Republican National Committee chair Ronna McDaniel arrives on stage before an event on Nov. 9, 2022, in Washington. McDaniel says she will leave her post on March 8. She's leaving the GOP’s national leadership as Donald Trump moves toward another presidential nomination and asserts new control over the party. | AP

By Suzanne Bates

Ronna McDaniel, chairwoman of the Republican National Committee, said she will step down from her position on March 8.

In a statement released Monday, McDaniel said, “I have decided to step aside at our Spring Training on March 8 in Houston to allow our nominee to select a Chair of their choosing. The RNC has historically undergone change once we have a nominee and it has always been my intention to honor that tradition.”

Former President Donald Trump, who will likely be the Republican nominee for president, once backed McDaniel, but he now wants North Carolina state GOP chairman Michael Whatley to chair the national organization. As RNC co-chair, he reportedly wants his daughter-in-law Lara Trump to assume the role. She is married to Trump’s son Eric, and has helped on his presidential campaigns.

The AP reported Haley responded to the news about the shake-up at the RNC that it was turning into “Donald Trump’s playpen.”

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McDaniel is the longest-serving RNC chair since the Civil War. A graduate of Brigham Young University, she is the niece of Sen. Mitt Romney.

McDaniel was a Trump ally, but he has tried to pin Republican electoral losses or underperformance in 2018, 2020 and 2022 on her.

Earlier this month, Romney said he has “nothing but love and affection for my niece,” shortly after news broke that McDaniel was considering stepping down.

“She’s done her best to help elect Republicans and done her job,” Romney told Politico.