Steele to run for RNC chair

On Monday it was rumored that if the chair was offered to him, Newt Gingrich would accept it and I discussed it here. I said it would be a good idea, and then the e-mails poured in about Michael Steele possibly being the guy to head up the RNC. I said then that it'd be a good idea given his credentials at GOPAC, and what he was able to do while heading up the PAC. Bill Sammon reported yesterday that Michael Steele is going to run for the chairmanship:

Michael Steele, former lieutenant governor of Maryland, has decided to run for the chairmanship of the Republican National Committee and is in talks with Newt Gingrich to win the former House speaker's endorsement, FOX News learned Tuesday.

Steele declined to comment, but a source close to the situation said Steele would announce his candidacy as early as Thursday.

The source also contradicted a report in Tuesday's Washington Times that Steele and Gingrich were competing for the RNC post.

"There is no fight," the source said. "This tension between Michael Steele and Newt Gingrich is totally fabricated and, in fact, Gingrich and Steele are working together to create a new strategy for the direction of the GOP."

In a statement issued by the former House speaker, Gingrich said he was not interested in seeking the post of Republican Party chairman.

"A number of people have asked me to consider running for Republican National Committee chair. They have been very flattering, and I am very honored by their support," he said.

"However, my job as an American first is to develop a tri-partisan approach to developing solutions for the challenges we face. I use the word tri-partisan to designate the concept of attracting Democrats, Republicans, and independents to solutions that unify most Americans."

First, this is great news that he's running for it. Mike Duncan will have a severe fight on his hands to try and keep the chairman's post after the party suffered the worst defeat of it's history since 1976. That's not exactly a resume enhancer, and it's going to be a serious detriment to him when he does run. Another name in the mix is Chip Saltzman, who ran Mike Huckabee's campaign. Don't even consider him, folks, because we believe that move is in an effort to bolster the Huckster's ambition to run in 2012. Seriously, we think he'd be happy to have friends in high places in the party, and it would help him should he decide to give up his FOX News show in favor of running for president again.

But the fact that Gingrich is willing to endorse him speaks volumes to the class the man has. He has his own path to follow and while we groan at his "tri-partisan" plan, it's nice to see that he's willing to back a man like Steele who has a vision for the party that will serve as change that is desperately needed.

Should Steele make his announcement on Thursday, Marcie and I will happily endorse him. The party needs help in the worst possible ways and Michael Steele could accomplish the miracle of making us viable again in 2010. And while we appreciate e-mailers sending us their prospective candidates for our 2012 nominee. (No offense folks, Rudy isn't going to do it. The New York Republican party want him to come in and help them, badly.) Besides, can we focus on 2010 first before we drag out the next guy to run for the presidency? Our focus should be on the congressional races, and if Michael Steele is made the RNC chairman we can be assured he will work his butt off to make us a force to be reckoned with in those races.

Publius II