Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel will serve another two years at the party’s helm, making her the party’s longest-serving chair in recent history.

In a secret vote held on Friday at the RNC’s annual winter meeting — this year, at a luxury resort in Dana Point — McDaniel was elected to her fourth term as chair after a fierce campaign. Eighty-four votes were needed to capture the majority, and McDaniel, who was reportedly privately backed by former President Donald Trump, came out on top, clinching 111.

California attorney Harmeet Dhillon secured 51 and MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell received four, while former U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin of New York got one.

“It is time for our party to unite and re-dedicate ourselves to electing Republicans up and down the ballot,” McDaniel said in a statement after the vote. “I look forward to working alongside conservative leaders, including Harmeet and Mike, from across our party to deliver on our promises to the American people.”

Dhillon, who has represented Trump and Kari Lake, who lost the Arizona gubernatorial election last year, has blamed McDaniel’s leadership for Republicans’ performance in the 2022 midterms.

“I care deeply about our country and felt that the party was not fulfilling its promise to voters,” Dhillon told reporters after the vote was announced. “The results were not what we, or our hundreds of thousands of voters around the country, were hoping for, and I think the party’s going to have to deal with that fallout.”

“With that said, I pledged throughout this campaign to work hand-in-hand with the party, with the winner of this election, and I’m going to honor that pledge,” Dhillon said.

RNC members spent the front half of Friday’s general session tending to committee business, including passing a resolution to oppose antisemitism, introduced by California Republican Party National Committeeman Shawn Steel. Outside the ballroom where the vote took place, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s new book, “Never Give An Inch,” was available for members.

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Before the vote, McDaniel mentioned the midterms and spoke about the party’s successes.

“We’re working overtime to learn a lesson from the midterms: what went right and what went wrong,” she said. “But let’s be clear, we fired Nancy Pelosi and we’re already holding Joe Biden accountable.”

McDaniel also said the Republican Party has made inroads with minority voters. Several demographic groups tilted in Republicans’ favor in 2022, including Latino and Black voters.

California is among only a handful of states that are majority-minority, with more than 6 in 10 Californians being minorities, according to the U.S. Census. Six in 10 Orange County residents are also minorities, according to the U.S. Census data.

Earlier this week, McDaniel paid a visit to the Asian Pacific American Community Center in Little Saigon, highlighting the successes Republicans had in reelecting Reps. Young Kim and Michelle Steel as well as other down-ballot races.

Shawn Steel, who voiced support for McDaniel at the community thank you event in Little Saigon, said the RNC is holding seminars and discussions on strategies needed to win in districts where residents’ native language is not English. The community center in Orange County, he said, is one example.

“It’s a very good model for the Republican National Committee,” Shawn Steel said. “And that’s why Ronna McDaniel keeps personally showing up. She expanded the idea to 33 other locations, and it’s going to grow from there. It’s very popular and gets things done.”

During McDaniel’s current term, 33 community centers aimed at organizing minority voters opened across the country. Three were built in California, the first one in June 2021 in Little Saigon, and two Hispanic community centers in Palmdale and Bakersfield. Republican officials said earlier this week they hope to open more.

Rep. Michelle Steel, R-Seal Beach, said she appreciates McDaniel’s commitment to minority communities.

“As a first-generation American who represents one of the most diverse districts in America, I appreciate Ronna’s commitment to diversifying our party,” Steel said. “I look forward to working with her to elect more Republicans who want to ensure everyone has a shot at the American Dream.”

On his Truth Social app Friday afternoon, Trump congratulated McDaniel on her win.

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