OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
The newly-installed management team of the Republican National Committee is making it clear the organization will pull out all the stops to deliver a victory to Donald Trump in the fall, and that will include the embrace of early mail-in voting.
Michael Whatley, the new chairman of the RNC, declared that the party will employ every available resource to support former President Donald Trump’s bid for the White House. This includes perpetuating the “Bank Your Vote” campaign, which aims to educate Republican voters on securing their votes early through mail-in ballots, The Epoch Times reported.
Whatley recently assumed the role of chairman of the RNC, succeeding former chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, who staunchly supported the “Bank Your Vote” campaign. This initiative aimed to optimize pre-Election Day voting by encouraging in-person early voting, absentee voting, and legally permissible ballot harvesting.
“To beat Joe Biden and the Democrats in 2024, we must ensure that Republicans bank as many pre-Election Day votes as possible,” McDaniel said in June 2023, when the early voting campaign was rolled out, the outlet reported.. “Banking votes early needs to be the focus of every single Republican campaign in the country, and the Republican National Committee will lead the charge.”
Republican voters balked at the suggestion, noting that in the past party leaders pushed for same-day voting as a way of ensuring more integrity.
But the RNC is dealing with a situation in several states — some of them battlegrounds — where early and mail-in voting are the part of the new reality. So the thinking is, the GOP should meet the Democrats and defeat them at their own game.
After taking over from McDaniel, Whatley emphasized his commitment to enhancing RNC programs that prioritize both in-person and absentee early voting, as well as legal ballot harvesting efforts.
“Despite what you may have heard, we are not closing community centers,” the RNC boss wrote in a memo to party staff, per NPR. “We are aggressively pursuing programs to grow our base and maximize opportunities to engage with Americans, utilizing all existing tools for our voters to cast ballots.”
He also said the “Bank Your Vote” campaign would “continue educating and empowering voters to feel confident in early voting and voting by mail.”
“Every tool that the other side has used, we need to wield for ourselves,” Whatley wrote. “We will strive relentlessly towards historic accomplishments and fully modernizing the organization between now and Election Day.”
Meanwhile, new RNC co-chair Lara Trump announced that the Republican National Committee managed a record-setting fundraising haul a week after she took over.
“I am proud to announce that last weekend the GOP had the largest digital fundraising weekend since 2020. Much more to come…we are just getting started!” former President Donald Trump’s daughter-in-law wrote on the X platform.
Trump did not provide any fundraising numbers, but it’s certainly good news for the RNC, which is strapped for cash after former Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel spent funds lavishly and oversaw sparse Republican victories during her tenure.
In an interview with Newsmax TV, Lara added: “I think the change in leadership at the RNC has really inspired a lot of people to give. People are very confident in the team. I personally wrote an email this morning to send out to people all across this country asking for donations.”
“People understand this is a must-win election, and I think they’re very confident in the team we now have between myself as co-chair and Michael Whatley as chairman,” she added, noting further that during the previous 36 hours, she had received “multiple phone calls” from people wanting to “max out” their donations.
Lara Trump: I think the change in leadership at the RNC has really inspired a lot of people to give. People are very confident in the team. I personally wrote an email this morning to send out to people all across this country asking for donations. pic.twitter.com/T78uWF85J0
— Acyn (@Acyn) March 13, 2024
