Mike Lindell is the founder and CEO of MyPillow, a company that sells pillows designed for comfort and support. Lindell is a former drug addict who turned his life around and started the company in 2004. He is known for his enthusiastic and sometimes controversial marketing tactics. Lindell has also been a vocal supporter of former President Donald Trump. Monday he announced that he would be running for the Republican National Committee chair seat.
Mike Lindell: “I am 100% running for the RNC Chairman against Ronna McDaniel.”
The Republican Party continues its descent into absurdity. pic.twitter.com/xh8Vofo6xX
— The Republican Accountability Project (@AccountableGOP) November 28, 2022
Lindell, a Trump ally and 2020 election denier, picked up heat in early 2021 for his relations with Trump and his comments on the election. Lindell was sued over claims he had made against Smartmatic, Dominion Voting Systems, and Hamilton Place on voting issues following the 2020 election. He has been broadly critical of the current RNC chair, Ronna McDaniel, and the national party apparatus. However, as he finalized his decision to run for the chair position he mentioned he did not run his decisions over with Trump.
The RNC chair is currently held by Ronna Romney McDaniel, a position she’s held since January 2017. McDaniel was re-elected as Chairwoman of the RNC in January 2021. She is the second woman to hold the position of RNC chairperson, and is the niece of Sen. Mitt Romney. Prior to her election as chairwoman, McDaniel served as the Michigan Republican Party Chairwoman from 2015 to 2017.
Ronna McDaniel is a strong supporter of former President Donald Trump. She has frequently defended his policies and actions, including his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and his attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. McDaniel has also worked closely with Trump on fundraising and campaign efforts for the Republican Party.
It was speculated that former New York Gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin was going to run for the RNC chair. However, after is better than expected run in New York against Governor Kathy Hochul, Zeldin has since cleared up any rumors about him potentially running for RNC chair, stating that he will not be running for RNC chair at this time, and also urging McDaniel not to run again either.
“I won’t be running for RNC Chair at this time with McDaniel’s reelection pre-baked by design, but that doesn’t mean she should even be running again,”
“The better path forward would be for Chairwoman McDaniel to listen to and respect the wishes of the actual grassroots voters of our party and allow the RNC to forge ahead with new leadership,” he concluded. “Her greatest service to the Republican Party at this time would be to make room for a new Chair.”
