Michael Steele

RNC Chairman's Race, Round Five Goes To Priebus

Brian Beutler | January 14, 2011, 4:16PM

Reince Priebus and Michael Steele

After ballot five, some real movement.

The overall tally, in descending order:

Priebus: 67
Cino: 40
Wagner: 28
Anuzis: 32
Anonymous, Ineligible Write-In: 1

Steele's bid to throw support to Maria Cino doesn't seem to have worked out exactly as he planned. Instead it appears that under half of his supporters broke for Cino, the rest for Priebus. Now Priebus is really closing in on the magic number, 85. It's a question of whether Wagner and Anuzis supporters accept him as Steele's successor, or decide to play queenmaker for Cino.

Michael Steele

Steele Drops Out, Endorses Cino (VIDEO)

Brian Beutler | January 14, 2011, 3:55PM

RNC Chairman Michael Steele

Michael Steele just dropped out of his race for a second term as RNC chairman and threw his support to Maria Cino, who came in second place after the fourth ballot here at the GOP's winter meeting in National Harbor, MD.

"I will step aside because I think the party is ready for something different," Steele said.

Thus ended Steele's at times disastrous, at times hilarious, at times gobsmacking tenure as the face of the Republican party.

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Michael Steele

RNC Chairman's Race, Round Four Goes To Priebus

Brian Beutler | January 14, 2011, 3:41PM

Michael Steele

The fourth ballot has been counted in the RNC Chairman's race, and we're still stuck, with Priebus enjoying a modest, but by no means overwhelming lead.

The overall tally, in descending order:

Priebus: 58
Cino: 29
Steele: 28
Wagner: 28
Anuzis: 24
Anonymous Write-In: 1

Priebus enjoys a small, four vote gain. If somebody doesn't drop out soon and endorse him, we're in for a long night. Speculation is that Steele will throw his support to Wagner, which would put her in a dead heat with Priebus. Stay tuned.

Michael Steele

RNC Chairman's Race, Round Three Goes To Priebus

Brian Beutler | January 14, 2011, 3:05PM

RNC Chairman Michael Steele

The third ballot has been cast in the RNC Chairman's race, and the winner, again, is Reince Priebus, with 54 votes.

The overall tally, in descending order:

Priebus: 54
Steele: 33
Wagner: 32
Cino: 28
Anuzis: 21

Strange results. Cino's lost all momentum, and Wagner's slowly climbing, but Priebus isn't building on his lead.

Michael Steele

The Results Are Anyone's Guess As RNC Chair Election Kicks Off

Brian Beutler | January 14, 2011, 12:38PM

Reince Priebus and Michael Steele

The RNC chairman's election will commence momentarily, and members are expected to pick a replacement for Michael Steele. But the arcane rules of the committee's election process allow Steele to remain in contention as long as he wants.

Here's the intelligence we have so far.

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RNC

Facing Near-Term Shortfall, RNC Raises Its Own Debt Ceiling

Brian Beutler | January 13, 2011, 2:37PM

Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele

Whoever wins the RNC chairmanship tomorrow will inherit a committee deeply in debt. According to Reid Wilson of The Hotline, the party faces more than $21.8 million in outstanding debt as of the end of 2010.

But in an ironic twist, the RNC basically raised its own debt ceiling. The committee was scheduled to make a $5 million payment on its debt by the end of February, but has been granted a significant reprieve.

At its winter meeting in National Harbor, Maryland, a hurried RNC Treasurer Randy Pullen confirmed to me the party had "negotiated an extension from the bank for one year," on its debt.

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RNC

Will Reince Priebus Surge To The RNC Chairmanship?

Eric Kleefeld | January 13, 2011, 10:38AM

Reince Priebus and Michael Steele

The Republican National Committee is set to meet Friday to elect its chairman -- and from the looks of things, incumbent RNC Chair Michael Steele's history of gaffes, combined with the party's recent financial problems, will doom him at the vote. But can Wisconsin GOP Chair Reince Priebus, the frontrunner headed into the vote, seal things up?

In the latest count from National Journal, Priebus has 40 committed votes, Steele 17 -- a truly awful place for an incumbent to be -- former Missouri GOP chair Ann Wagner 15, former Michigan GOP chair Saul Anuzis 14, and former Deputy RNC chair Maria Cino 12.

This is not to say that Priebus has it locked up -- far from it, when one takes into account that the single largest group are the 70 committee members who have not publicly declared a choice. As a percentage, then, Priebus is at 24%, Steele at only 10%, Wagner 9%, Anuzis 8%, and Cino 7%, with "uncommitted" in the lead at 42%.

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John Boehner

Boehner Backing Maria Cino In Race For RNC Chair

Jillian Rayfield | January 12, 2011, 5:23PM

House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH)

Speaker of the House John Boehner is reportedly backing Maria Cino for RNC Chair, and has already made several calls on her behalf.

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RNC

Reports: Boehner Backing Maria Cino In RNC Chair Fight

Evan McMorris-Santoro | January 4, 2011, 6:17PM

Maria Cino

Incoming House Speaker John Boehner is backing Dick Cheney's choice for the next chair of the Republican National Commitee, according to multiple reports this afternoon.

Boehner "has made at least one call to advocate" for ex-Republican National Convention chief Maria Cino, Roll Call reports. CNN's Peter Hamby first reported Boehner's lobbying effort, reporting that Bohener has made "calls" on Cino's behalf. In the past, Boehner had promised to stay out of the RNC fight.

Staff for Boehner didn't offer a response to Roll Call, but as the paper points out, Boehner giving Cino his support wouldn't be too surprising. Boehner's known Cino for years and his chief of staff served with Cino when she was part of the George W. Bush administration. Cino is among the more experienced political operatives in the race to be the next chair of the RNC, though she is generally seen as running near the back of the pack.

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RNC

Ann Wagner Owns Way More Guns Than Other RNC Chair Candidates (VIDEO)

David Taintor | January 3, 2011, 4:41PM

Ann Wagner

Republican National Committee chair candidate Ann Wagner blew away the competition when Grover Norquist asked each candidate at today's debate how many guns they own.

"About 16," replied Wagner, whose family actually just got a new gun case for Christmas.

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RNC

Ann Wagner Names Favorite Bar -- Not Book -- At RNC Chair Debate (VIDEO)

David Taintor | January 3, 2011, 3:37PM

Ann Wagner

The candidates for chairman of the Republican National Committee are a literate bunch. And when asked to name their favorite book, their answers were revealing, to say the least.

Maria Cino's favorite is the classic To Kill a Mockingbird. Reince Priebus named The Reagan Diaries as his first choice. And current RNC Chairman Michael Steele's favorite is War and Peace.

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RNC

RNC Candidates: We Heart Fighting Voter Fraud

Eric Kleefeld | January 3, 2011, 3:15PM

This afternoon's RNC chairmanship debate saw the candidates being asked what they would do about a perennial issue that is near and dear to GOP hearts: The threat of alleged Democratic voter fraud.

As you probably know, voter fraud is a frequent complaint among Republicans, motivating their efforts to enact laws such as voter-identification, and to dispatch poll-watchers to precincts in (heavily Democratic) urban areas. At the other end of the spectrum, Democrats are quick to point out that very few voter-fraud prosecutions ever actually take place, and that the GOP's efforts would have a great impact of making it harder for lower-class and minority demographics to vote.

[TPM SLIDESHOW: Michael Steele's Summer Vacation: Elect Republicans, Then Reelect Me!]

Reince Priebus was first. "Well that's a good question for me, because I was chairman when we sued our Government Accountability Board in the state of Wisconsin over our non-compliance with an eight-year-old HAVA [Help America Vote Act] law," said Priebus, who then criticized the very open voting system in his state. "We are one of the few states in the entire country, in Wisconsin, where you can actually vote on Election Day without registering. And you can also vote without any picture identification at all. So our challenges in Wisconsin are astronomical."

He also added: "I think we need to win more races in the legislature so we can pass photo ID in all states, and make sure that we either have photo ID or real ID, or some method of protecting our constitutional right to vote in this country. And I think it has to be a top priority of the next chairman."

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RNC

With Priebus Surging, Is Michael Steele Heading For A Big Loss?

Eric Kleefeld | December 31, 2010, 8:54AM

The race for the Republican National Committee chairmanship is heating up -- with Wisconsin GOP Chairman Reince Priebus now having emerged as the frontrunner to defeat the incumbent Chairman Michael Steele.

The next big event to watch is this Monday, January 3, when the candidates will meet for a debate hosted by Grover Norquist's Americans for Tax Reform.

In many ways, it seems odd that Steele could very well lose, after a cycle in which the GOP made big gains in offices large and small. And if there's one thing we've learned about Steele, it's that he has an impressive ability to weather scandals and gaffes that would fell others. But now, after all those gaffes and scandals, his opponents are now striking back in the open at election time.

Steele faces a crowded field of challengers that includes: Priebus, a former Steele ally whose smashing success at painting his state red this year has helped him shoot to the top; former Michigan GOP chair Saul Anuzis (also a previous 2009 RNC candidate, and the first challenger to get in this time); former Bush Administration official Maria Cino (who has been endorsed by Dick Cheney); former Missouri GOP chair Ann Wagner; and to top it all off, former high-ranking Steele aide Gentry Collins.

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RNC

Dick Cheney Hosting Fundraiser For RNC Challenger Maria Cino

Eric Kleefeld | December 1, 2010, 10:01AM

Former Vice President Dick Cheney

Former Vice President Dick Cheney is putting his clout behind one of the challengers to Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele, CNN reports, and will co-host an upcoming fundraiser for former Bush administration official Maria Cino:

Cheney's daughter Mary assisted in organizing the fundraising committee.

Cino served as a top Commerce Department official and Deputy Transportation Secretary under President Bush. She also worked at the RNC during Bush's two terms and managed the 2008 Republican National Convention in St. Paul.

The fundraiser will be held at the Virginia home of GOP strategist Mary Matalin and is hosted by several veterans of Bush-Cheney world, including former RNC chairman Ed Gillespie, former New York Rep. Bill Paxon and former administration aides Melissa Bennett and Emily Lampkin.

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RNC

Two More Candidates Enter RNC Chairmanship Fray

Evan McMorris-Santoro | November 22, 2010, 10:20AM

Maria Cino and Ann Wagner

The field of official candidates aiming to replace Michael Steele at the top of the RNC expanded by two over the weekend, with former George W. Bush Transportation Department official Maria Cino and former Bush administration Ambassador to Luxembourg Ann Wagner announcing fundraising campaigns.

Both women have been mentioned as potential candidates to replace Steele for several weeks, part of a growing cadre of Republicans hoping to ride dissatisfaction with Steele's first term as RNC chair to the top of the GOP central committee. Each has now set up a framework to raise the money required to mount a national campaign for the chair, which will be selected by the RNC's 168 voting members in mid-January.

As Politico reported this morning, Cino has launched a 527 under the name "Maria For Chairman." The Missourian newspaper reported on Friday that Wagner has also "set up a fundraising committee."

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