Republican National Committee chairmanship election, 2011

Last updated May 05, 2019

The 2011 Republican National Committee (RNC) chairmanship election was held on January 14, 2011, to determine the next chairman of the RNC, to 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]

Reinhold Richard "Reince" Priebus is an American lawyer and politician who served as White House Chief of Staff for President Donald Trump from January 20, 2017, until July 31, 2017. He also served as the chairman of the Republican National Committee (RNC) from 2011 to 2017.

Michael Stephen Steele is an American conservative political commentator and former Republican Party politician. Steele served as the seventh lieutenant governor of Maryland from 2003 to 2007; he was the first African-American elected to statewide office in Maryland. As lieutenant governor, Steele chaired the Minority Business Enterprise task force, actively promoting an expansion of affirmative action in the corporate world. Steele also served as chairperson of the Republican National Committee (RNC) from January 2009 until January 2011; he was the first African-American to serve in that capacity.

Charlotte is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2017, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated the population was 859,035, making it the 17th-most populous city in the United States. The Charlotte metropolitan area's population ranks 22nd in the U.S., and had a 2016 population of 2,474,314. The Charlotte metropolitan area is part of a sixteen-county market region or combined statistical area with a 2016 census-estimated population of 2,632,249.

Candidates

Saul Anuzis, National Chairman for the Save American Jobs Project, former Michigan Republican Party Chairman ^[4]
Maria Cino, Political Director of George Bush's 2000 Campaign ^[5]
Reince Priebus, Chairman of the Republican Party of Wisconsin ^[6]
Michael Steele, incumbent Committee Chairman, former Lieutenant Governor of Maryland ^[7]^[8]
Ann Wagner, former United States Ambassador to Luxembourg, former Missouri Republican Party Chairman ^[9]

Saulius "Saul" Anuzis is a Republican Party politician from the U.S. State of Michigan. He was chairman of the Michigan Republican Party from 2005–2009 and was also a candidate for national chairman of the Republican National Committee in 2009 and 2011.

Maria Cino is an American civil servant and politician. Beginning March 2007 she was Chief Executive Officer of the Committee of Arrangements (COA), which organized the 2008 Republican National Convention.

Former candidates who withdrew before voting began

Gentry Collins, Former Political Director of the RNC,^[10] withdrew on January 2, 2010
Gary Emineth, Chairman of the North Dakota Republican Party ^[11]

Gentry Collins is a Republican politician in the United States. He has formerly served as both the RNC political director and the executive director of the Iowa Republican Party. In 2010 Collins ran to replace Michael Steele as head of the Republican National Committee but dropped out before the eventual election of Reince Priebus. On December 28, 2010, an interview with Collins was broadcast on C-SPAN's "Newsmakers" program.

Gary Lee Emineth is an American businessman and political figure. He is the former Chairman of the North Dakota Republican Party and a former member of the Republican National Committee, having served in both positions from 2007-2010. Emineth served as an at-large delegate to the 2016 Republican National Convention from North Dakota. Emineth served on the Washburn, North Dakota city council in the early 1980s and lost a bid for seat in the North Dakota House of Representatives in 1984.

The North Dakota Republican Party is the North Dakota affiliate of the United States Republican Party. The Party's platform is generally conservative. The North Dakota Republican Party is strongly in control of the state's politics. The Party holds nearly all statewide positions in addition to having a supermajority in both houses of the state legislature, over the North Dakota Democratic-NPL Party. The current party chairman is Rick Berg.

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.

Americans for Tax Reform (ATR) is a politically conservative U.S. advocacy group whose stated goal is "a system in which taxes are simpler, flatter, more visible, and lower than they are today." According to ATR, "The government's power to control one's life derives from its power to tax. We believe that power should be minimized." The organization is known for its "Taxpayer Protection Pledge", which asks candidates for federal and state office to commit themselves in writing to oppose all tax increases. The founder and president of ATR is Grover Norquist, a conservative tax activist.

Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington or D.C., is the capital of the United States. Founded after the American Revolution as the seat of government of the newly independent country, Washington was named after George Washington, the first President of the United States and a Founding Father. As the seat of the United States federal government and several international organizations, Washington is an important world political capital. The city is also one of the most visited cities in the world, with more than 20 million tourists annually.

Debates

A debate among the candidates hosted by Americans for Tax Reform took place on January 3, 2011 at the National Press Club.^[12] Anuzis, Cino, Priebus, Steele, and Wagner participated in the debate.^[13]

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, Reince Reince Priebus	45	52	54	58	67	80	97
Anuzis, Saul Saul Anuzis	24	22	21	24	32	37	43
Cino, Maria Maria Cino	32	30	28	29	40	34	28
Wagner, Ann Ann Wagner	23	27	32	28	28	17	00!Withdrew
Steele, Michael Michael Steele	44	37	33	28	00!Withdrew

Candidate won majority of votes in the round

Candidate secured a plurality of votes in the round

Candidate withdrew

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References

↑ Shear, Michael D. (December 19, 2010). "Voting Begins for RNC Chairman - NYTimes.com". Thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com. Retrieved January 16, 2011.
↑ Miller, Zeke J (December 8, 2014). "RNC Chairman Reince Priebus Set for Re-Election Bid". Time. Retrieved June 25, 2016. Priebus was re-elected to his second term with near unanimity in 2013 at the party’s meeting in Charlotte
↑ Preston, Mark (January 16, 2015). "Priebus overwhelmingly elected to third term as RNC chairman". CNN. Retrieved June 25, 2016. Priebus was elected Friday in a resounding vote to serve a third term as chairman of the Republican National Committee, putting him on course to become the longest serving head of the national party in history.
↑ "It's On: Saul Anuzis Will Challenge Michael Steele for RNC Chairmanship". Weekly Standard. November 12, 2010. Retrieved January 16, 2011.
↑ "Maria Cino Officially Enters Race For RNC Chair – The Note". Blogs.abcnews.com. December 11, 2010. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved January 16, 2011.
↑ Martin, Jonathan (December 6, 2010). "Reince Priebus runs for RNC chairman". Poltiico. Retrieved January 8, 2011.
↑ Choe, Jaywon (July 7, 2010). "What's Next for Michael Steele and the RNC?". Cbsnews.com. Retrieved January 16, 2011.
↑ Doug McKelway (April 7, 2010). "Sources Say Steele Will Seek Second Term As RNC Chair". Politics.blogs.foxnews.com. Retrieved January 16, 2011.
↑ Blake, Aaron (November 29, 2010). "Wagner launches bid for RNC chair". voices.washingtonpost.com. Washington Post. Retrieved November 29, 2010.
↑ Smith, Ben (January 2, 2011). "Exit Collins – Ben Smith". Politico.Com. Retrieved January 16, 2011.
↑ "Emineth not seeking national GOP chairmanship, state position gets candidates". Bismarcktribune.com. November 17, 2010. Retrieved January 16, 2011.
↑ 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.
↑ 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.

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[1] Shear, Michael D. (December 19, 2010). "Voting Begins for RNC Chairman - NYTimes.com". Thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com. Retrieved January 16, 2011.

[2] Miller, Zeke J (December 8, 2014). "RNC Chairman Reince Priebus Set for Re-Election Bid". Time. Retrieved June 25, 2016. Priebus was re-elected to his second term with near unanimity in 2013 at the party’s meeting in Charlotte

[3] Preston, Mark (January 16, 2015). "Priebus overwhelmingly elected to third term as RNC chairman". CNN. Retrieved June 25, 2016. Priebus was elected Friday in a resounding vote to serve a third term as chairman of the Republican National Committee, putting him on course to become the longest serving head of the national party in history.

[4] "It's On: Saul Anuzis Will Challenge Michael Steele for RNC Chairmanship". Weekly Standard. November 12, 2010. Retrieved January 16, 2011.

[5] "Maria Cino Officially Enters Race For RNC Chair – The Note". Blogs.abcnews.com. December 11, 2010. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved January 16, 2011.

[6] Martin, Jonathan (December 6, 2010). "Reince Priebus runs for RNC chairman". Poltiico. Retrieved January 8, 2011.

[7] Choe, Jaywon (July 7, 2010). "What's Next for Michael Steele and the RNC?". Cbsnews.com. Retrieved January 16, 2011.

[8] Doug McKelway (April 7, 2010). "Sources Say Steele Will Seek Second Term As RNC Chair". Politics.blogs.foxnews.com. Retrieved January 16, 2011.

[9] Blake, Aaron (November 29, 2010). "Wagner launches bid for RNC chair". voices.washingtonpost.com. Washington Post. Retrieved November 29, 2010.

[10] Smith, Ben (January 2, 2011). "Exit Collins – Ben Smith". Politico.Com. Retrieved January 16, 2011.

[11] "Emineth not seeking national GOP chairmanship, state position gets candidates". Bismarcktribune.com. November 17, 2010. Retrieved January 16, 2011.

[12] 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.

[13] 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.