Feb. 26 (UPI) — Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel announced Monday she will step down next month.
McDaniel, who has served as chair of the RNC since 2017, said in a statement that she will step down on March 8 shortly after the Super Tuesday primaries to allow the party’s presidential nominee to select the next head of the committee.
“The RNC has historically undergone change once we have a nominee and it has always been my intention to honor that tradition,” McDaniel said.
Former President Donald Trump endorsed McDaniel to serve as the chair of the RNC in 2017 and on Monday thanked him for “the opportunity to lead our party.”
“It has been the honor and privilege of my life to serve the Republican National Committee for seven years as chairwoman to elect Republicans and grow our party,” she said.
McDaniel, the niece of former presidential candidate and Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, was chair of the Michigan GOP in 2016 where she was credited with helping Trump win the state and usher him into the presidency.
She was re-elected last January, beating out California attorney Harmeet Dhillon and MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell.
McDaniel’s announcement Monday came on the heels of Trump’s latest primary victory in South Carolina, where he won 59.8% of the vote, defeating Nikki Haley, who previously served as governor in the state.
Earlier this month, Trump said he wanted Michael Whatley, the current chair of the North Carolina Republican Party and the GOP’s general counsel, to lead the RNC with his daughter-in-law Lara Trump serving as co-chair. She is married to Eric Trump.