaniel’s offer to resign from her position, Trump endorsed North Carolina Republican Party Chairman Michael Whatley to succeed her and backed his daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, as co-chair.

McDaniel, one of the longest-serving RNC chairs in modern history. She was elected to the post after serving as chairwoman of the Michigan Republican Party, with Trump’s support. But recently, Trump’s view of McDaniel has soured. Trump and his team have been disappointed with the RNC’s finances as the committee is currently experiencing one of its most anemic years of fundraising in the last decade. The former president has also felt that the RNC under McDaniel’s leadership could and should have done more to fight for his candidacy in the 2020 election, including retaining better lawyers to push the former president’s false claims of rampant voter fraud.

This story has been updated with additional information.