MARC panelists predict 2024 election will be Donald Trump versus Joe Biden
On Saturday, four political pundits addressed the membership of the Mid-Alabama Republican Club (MARC) in Vestavia Hills about the coming 2024 presidential election year. The MARC panel included syndicated columnist former State Representative Steve Flowers (R-Troy). Flower’s columns can be read weekly here at Alabama Today. Alabama Today President and Publisher Apryl Marie Fogel served on the expert politico panel. Fogel is a former talk radio host in the Montgomery market. Rounding out the panel were Alabama Public Television’s Capital Journal host Todd Stacy and former Alabama Republican Chairman Marty Connors. Connors chairs the Alabama Center Right Group. The panel was moderated by former State Rep. Paul DeMarco (R-Homewood). DeMarco, a prominent Birmingham attorney, is also a former MARC President and the former Chairman of the Jefferson County Republican Party. DeMarco’s columns can also be read at Alabama Today. DeMarco asked the panel about the Alabama Republican Presidential Debate scheduled for next month in Tuscaloosa. The panel was skeptical that anyone on stage could win the GOP nomination. “I really think the debates are irrelevant,” Flowers said. “[Donald] Trump has the nomination.” “I imagine it will be Trump and Biden,” said Fogel. “We have some really great candidates, but does it matter?” Stacey said. “You have two candidates in Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis.” Recent national polling has President Joe Biden’s job approval at just 37% – a new all-time low for a President in their third year. More troubling for Democrats is the polling in the swing states. In recent polls, Trump leads Biden 49 to 44 in Arizona, 49 to 43 in Georgia, 48 to 43 in Michigan, 52 to 41 in Nevada, 42 to 35 in Ohio, 48 to 44 in Pennsylvania, and 45 to 37 in Texas. The only swing state where Biden is currently leading Trump is Wisconsin, where he leads Trump to 47 to 45. When the New York Times substituted Gov. Ron DeSantis for Trump, he beats Biden 48 to 44 in Wisconsin. Former Ambassador Nikki Haley leads Biden 53 to 39 in Wisconsin – showing that support for Biden is extremely soft at this point. DeMarco asked the panelists if that polling was scaring Democrats. “The polls are really bad looking for Biden,” said Flowers. “I like what we are seeing in the polls,” said Fogel. “You can see a scenario where he bows out,” Stacy said. “He makes the decision that he doesn’t want to run again, and then they get another nominee.” “You can change horses, but it would have to be somebody who has already qualified,” Connors said. “I think it is too late for it to be somebody else,” said Flowers. On Tuesday, Republican Governor Tate Reeves won reelection with a margin of less than four points. Democratic Governor Andy Beshears defeated Attorney General David Cameron in Kentucky. Republicans in Virginia lost control of the General Assembly. Voters voted in favor of a pro-choice and pro-gender transition plank in their state Constitution. DeMarco asked if Tuesday’s election results were disappointing for Republicans. “Going into 2022, the Democrats are really on their heels,” Stacy said. “The economy is crummy. The President is crummy. Democrats should be on their heels.” “The lessons from Ohio and Virginia are on the abortion issue,” Stacy said. “Republicans have not been adept at this.” “Democrats say that Republicans want to take your rights away,” Stacy continued. “That is what they are going to cling to.” Connors said that Republicans need better messaging on how much they care for the child after it is born. “I don’t view those races as precursors to next year,” Flowers said. “There is a lot of infighting within the Republican party,” Fogel stated. Fogel recalled how the nation just watched the Republicans in the House of Representatives divide into different sides over who the Speaker was. “We need to remember who the enemy is,” Fogel said. DeMarco asked if the Republican National Committee Chair, Ronna Romney McDaniel, needs to be replaced. “I think there is a fatigue issue with her,” Connors said. “We have had three elections in a row under her where Republicans did not do well.” “I absolutely think we need a new Party Chair,” said Fogel. “We have lost the momentum on the ground.” “I am not sure how much it really matters,” said Stacy. “The RNC has become a lot less influential and powerful than it once was.” The MARC steering committee announced that it has recommended that Birmingham area attorney Janey Whitney be President of the Club for 2024. The MARC meets on the second Saturday of every month in the Vestavia Hills Public Library at 8:30 a.m. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Republican Presidential Debate set for tonight; Donald Trump not participating
The first Republican presidential debate is on Wednesday at 8:00 pm on Fox News Channel. “The Republican Party is officially kicking off the primary process in Wisconsin with the first debate and ending it in Wisconsin with the convention,” Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna Romney McDaniel said on Twitter. “We need every Wisconsin Republican to go to https://BankYourVote.co/gopchair and join the team that will Beat Biden!” Frontrunner former President Donald Trump is not participating. “New CBS POLL, just out, has me leading the field by ‘legendary’ numbers,” Trump said, explaining why he was not participating. “TRUMP 62%, 46 Points above DeSanctimonious (who is crashing like an ailing bird!), Ramaswamy 7%, Pence 5%, Scott 3%, Haley 2%, Sloppy Chris Christie 2%, “Aida” Hutchinson 1%,” Trump wrote. “The public knows who I am & what a successful Presidency I had, with Energy Independence, Strong Borders & Military, Biggest EVER Tax & Regulation Cuts, No Inflation, Strongest Economy in History, & much more. I WILL THEREFORE NOT BE DOING THE DEBATES!” Coming into the debate, polling shows that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is running in second place, followed by businessman Vivek Ramaswamy. The other candidates on the stage will be U.S. Senator Tim Scott (R-South Carolina), former South Carolina Governor and U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, former Vice President Mike Pence. A key issue overshadowing the normal presidential political process is the over 50 indictments against Trump. To this point, the legal controversy has benefited Trump, but will that continue? There are also concerns by some that Trump may not be able to serve if he is found guilty of participating in an insurgency. Trump supporters scoff at assertions that President Trump could be barred constitutionally and dismiss the indictments as Democrats politicizing the legal system. The Madison County Young Republicans are hosting a Republican presidential debate watch party. The debate Starts at 8 pm and ends at 10 pm. The event will be at The Best Pizzeria in Huntsville. The St. Clair County Young Republicans, the Shelby County Young Republicans, and the Greater Birmingham Young Republicans are co-hosting a debate watch party at Hoover Tactical Firearms. The event is from 6:30 – 9:30 pm, and food will be provided. Dues-paying YRs get in for free, $5 tickets for everyone else. The Republican delegates to the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, will formally select the GOP nominee. Incumbent President Joe Biden appears to be the Democratic nominee, but he is being challenged by former Congressman Robert Kennedy. At present, President Biden has not agreed to any Democratic presidential debates. The Republican primary season will begin in Iowa in January. The Democratic primary season this year will start in South Carolina. The Alabama presidential primary is on March 5. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
ALGOP Chairman John Wahl appointed to Committee Overseeing the Republican National Convention
On Tuesday, Alabama Republican Party Chairman John Wahl landed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for the Republican National Committee’s Summer Meeting, where he was officially seated on the Republican National Convention’s Committee on Arrangements (COA). The COA is in charge of organizing the 2024 Convention. “I am honored to have been selected to serve on the Convention’s Committee on Arrangements and am excited about the opportunity to represent the State of Alabama at the national level,” Wahl said. “All eyes are going to be on Wednesday’s presidential debate and the convention coming up next year. My goal is to represent Alabama and the Republican Party well as we stand strong for conservative values and fight to take America back from the Democrat Party and their leftist agenda.” The committee will meet as part of a busy week for the Republican Party, including the RNC Summer Meeting and the first GOP Presidential Debate of the 2024 election cycle. The Committee on Arrangements oversees the organization and planning of all aspects of the Convention. Delegates from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and five U.S. territories will gather in Milwaukee from July 15–18, 2024, to officially select the Party’s nominees for President and Vice President. “I look forward to serving with the other members of the committee, as we put our time and talents together to make sure this historic convention is both memorable and effective,” Wahl said. “It’s time to cut inflation through fiscal responsibility, protect our children from woke policies, and defend the rights and freedoms of every American citizen. I will do all I can to ensure that message is on full display at the 2024 Republican National Convention.” The RNC Summer Meeting runs from Tuesday, August 22, 2023, through Friday, August 25, 2023. Wisconsin is a key swing state that Republicans need to win to hope to retake the presidency in 2024. The Chairwoman of the Republican National Committee, for an unprecedented third term, is Ronna Romney McDaniel. “In the next two years, we look forward to working with the mayor and everyone in the community to make this an event that highlights not just our nominee … but the great city that Milwaukee is,” said RNC Chair McDaniel when the RNC chose Milwaukee to host the Convention. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com
Harmeet Dhillon defends faith in RNC Chair fight with Ronna Romney McDaniel
On Saturday, the 21-member Alabama Republican Party Steering Committee voted “no confidence” in incumbent Republican National Committee (RNC) chair Ronna Romney McDaniel. Harmeet Dhillon is McDaniel’s opponent. There are media reports that some of McDaniel’s supporters in Alabama have criticized the Steering Committee with embracing a non-Christian candidate for RNC Chair in a whisper campaign. California RNC delegate and attorney Harmeet Dhillon is a Sikh. Sikhs are a minority religion in India, where Dhillon was born – the daughter of a doctor and granddaughter of an Indian general. Dhillon is the McDaniel challenger. Dhillon has released a statement responding to the criticism from some of her Alabama detractors. “I would like to take a minute to address concerns that have been raised by a small handful of Alabama Republican Party activists regarding my faith and how that would impact my ability to champion our nation’s Judeo-Christian values that are encapsulated in our Party Platform,” Dhillon said. “In our founding documents, the Founding Fathers gave us a divinely inspired charter for America and for the first time in history declared that our Creator, not government, grants us our rights,” Dhillon continued. “Our Founders recognized how important faith, and our ability to freely exercise it, would be to the long-term success of our great nation. In fact, they considered religious liberty to be so foundational that it is the very first item referenced in the very first amendment of our Bill of Rights.” “As a civil rights and constitutional attorney for thirty years, I have been fighting the woke mob to preserve religious liberty and our constitutionally protected rights for decades,” Dhillon said. “Since 2020 alone, my law firm and nonprofit led three separate COVID-related religious liberty cases to victory at the U.S. Supreme Court, taking on Gavin Newsom and the lower courts for having violated Americans’ right to freely worship and pray together as guaranteed by the First Amendment. Let me be clear, the fact that my clients’ religion differed from my own was immaterial to me and my team’s willingness to defend their God-given right to exercise their faith free from the tyranny of government intrusion. In fact, my firm has represented over a dozen Christian and Jewish congregations and faith leaders in federal and state courts in just the last three years, and many people of faith seeking to enforce their First Amendment rights in the years before that.” Dhillon emphasized her opposition to McDaniel. “After overseeing three consecutive losing election cycles, the current RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel has decided to run for an unprecedented fourth term,” McDaniel said. “I’m here to offer this party an alternative. I’m here to redefine what this party sees as victory. Victory can no longer be about raising the most money, winning the most press conferences, or owning the most libs. It must be about winning the most elections, battling back the cultural Marxists, and taking back all of the hills we so shamefully sacrificed. Our party can either adapt or die. I choose adaptation. I believe I can bring the change our party needs to begin the process of taking this country back.” The word Sikh means ‘disciple’ or ‘learner.’ The Sikh religion was founded in Northern India in the fifteenth century by Guru Nanak Dev Ji. It is a monotheistic religion that draws from both Islam and Hinduism. Sikhism stresses the equality of all men and women. Sikhs reject caste and class systems and believe in prayer and charity. Sikhism is the fifth-largest religion in the world. There are 700,000 Sikhs in the United States. Sikh men are often seen wearing turbans. The Alabama Republican Party has expressed shock that anyone in Alabama has criticized Dhillon for her faith. “Harmeet Dhillon’s letter came as a surprise to the committee,” an ALGOP spokesperson told the Alabama Media Group. “We had not heard anything about her faith or an issue with it before or after Saturday’s meeting.” McDaniel, a Mormon, denied being behind the attacks on Dhillon’s faith. “I wholeheartedly condemn religious bigotry in any form,” McDaniel said in a statement Wednesday. “We are the party of faith, family, and freedom, and these attacks have no place in our party or our politics. As a member of a minority faith myself, I would never condone such attacks. I have vowed to run a positive campaign and will continue to do so.” The RNC, under McDaniel, has spent $900,000 with Dhillon’s law firm. Alabama has three voting delegates on the RNC Committee that will elect the next chair later this month. To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Alabama Republican Party votes no confidence in RNC Chair Ronna Romney McDaniel
The Alabama Republican Party Steering Committee voted on Saturday for new leadership at the Republican National Committee (RNC). Incumbent RNC Chair Ronna Romney McDaniel is seeking re-election to the position. The Alabama Republican Party Steering Committee announced that they will not support McDaniel’s re-election. “It’s nothing personal,” Alabama Republican Party Chairman John Wahl told Alabama Today Monday. Wahl acknowledged that there are a number of factors in why the GOP has underwhelmed in recent elections. “It’s not all her fault,” Wahl said, emphasizing the need for a change of direction at the RNC. “We believe that RNC leadership needs a new vision for future elections,” the Steer Committee said in a statement. “We believe that the RNC needs fresh, new leadership who can inspire and lead grassroots Republicans to victory.” “The Alabama Republican Party’s Steering Committee cannot support or endorse Ronna McDaniel for RNC Chair and declare our vote of no-confidence in her leadership,” the Steering Committee concluded. “We encourage all RNC members across the country to support new leadership at the RNC Winter Meeting.” There is growing dissatisfaction with the RNC after the Republican Party lost control of the House in 2018, former Vice President Joe Biden unseated President Donald Trump in the 2020 election, the loss of the Senate when two GOP incumbents were defeated in the Georgia election runoffs, the failure to retake the Senate in 2022, and the GOP’s loss of some gubernatorial races – most notably Arizona – which could have consequences in 2024. Despite this, McDaniel, the niece of U.S. Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), is running for a fourth term as head of the RNC. She is being challenged by Harmeet Dhillon, an RNC member from California. Supporters of McDaniel argue that the Republicans did win back control of the House of Representatives in the 2022 midterms and that the RNC has raised $1.5 billion during McDaniel’s tenure – more than any previous RNC Chair. One hundred sixty-eight delegates will decide who leads the RNC moving forward into the 2024 elections at the RNC meetings later this month. The 440-member Alabama Republican Party Executive Committee will meet on February 24th and 25th in Birmingham at the BJCC. To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Donald Trump rewards Michigan party chair with national role
President-elect Donald Trump wants Michigan Republican Party Chairwoman Ronna Romney McDaniel to be national party chairwoman, in part as a reward for the party carrying Michigan for the first time in 28 years. The choice of McDaniel to serve as Republican National Committee chairwoman was confirmed Tuesday night by a person familiar with Trump’s decision. The person asked for anonymity because the announcement has not yet been made. The niece of 2012 GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney also earned credit with Trump by faithfully supporting him after he won the party’s 2016 nod, despite sharp criticism from her famous uncle. “Ronna McDaniel, what a great job you and your people have done,” Trump told thousands at Deltaplex Arena in Grand Rapids, Michigan, last Friday. “I was very impressed with you. She didn’t sleep for six months!” Trump’s decision also marks a key victory for outgoing RNC Chairman Reince Priebus. As Trump’s incoming White House chief of staff, Priebus, who guided the at times unwieldy Trump through the general election, supported McDaniel as his replacement. Other Trump loyalists were urging him to name Nick Ayers, a close adviser to Vice President-elect Mike Pence. While Trump’s team has said there’s no outright power struggle, Trump’s deliberations over secretary of state were seen as an indicator of influence between Priebus and senior adviser Steve Bannon. Priebus was seen as supporting Mitt Romney to become Trump’s secretary of state. On Tuesday, Trump named Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson as his choice for the nation’s top diplomat. McDaniel would seem to validate Priebus’ performance as the chairman who turned around the financially strapped committee and ended its presidential losing streak. McDaniel would probably maintain the strategy of early spending in states, digital data and local party infrastructure, RNC insiders said. “They said a Republican could never win Michigan,” McDaniel told the audience in Grand Rapids Friday. “I knew better. You knew better and Donald Trump knew better.” For her work in Michigan, part of a swath of northern states that had eluded Republicans since the 1980s, McDaniel is the right call, said Henry Barbour, a Republican National Committeeman from Mississippi. Trump defied decades of precedent by also carrying Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — once-powerful, working-class Democratic states where manufacturing in smaller cities has declined. McDaniel, 43, would face immediate pressure to hold onto control of Congress in 2018. “I think she can help us hold a lot of these Rust Belt Democrats who voted for Donald Trump with good leadership and execution,” said Barbour. “Plus, she was willing to step out and support our nominee when her very famous uncle was doing the opposite. Now, that’s leadership.” Trump’s choices for RNC chairman and other party leadership positions carry immense sway with its members, who will vote on the team early next year. Should the committee approve Trump’s recommendation, McDaniel would become the second woman to be elected RNC chairman, and the first in 40 years. That’s a good sign for the party and Trump, said Michigan Republican Bob LaBrant, considering the 2005 recordings of Trump making sexually degrading remarks that were released during the campaign. “That sends a signal we need to send right now,” said LaBrant, former political director for the Michigan Chamber of Commerce. “And Ronna is the right one to carry the message.” Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
