MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell announced Monday that he is running to chair the Republican National Committee.
Driving the news: "I am 100% running for the RNC chairman against [current chair] Ronna McDaniel," Lindell told Steve Bannon, an ally to former President Trump and ex-White House strategist.
- "I'm all in ... and one of the things that one of the big donors said to me, he said, Mike, everybody wants you to be head of the RNC, some of them just don't know it yet," he said.
- Axios reached out to the RNC for comment.
State of play: Lindell, also a Trump ally and a 2020 election denier, has not talked to the former president about his decision to run, he told Axios.
- "I did not call him and say, 'What do you think about this?'" he said. "This is my decision."
- Lindell, who has repeatedly pushed false claims of election fraud, said that "all of this country needs .... look into the election integrity."
The big picture: The majority of RNC voting members have endorsed McDaniel's re-election as chair of the committee, the Hill reports.
- McDaniel earlier this month signaled her plans to run for reelection to the leadership role, Politico reported, but she could face another potential challenge from Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.), who lost the New York gubernatorial race to incumbent Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul.
- McDaniel, who was Trump's pick to lead the committee after the 2016 election, won the chair position in 2017.
- The next RNC chair term will run through the 2024 presidential election.
Between the lines: Lindell's announcement comes amid a GOP civil war at nearly every level of the party, triggered by a worse-than-expected performance in the midterm elections.
Go deeper... MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell sanctioned over election suit
Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional background.
