The Republican National Committee's fundraising has slowed dramatically, with just less than $12 million in the bank ahead of next year's election, and frustrations with longtime chair Ronna McDaniel are rising.
McDaniel fought off a leadership challenge earlier this year, in part by pledging to prioritize fundraising, but the RNC now has less than half as much cash on hand as the Democratic National Committee — $11.8 million to $24.5 million — and Republicans are concerned, reported The Daily Beast.
“The fundraising has gone in the toilet,” said one RNC member. “They’re not raising money. They are way behind — they don't have money in the bank."
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The RNC has actually raised $50.8 million this year, not far off the $59.5 million raised by the DNC, but party members are questioning some of McDaniel's budget decisions and exorbitant payments to consultants.
“I think going forward in 2025, were I the chairman of the RNC, I would say every contract that we have, I want to review, and I would start from the beginning,” said Florida RNC national committeeman Peter Feaman.
The RNC faced criticism for agreeing to cover some of Donald Trump's legal costs, but those payments were capped at a reported $1.6 million, but the committee has spent more than $21.6 million on its own legal fees since 2021, including $4.5 million this year.
“The RNC is investing in party infrastructure and our data-driven ground game that will bolster the eventual nominee to victory come next Fall,” said spokesperson Emma Vaughn. “Under Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel’s leadership, the RNC is on pace to be in a stronger position financially going into 2024, then the last time we were campaigning to take back the White House."
Vaughn dismissed the “supposed criticism” from the RNC sources who spoke to The Daily Beast as “the same gossip and innuendo” McDaniel's challengers used in her re-election battle in January — when she easily defeated GOP lawyer Harmeet Dhillon and MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell — but members were frustrated that she refused to answer questions about the party's finances at a recent meeting in Milwaukee.
“She walked out and said her schedule didn’t allow her to finish it,” an RNC member said. “So she never took questions and answers. I know a lot of people had concerns they wanted to bring up and she just left.”
