Michigan’s Republican National Committeewoman Ronna Romney McDaniel told a group of more than 60 Hillsdale College students that she thinks Terri Lynn Land can still clinch a victory for the Republican Party in the Michigan senate race.
The GOP needs a net gain of six seats in the U.S. Senate this November to take control of Congress.
“This is the most important election of your life… thus far until 2016. If we win Michigan, we will take the Senate,” McDaniel said. “Terri has a very real chance to win. There’s no doubt in my mind. We need to be out working for her as hard as we can. She’s going to win — I feel it.”
Just days later, an Oct. 20 poll by Mitchell Research and Communications, Inc., showed Democrat Rep. Gary Peters trouncing his Republican opponent Terri Lynn Land by a healthy 13 points in the battle for Michigan’s open U.S. Senate seat.
McDaniel grew up in Michigan and said she remembers eating doughnuts at campaign headquarters and handing out flyers as a little girl. She attended college at Brigham Young University — where Sen. Mike Lee was her student body president — and later worked for a political advertising firm in Washington, D.C.
She eventually moved back to the Great Lakes state and worked her way up in Republican politics — from precinct delegate, to district committee, state committee, and, finally, to her latest gig as Republican national committeewoman.
McDaniel has what she calls “two wonderful Republican children,” Abigail and Nash, with her husband Patrick. Abigail just won her school’s senate election, and Nash told his parents that he didn’t want to move to his dad’s native California because “the taxes are way too high there.”
Looking ahead to 2016, McDaniel also dispelled any rumors that her uncle, 2012 Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, would run for president again.
“I asked him, ‘Mitt, are you going to run again? I won’t tell anybody.’ He’s not going to. And I believe him when he says he won’t,” McDaniel said. “I wish he would because he’s vetted and people trust him, they know him better now. He was right about a lot of things and has a certain familiarity with voters.”
The committeewoman doesn’t have a favorite for the 2016 presidential race, but said the nominee will have to campaign in Michigan and “work for it” to earn her support.
Hillsdale College students who attended the event said they appreciated McDaniel’s enthusiasm for Republican candidates.
“I really liked her talk. I think what she said was really important — especially for young people,” freshman Amalia Hansen said. “She showed us how important it is to get involved because we have the power to change politics in the future.”
Young Americans for Freedom and College Republicans co-hosted the event. Their respective leadership said they hope McDaniel’s talk was informative and encourages students to become more active in politics.
“Her speech is called ‘Why Republicans Must Win in 2014,’ and that’s why we invited her to campus — because she is informed and active in Republican politics and wants to help good candidates get elected,” College Republicans President junior Sam Holdeman said.
McDaniel echoed the sentiments of the students during her speech, saying that college students will soon be leading the United States and defining its place in the world.
“It’s critical that you have a voice in elections, pay attention to races, research candidates, talk to your family and friends,” she said. “I believe that you guys are going to be out there shaping our nation. What a privilege.”