‘A Messaging Issue’: RNC Chair Reacts To Daniel Kelly’s Loss In Wisconsin

Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel described the loss of conservative candidate Daniel Kelly in Tuesday’s Wisconsin Supreme Court election as “a messaging issue.”

“I will say something else. When you’re losing by 10 points there is a messaging issue. And abortion is still an issue. And we can’t allow the Democrats to define Republicans and put millions of dollars up in lies and have it go unanswered, because the lies become the truth if they go unanswered,” McDaniel said Wednesday on Fox News Channel’s “America’s Newsroom.”

Janet Protasiewicz defeated Daniel Kelly in Tuesday’s election, securing 55.8% of the vote after liberal groups, philanthropist George Soros and Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker of Illinois sank millions of dollars into the campaign. Republicans provided far less funding for Kelly, according to campaign finance reports.

“We have to put the Democrats on the defense on this issue, talk about the fact that they support gender selection abortions, and due date abortions,” McDaniel continued. “It was an issue in 2022. The RNC raised the flag. I’m a suburban woman. I know this is an issue. I hear it with my friends with my young daughter.”

The Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022 by upholding a Mississippi law restricting abortion after 15 weeks in a 5-4 ruling authored by Associate Justice Samuel Alito.

McDaniel fended off a challenge by lawyer Harmeet Dhillon for the RNC chair in January, winning 111 votes out of the 168 for the chairmanship despite Republicans underperforming expectations of a “red wave” nationally in the November midterm elections.

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