Then-President Donald Trump speaks after his introduction by RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel at fundraiser in New York on December 2, 2017.
CNN  — 

The Republican Party is in the midst of a fight over what it will stand for and who will lead it in the future.

The squabble will play out most directly in the 2024 Republican presidential race, where former President Donald Trump has already announced his candidacy, but plenty of others – like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis – are expected to get in as well.

But long before we get to the 2024 votes, there will be a test of what kind of party the GOP wants to be. In January, the Republican National Committee will select its chair for the next two years. 

On Monday, MyPillow CEO (and ardent Trump defender) Mike Lindell said on Steve Bannon’s podcast that he would seek the position. 

“I am 100% running for the RNC chairman against Ronna McDaniel,” Lindell said. “100%, I’m all in, Steve.”

It remains to be seen whether Lindell will be a serious candidate (or might even win the endorsement of Trump).

What we do know is that McDaniel, who first won the RNC job following Trump’s win in the 2016 election, is going to seek another term. 

She has been a staunch Trump ally and he has reciprocated by praising her stewardship of the national party committee. It’s unclear exactly how another McDaniel bid will be viewed after Republicans underwhelmed in the 2022 election, failing to retake the Senate majority and carrying the House by just a handful of seats.

An aide to McDaniel told CNN earlier this month that she had received private commitments of support from about 100 of the 168 RNC members, which would be well more than the simple majority she needs to be reelected.

The most serious challenge to McDaniel could well come from New York Rep. Lee Zeldin, who narrowly lost a surprisingly competitive race to Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul earlier this month. 

In a mid-November email to RNC members, Zeldin indicated he was “very seriously considering” a run for the chairmanship, adding: “It is time for our party to retool, transform, win back the Presidency in 2024, expand our number of Republican held seats in Congress, and elect the maximum number of down ballot races across the country.”

The Point: The race for RNC chair looks, at the moment, like it is McDaniel’s to lose. But how and whether Trump weighs in could have a real impact – and deliver an early test of just how much power he retains among GOP stalwarts.