MINNEAPOLIS, MN - OCTOBER 10: Mike Lindell, CEO of My Pillow, speaks during a campaign rally held by U.S. President Donald Trump at the Target Center on October 10, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Lindell is an outspoken supporter of the Trump presidency and his campaign for reelection. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)
My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell, a close ally of former President Donald Trump, announced he is running to chair the Republican National Committee (RNC).
“I am 100% running for the RNC Chairman against [current chairwoman] Ronna McDaniel,” he told in an interview with Steve Bannon, another Trump ally.
He added that he was encouraged by at least one big donor to run. He said he is planning to talk with all voting members.
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“One of the things that one of the big donors said to me, he said, Mike, everybody wants you to be head of the RNC, some of them just don’t know it yet,” he said.
Despite his optimism, Lindell doesn’t have an easy path to becoming the next chair as 101 of the 168 voting members signed a letter to endorse McDaniel.
Lindell’s decision comes at a turbulent moment inside GOP, with many members unsatisfied with the party’s performance in the last three elections.
In November’s midterms, Republicans failed to regain control of the Senate and secured a tight majority in the House, frustrating those who expected a “red wave.”
“You need a different input to get a different output. That’s business 101,” Lindell told CBS News after the announcement.
Lindell — who embraced Trump’s efforts to overturn the election results in 2020 — said he didn’t consult with the former president ahead of his decision.
“I didn’t call him on this,” Lindell said. “This is my deal and I would hope that I have his support, but that’s not going to dissuade me either way.”
The next RNC chair term will run through the 2024 election campaign. McDaniel was elected chairwoman in 2017.
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