RNC

Race Recriminations Pop Up In RNC Election

Eric Kleefeld | December 27, 2010, 10:08AM

Chairman of the Republican National Committee Michael Steele

The Republican National Committee chairmanship race is on -- and so are the recriminations on race, Jonathan Martin reports.

When Steele officially launched his re-election bid earlier this month, he said of the contest: "Who you elect as our next Chairman will speak volumes about our willingness to truly be the party of Lincoln."

This line was immediately attacked by a Steele detractor, committeeman James Bopp of Indiana: "This is the threat he has made by playing the race card - he will smear the RNC by saying we are all racist by not voting for him."

Now Bopp is jousting with a Steele-supporter, Idaho GOP chairman and Steele-supporter Norm Semanko, who is calling the blanket anybody-but-Steele campaign launched by Bopp and others "hateful."

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