Michigan Republican Party Chairwoman Ronna Romney McDaniel,
who helped Donald Trump score a crucial win in Michigan, has
been tapped by the president-elect to lead the Republican
 National Committee, according to reports.
Michigan hasn’t backed a Republican presidential candidate
 since 1988, when voters supported former President George
H.W. Bush. Romney will become only the second woman in history
 to lead the RNC and the second Michigander. Mary Louise Smith
of Iowa was the first female GOP chair, serving from 1974–1977,
and Michigander Arthur E. Summerfield led the party from 1952-1953.
Romney, 43, backed Trump despite searing criticism of Trump
by her uncle, Mitt Romney, the 2012 Republican nominee and a
 former governor of Massachusetts. In March, Romney condemned
 Trump as a “con man and a fake” but was on the short list for
 consideration for secretary of state, a position Trump has since
 offered to ExxonMobil chief Rex Tillerson.
The selection of McDaniel to lead the RNC hasn’t been made public
 yet, but The Detroit News said a person familiar with the matter
confirmed Trump’s decision.
During a victory lap that took Trump to Grand Rapids, Michigan,
Friday, Trump credited McDaniel for delivering the state’s
16 electoral votes. “I was very impressed with you,” he said. “She
 didn’t sleep for six months.”
At the rally, McDaniel said Michigan voters proved naysayers wrong.


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“They said a Republican could never win Michigan,” McDaniel said.
 “I knew better. You knew better and Donald Trump knew better.”
Former RNC Chairman Reince Priebus, Trump’s incoming White
 House chief of staff, has long backed McDaniel as his replacement.
McDaniel, who has led the Michigan GOP since 2015, helped lead
 the effort to stop the recount of 4.8 million presidential ballots in
 Michigan.
This is a developing story. Stay on Patch and refresh your
 browser for more details as they become available.
Photos: Donald Trump by Gage Skidmore via Flickr Commons 
and Ronna Romney McDaniel via Michigan Republican Party