Republican National Committee chairmanship election, 2011

Republican National Committee chairmanship election, 2011

January 14, 2011

Candidate Reince Preibus Saul Anuzis Maria Cino Caucus vote 97 43 28 Percentage 57.7% 25.5% 16.6%

Chairman before election Michael Steele Elected Chairman Reince Priebus

The 2011 Republican National Committee (RNC) chairmanship election was held on January 14, 2011, to determine the next chairman of the RNC, who will serve a two-year term ending in 2013 and will lead the party through the 2012 general elections. After seven rounds of balloting, Reince Priebus was elected chairman over incumbent chair Michael Steele, Saul Anuzis, Ann Wagner and Maria Cino.^[1]

Candidates

• Saul Anuzis, National Chairman for the Save American Jobs Project, former Michigan Republican Party Chairman^[2]
• Maria Cino, Political Director of George Bush's 2000 Campaign^[3]
• Reince Priebus, Chairman of the Republican Party of Wisconsin^[4]
• Michael Steele, incumbent Committee Chairman, former Lieutenant Governor of Maryland^[5][6]
• Ann Wagner, former United States Ambassador to Luxembourg, former Missouri Republican Party Chairman^[7]

Former candidates who withdrew before voting began

• Gentry Collins, Former Political Director of the RNC,^[8] withdrew on January 2, 2010
• Gary Emineth, Chairman of the North Dakota Republican Party ^[9]

Timeline

• December 13, 2010 – Incumbent Chair Steele announces bid for re-election.
• January 3, 2011 – Candidate debate held by Americans for Tax Reform at the National Press Club
• January 14, 2011 – Election held by party voting members in Washington, D.C.

Debates

A debate among the candidates hosted by Americans for Tax Reform took place on January 3, 2011 at the National Press Club.^[10] Anuzis, Cino, Priebus, Steele, and Wagner participated in the debate.^[11]

• Republican Committee Chair Debate, C-SPAN, January 3, 2011, full video

Polling

A poll by the National Journal, released on January 13, 2011, showed Priebus in the lead with 40 committed votes out of 168, Steele 17, Wagner 15, Anuzis 14, and Cino 12.

Results

With 168 voting members of the RNC, 85 votes were required to win the chairmanship.

Candidate	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Round 4	Round 5	Round 6	Round 7
Priebus, ReinceReince Priebus	45	52	54	58	67	80	97
Anuzis, SaulSaul Anuzis	24	22	21	24	32	37	43
Cino, MariaMaria Cino	32	30	28	29	40	34	28
Wagner, AnnAnn Wagner	23	27	32	28	28	17	Withdrew
Steele, MichaelMichael Steele	44	37	33	28	Withdrew

     Candidate won majority of votes in the round

     Candidate secured a plurality of votes in the round

     Candidate withdrew

References

1. Shear, Michael D. (December 19, 2010). "Voting Begins for RNC Chairman - NYTimes.com". Thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com. Retrieved January 16, 2011.
2. "It's On: Saul Anuzis Will Challenge Michael Steele for RNC Chairmanship". Weekly Standard. November 12, 2010. Retrieved January 16, 2011.
3. "Maria Cino Officially Enters Race For RNC Chair – The Note". Blogs.abcnews.com. December 11, 2010. Retrieved January 16, 2011.
4. Martin, Jonathan (December 6, 2010). "Reince Priebus runs for RNC chairman". Poltiico. Retrieved January 8, 2011.
5. Choe, Jaywon (July 7, 2010). "What's Next for Michael Steele and the RNC?". Cbsnews.com. Retrieved January 16, 2011.
6. Doug McKelway (April 7, 2010). "Sources Say Steele Will Seek Second Term As RNC Chair". Politics.blogs.foxnews.com. Retrieved January 16, 2011.
7. Blake, Aaron (November 29, 2010). "Wagner launches bid for RNC chair". voices.washingtonpost.com. Washington Post. Retrieved November 29, 2010.
8. Smith, Ben (January 2, 2011). "Exit Collins – Ben Smith". Politico.Com. Retrieved January 16, 2011.
9. "Emineth not seeking national GOP chairmanship, state position gets candidates". Bismarcktribune.com. November 17, 2010. Retrieved January 16, 2011.
10. Brenton, Hannah. "Race for RNC chairman remains a 'toss-up' as Steele defends tenure – The Hill's Ballot Box". Thehill.com. Retrieved January 16, 2011.
11. Shear, Michael D. (January 3, 2011). "Steele to Debate Rivals for R.N.C. Post - NYTimes.com". Thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com. Retrieved January 16, 2011.