Michael Steele to seek a 2nd term as RNC Chair

Fox News has the scoop:

Controversial Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele, who last month presided over the GOP’s biggest electoral gains since 1938, announced Monday night that he is running for re-election.

Ending weeks of rumors that he would not seek a second term, Steele publicly threw his hat into the ring during a conference call with RNC members at 7:30 p.m. ET.

Steele is said to be amused by false reports of his retirement and intentionally kept his plans secret for the last month in order to flush out competitors for the post, Fox has learned.

During Steele’s tenure, Republicans picked up 63 House seats in last month’s elections, the biggest gain in more than seven decades. But Steele has been dogged by criticism from some Republicans who see him as prone to missteps.

It’s not merely “missteps” but rather an insane appetite for insulting the very people from whom he wants to raise money (examples here, here, and here), not to mention his defeatist attitude towards Afghanistan, among other things. What a shame for someone once widely considered by many conservatives – including yours truly – as having the potential to go far within the party via advancing conservative ideals on a national stage.

Fox also reported on possible competition for Steele in the weeks ahead:

Among those who have officially announced they are in the race are Saul Anuzis, a committee member from Michigan who ran and lost to Steele in 2009, and Reince Priebus of Wisconsin, a former member of Steele’s inner circle, along with former Luxembourg Ambassador Anne Wagner

Former RNC Political Director under Steele Gentry Collins and Maria Cino, a former Bush administration official are also both flirting with a run.

Frankly, I don’t know much about anyone mentioned above; I just know that Steele needs to be shown the door. While it’s true we gained 63 seats in the House under his watch, those wins really had very little to do with him and instead had mostly to do with the American people’s growing disgust with the uber-liberal agenda of the Obama administration.

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