Natalie Gonnella
The contingent of critics against current Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele has been growing the past few months.
This weekend on Fox News Sunday, Senator Jim DeMint, expressed the need for the GOP to explore bolder new leadership options:
We need a strong national Republican organization to help organize the energy of the tea parties and the other citizen activism that we are seeing out there right now. We need to make sure that we have a lot of boots on the ground.
With Steele’s future as RNC Chair up in the air and barely two months for candidates to campaign, a long list of prospective challengers has quickly started to take shape.
Though still speculative, a look at a few of the potential contenders:
Saul Anuzis
The only officially declared candidate, Anuzis is the former Michigan Republican Chairman.
NBC News describes him as: “a Reagan follower with an atypical background. He grew up in Detroit as the son of a member of the UAW. While paying his way through college at the University of Michigan at Dearborn, he himself joined a union, the Teamsters. His political interest was sparked in college during the ascension of Ronald Reagan, and in the 1980s, Anuzis went on to help build the modern Republican Party in Michigan. “
“Known in Republican circles for being one of the first party leaders to be active on Facebook, Twitter and other forms of social media. True to form, he announced his campaign to unseat Steele using Twitter and an extended blog post where he outlined his strategy for helping the GOP to greater gains in the 2012 election.” (The Hill)
Maria Cino
Politico’s Ben Smith reported in late October that “multiple sources say Cino's name has come into the mix and that she's got support from [Representative John] Boehner…and, more specifically, his chief of staff, Barry Jackson”
In regards to her background, Cino “ran the 2008 convention in Minneapolis, served as a Deputy Transportation Secretary from 2005 to 2007 and is deeply involved in GOP operations.” (Politics Daily)
South Carolina’s former Republican Chair, Dawson was the most “serious challenger” to Steele in 2009 (The Daily Caller).
In July, speaking to CNN about Steele’s controversial remarks on the war in Afghanistan, Dawson said "The RNC should do the responsible thing and show Steele the door…enough is enough."
It is anticipated if he is considering a serious run for the chairmanship he will make his announcement sometime in the next two weeks.
Rob Gleason
The current Pennsylvania Republican Party Chair, Gleason played a strategic role in the 2010 success of the GOP in PA, a state where registered Democrats substantially outnumber Republicans.
According to Politico “Gleason has talked to a handful of RNC insiders — including former New Jersey committeeman David Norcross — about a potential run, and is touting [November’s] huge Republican gains in Pennsylvania as a chief selling point.”
Speaking last Friday about the potential for a new chair, Gleason commented to the PA based Tribune-Democrat: “I think there is going to be a change in leadership. I think I’m qualified to be national chairman, and I’ve proven that – with a lot of help from people in Pennsylvania – this year.”
Reince Priebus
A one time Steele support, Priebus is the current head of the Wisconsin GOP as well as the RNC’s general counsel. He recently commented to The Weekly Standard:"I've certainly been getting a lot of phone calls…it puts me in a bizarre situation, I guess, as [RNC] general counsel, and that's why I've been pretty quiet about it in trying to deal with the issue of my candidacy internally with Michael [Steele] and members of the RNC."
Ann Wagner
The former US Ambassador to Luxembourg, Wagner currently resides in Missouri and has a diverse array of experience. Claimed, by The Washington Times, to be Karl Rove's favorite for the job, Wagner previously “RNC Co-Chairman for four years, Missouri GOP Chairman for six years and manager of Rep. Roy Blunt's Senate campaign this year, which she took from an 11 percentage point deficit to a 14-point margin of victory.”
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