Politics / RNC The Contenders for RNC Chair In a "very, very, sleepy" race... By Gabriel Winant, Newser Staff Posted Dec 18, 2008 10:03 AM CST Copied Republican National Committee Chairman Robert "Mike" Duncan gavels a recess at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn., Monday, Sept. 1, 2008. (AP Photo/Ron Edmonds) A largely thankless job running a down-and-out party—no wonder these guys are fighting tooth-and-nail. Politico handicaps the candidates for Republican National Committee chair: Mike Duncan: The current RNC chair’s record is mixed. Despite his prolific fundraising, he presided over both the 2008 disaster and the mini-rebound the party enjoyed in elections after November 4. Saul Anuzis: Chairman of the Michigan GOP, the colorful Anuzis has been picking up steam. “If I had to assign momentum in what has been a very, very sleepy race, I’d assign it to Anuzis,” says a strategist. But Republicans have gotten stomped in Michigan lately. Michael Steele: A great communicator and an African American, Steele has a leg up when it comes to outreach. But doubts persist about his commitment to social conservatism. Katon Dawson: As head of the South Carolina Republicans, Dawson has a pretty good record, and his message of state-level control is appealing. But he used to belong to an all-white country club, and does the party really need to seem more Southern? To read the full list, click the link below. (More RNC stories.) Report an error