2021 Democratic Republican leadership election

2021 Democratic-Republican Party leadership election

December 1, 2021

Candidate No Confidence Mitt Romney Votes 378 240 Percentage 61.16% 38.84

Incumbent Leader Mitt Romney

The 2021 Democratic Republican Leadership election is an election to be held in December, 2021. Triggered by a myriad of concerns surrounding the ongoing leadership of incumbent DRP Leader, Mitt Romney, frontbench MC, Nikki Haley resigned on November 22, 2021. On November 28, she expressed her desire to place a motion of no confidence into the party room meeting scheduled for forty-eight hours after.

In accordance with party rules, first there must be a vote of no confidence. If that is agreed to, a second set of votes is required to select the eventual leader. To nominate, candidates must forward nomination to the Party Whip, or if the Whip is a nominee, then the Deputy Party Whip, by the vote of no confidence occurring. Thereafter, rounds of voting are held until the lowest placing candidates are defeated, and members revote until a leader is chosen with over half of caucus-wide support.

Candidates

Nominees

• Nikki Haley, MC for Columbia West, SC
• Rand Paul, MC for Arnow, KY
• Josh Hawley, MC for Missouri at-Large

• 

  Nikki Haley
  MC for
  Columbia West, SC
• 

  Rand Paul
  MC for
  Arnow, KY
• 

  Josh Hawley
  MC for
  Missouri at-Large

Defeated

• Asa Hutchinson, MC for Ameringer, AR (Ballot 1)
• Lisa Murkowski, MC for Fulton, AK (Ballot 2)

• 

  Asa Hutchinson
  MC for
  Ameringer, AR
• 

  Lisa Murkowski
  MC for
  Fulton, AK

Withdrew

• Joni Ernst, MC for Ankeny, IA
• Charlie Dent, MC for Pennsylvania at-Large (After Ballot 2, and endorsed Nikki Haley)

Declined

• Ron Paul, MC for Texas at-Large (Endorsed Rand Paul)
• Susan Collins, MC for Maine at-Large (Endorsed Lisa Murkowski)
• Elizabeth Cheney, MC for Knapp, WY (Endorsed Nikki Haley)
• John Boehner, MC for Butler, OH (Endorsed Nikki Haley)
• Nicole Malliotakis, MC for Staten Island, NY (Endorsed Nikki Haley)
• Marco Rubio, MC for Miami West, FL (Endorsed Nikki Haley)
• Kevin Stitt, MC for Elmer, OK (Endorsed Rand Paul)
• Mike Garcia, MC for Santa Clarita, CA (Endorsed Rand Paul)
• Adam Kinzinger, MC for Sabath, IL (Endorsed Nikki Haley)
• Pat Toomey, MC for McKenna, PA (Endorsed Charlie Dent)

Order of votes

On December 1, 2021, Mitt Romney was removed as Opposition Leader by a 378-240 vote.

In accordance with party rules, the first balloting for a replacement occurs on December 7, 2021.

First Balloting

Italics indicate the last-placing candidate after each ballot. A balloting refers to a day on which as many as three ballots are undertaken, the maximum allowable by the DRP Charter.

Democratic Republican leadership election 2021, Ballot 1
Candidate		Votes	%
	Nikki Haley	214	34.62
	Rand Paul	118	19.09
	Josh Hawley	116	18.77
	Charlie Dent	86	13.91
	Lisa Murkowski	50	8.09
	Asa Hutchinson	34	5.50

Democratic Republican leadership election 2021, Ballot 2
Candidate		Votes	%
	Nikki Haley	224	36.24
	Josh Hawley	126	20.39
	Rand Paul	125	20.23
	Charlie Dent	89	14.40
	Lisa Murkowski	54	8.74