Republican National Committee defends chair Ronna McDaniel after a state party leader called for her resignation over her LGBTQ outreach

• The RNC defended Ronna McDaniel amid calls for her resignation over the party's LGBTQ outreach efforts.
• McDaniel "MUST Change Course or RESIGN" if "she cannot or will not stand for who we say we are," Oklahoma GOP chair John Bennett said.

The Republican National Committee defended Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel after a state party leader called for her resignation over her LGBTQ outreach efforts, according to a Washington Post report on Tuesday.

Oklahoma GOP chairman John Bennett reportedly sent out a fundraising email earlier Tuesday urging McDaniel to step down after the RNC announced its first ever "Pride Coalition" two weeks ago. The RNC will be working with Log Cabin Republicans, a GOP organization that advocates for LGBTQ Americans, to improve voter outreach to the community.

McDaniel "MUST Change Course or RESIGN" if "she cannot or will not stand for who we say we are," Bennett wrote in the fundraising email, per The Daily Beast. "The OKGOP will not cooperate with this decision and, as your Chairman, I assure the Oklahoma Republican Party that I will continue to stand up for our Republican Party Values and our principles."

Bennett added that religious freedom is "flat-out incompatible with the pillars of the LGBT movement" and asked donors to contribute to "clear the way of those who are either too incompetent or too selfish to actually defend liberty and our Judeo-Christian founding."

An RNC spokesperson brushed off Bennett's characterization of its efforts and defended McDaniel.

"Chairman McDaniel has made it abundantly clear that this does not mean we are advocating for any policy or RNC platform change," RNC spokesperson Danielle Alvarez told The Post. "Chairman Bennett is lying and it is disgusting that he'd attempt to raise money off these falsehoods."

The launch of the "Pride Coalition" took place at Log Cabin Republicans' "Spirit of Lincoln Gala" at Mar-a-Lago in West Palm Beach, Florida on November 6. Former President Donald Trump, former first lady Melania Trump, and other prominent officials were in attendance, according to Fox News.

The RNC and Oklahoma state GOP did not immediately return Insider's request for comment.

Voters who openly identify as LGBTQ tend to vote Democratic, according to exit polls. In 2020, around 64% of LGBTQ voters reportedly went for then-candidate Joe Biden versus Trump.