Steele to head U.S. GOP

Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2009

ANNAPOLIS — Former Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele is the Republican Party's answer to President Barack Obama.

The election on Friday of the Prince George's County resident as the new chairman of the Republican National Committee and first African-American to lead the party prompted elation and nods of approval from Maryland Republicans.

"He's the right guy at the right time that has done some very key things in terms of proving his leadership and proving his worth," said Charles County Republican Central Committee Chairman Charles Lollar.

Steele takes the reins of a battered party that has suffered widespread losses in consecutive elections and is out of power in both the White House and Congress for the first time since 1994.

But House Minority Leader Anthony J. O'Donnell said he has high hopes that Steele can rebuild the party and put his home state in play, despite a huge registration disadvantage and diminished fundraising.

"He has nationwide responsibility for our party right now, but he's very interested in Maryland, so I think it's good for the country and good for us here in the Free State, as well," O'Donnell said.

The road to the chairmanship was packed with suspense for Steele at the RNC's annual meeting in Washington. It took six rounds of secret ballots and deal-making for the 168 voting members to determine a victor from among six contenders. Steele bested South Carolina Republican Party Chairman Katon Dawson in the final vote 91-77, receiving six more votes than needed to win.

Incumbent chairman Mike Duncan pulled out of the race after three ballots when support for him waned. Steele fell behind Dawson in the fourth round, but surged ahead after former Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell withdrew and threw his support behind Steele.

Steele has pledged to employ new media strategies, reach out to minorities and young voters and develop a unifying message that appeals to both conservative and moderate factions of the GOP.

His election shows "that the Republican Party represents many of the aspirations and ideals and values of a broad array of Americans, much more so than our caricature would lead one to believe," said O'Donnell (R-Calvert, St. Mary's). "I think it's a manifestation of how far we've come in our political thinking."

For black Republicans, the selection of Steele signals the party is ready to embrace all communities and expand its base beyond the status quo.

"We finally have someone at the head of the party who speaks to diversity, who speaks to change and who speaks to [an] ‘out with the old and in with the new' [mentality]," said Lollar, who is African-American. "I think it's so significant that had it not been for that, a lot of good Republicans would have left the party. I really believe that we needed to show as a party that we can embrace qualified leadership that's diverse to take us into new directions."

Even Democrats applauded the selection of an African-American as RNC chairman.

"The Republican Party seems to realize that this nation is changing in color and so they need to reflect that change and get insight as necessary to be the kind of voice they need in the community," said Henry Hailstock, a Democrat who is president of the Montgomery County branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

And it sends the message to minority children that they can aspire to do anything, regardless of political affiliation, said Janice Walthour, who chairs the education committee of the St. Mary's County NAACP. "The sky's the limit for our youth," she said.

But Steele brings more to the table than a diverse face to put in front of the cameras, supporters said. A former chairman of the Prince George's County Republican Central Committee and the Maryland Republican Party, Steele boasts political experience. He was the first African-American in Maryland elected lieutenant governor and performed better in his race against Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin in 2006 than many pundits predicted.

Since that defeat, the telegenic Steele has served as chairman of GOPAC, a political action committee that recruits conservative candidates for public office, and has become a fixture on conservative cable television talk shows.

Still, Steele has his critics who fear that he is not conservative enough or believe the pick was made to counter the election of Obama (D) as the first African-American president.

Prince George's County Republican Central Committee Chairman Mykel Harris, who is African-American, scoffed at critics who question Steele's motives and credentials. "Steele has gotten where he is on his effort and talent," he said.

Party activists like Harris say Steele is no stranger to breaking traditional political stereotypes, a skill that will serve him well as he looks to make inroads in areas that have been regarded as having "too many Democrats to make it worth our while." The 2002 election of Steele and Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. was the first time in 36 years that Republicans won the state's top offices.

"We have seen the difference he made in Maryland and look forward to seeing the difference he will make across the country," said Patt Parker, a Calvert County resident who is president of the Maryland Federation of Republican Women, in a statement. "With Michael, we have a new voice, a new vision and a powerful new leader."

However, his first and perhaps most important test will be unifying a party in transition that is searching for a contemporary message with broad appeal to Republicans and middle-of-the-road Democrats, Lollar said.

O'Donnell agreed that a multi-pronged strategy is necessary in "bringing back the traditional coalitions that made the Republican Party so strong, but not to any lesser degree, reaching out to new segments and new demographics within the electorate, as well."

abrody@somdnews.com