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Activists Line Up To Lead RNC

ST. PAUL, Minnesota -- Amid the pomp and circumstance of the GOP convention, an underground campaign is beginning as prominent Republicans jockey for position to ascend to the national stage. Observers of the Republican National Committee say the chairs of at least three state parties are actively considering running for chairman of the national party.

Those observers say South Carolina chairman Katon Dawson, Michigan party head Saul Anuzis and Florida GOP boss Jim Greer are already positioning themselves for a run in different ways. They seek to replace current RNC chairman Mike Duncan, a long-time activist and Kentucky lawyer appointed to lead the party last year.

All three vehemently denied interest in running for the job, declaring instead that they were completely focused on electing John McCain. Anuzis, a vocal and bombastic spokesman for Republican causes and a favorite of Fox News, told Real Clear Politics he will run for re-election as chairman of the Michigan party, but that he's not even planning that bid until after the election. But behind the scenes, the game is already underway.

Dawson and Greer are making the most overt moves toward a possible run. Dawson recently called a prominent member of the Washington Republican establishment to seek advice on a run, according to the recipient of the call. But Dawson has not made phone calls seeking formal support, and has not called any RNC members to discuss the race.

Dawson, whose seven-year tenure as head of the Palmetto party is notably long, said he was using the Minnesota gathering of top Republicans to build contacts in other states in an effort to help McCain in November. "In the networking process, it's a compliment to be brought up," he said. But his actions speak louder than words. Dawson's South Carolina Republican Party went as far as to air an advertisement backing McCain in Minnesota during the convention, a highly unusual move that attracted national notice, though not all of it flattering.

The South Carolinian has called new members of the Republican National Committee, who recently began serving four-year terms. It is routine, though, for state chairs to welcome new members from their region, and observers caution not to read too much into the outreach. Dawson held a reception for RNC members last week, before the convention began in St. Paul.

A source close to Greer says the Florida chairman is also thinking about a run. Greer has been invited to speak before several delegations at the gathering, a sign the source pointed to as interest in his potential candidacy.

The source also noted Greer's outreach to minorities -- the Florida GOP has leadership councils dedicated to both the African American and Hispanic communities -- and his success as a fundraiser for the state party. Florida Governor Charlie Crist, who will face re-election in 2010, has asked Greer to stay on for a second term.

Anuzis flatly denied interest in the job, but multiple observers caution not to count him out. The Michigan chairman also held a reception for RNC members the weekend before the convention, the invitation to which bills Anuzis and the Wolverine State delegation as "special guests."

Technically, RNC chairs are elected by the full 168 committee members, made up of two representatives and a chairperson from each state, along with officers. Several recent chairs have taken multiple ballots to win their post outright. But in recent years, the incumbent Republican president has anointed a chairman who is elected by acclamation.

Some presidents have used the appointment to reward top strategists from their political campaigns; George H.W. Bush (Himself a former RNC chair) elevated Lee Atwater to the post in 1989, while George W. Bush appointed both Ed Gillespie in 2003 and Ken Mehlman in 2005. Other picks are used to promote current or former elected officials. Recent chairs include former Virginia Governor Jim Nicholson and former Montana Governor Marc Racicot.

In recent years, an open election for RNC chair is held only when a Democrat holds the White House. To announce a run for chair could suggest, some cautioned, that the candidates think McCain will lose the White House.

But the recipient of the phone call from Dawson said those contemplating a run for chair are doing so under the assumption that McCain, unlike previous Republican presidents, will not insist upon his own nominee for chair. The source familiar with Greer's thinking confirmed that is the only scenario under which Greer would mount a bid.

Whether McCain will in fact allow the committee to elect its own chair remains a matter of doubt, though. And at least one member of McCain's inner circle, New Hampshire hotel developer Steve Duprey, is a veteran state chair, having led the Granite State party during the 2000 election.

As delegates and activists listen to speeches from party elders and their presidential nominees, few are hearing whispers of the coming race to lead the national Republican Party. Soon, though, the 168 voters who will make that decision this coming January will start hearing from those who actually take the leap.

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