How to Run for RNC Chairman
Saul Anuzis was the first announced RNC chair candidate. Why haven’t others jumped in as well? FF spoke with strategists for an inside look at RNC chair races.
RNC Chair campaigns are not like your typical primary or general elections, so FrumForum talked to Republican strategists familiar with these types of races to get inside the thinking of RNC chair campaign strategy.
Here’s a brief case study: Saul Anuzis is the first candidate for RNC chair to announce, and he’s benefited because of this. So why aren’t others following up and jumping in as quickly as they can? Announcing early has allowed Anuzis to get a lot of press as the sole contender, and corral endorsements from figures like former North Dakota National Committeeman Gary Emineth and Virginia National Committeeman Morton Blackwell. The Daily Caller’s Alex Pappas and The Daily Beast’s Benjy Sarlin both profiled Anuzis today, and he was on today’s G. Gordon Liddy Show as well.
(See FrumForum’s interview with Anuzis here, and a piece on his support in Michigan here.)
But the key for RNC Chair races is that while press is important, the only views that matter are the 168 RNC members - three from each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia and the five territories.
Indeed, the RNC Chair race more closely resembles the election of a student council president than any other type of election. Cliques and personal relationships matter a great deal – sometimes one vote comes with a dozen or two more. Phone calls and a personal touch can make all the difference in a race where it would be inexcusable if each candidate did not speak individually to all 168 RNC members.
“We’re all friends here,” Illinois state chairman Pat Brady told FrumForum recently by phone. And it’s true! For some, personal friendships matter almost as much to a RNC vote as political positions. ‘Remember that time we had dinner in Tulsa?’ is actually a pretty common campaign tactic.
So why are we still waiting? It is true that those who have yet to announce their bids are, as has been reported, currently feeling out their support among the 168 members of the RNC. But more importantly, they are each trying to nail down a group of five to ten core supporters who can act as whips and crank out phone calls to other members.
Endorsements are also a tricky business for RNC races – RNC members generally don’t like to be dictated to from outsiders, except when it’s from a sitting Republican president. So watch for candidates to be careful about announcing outsider endorsements too loudly, with the exception of such big-ticket names as Newt Gingrich (Reince Priebus?) and Sarah Palin (Michael Steele?).
In addition, a fair amount of time will be spent on debate preparation. Two debates have been currently scheduled: one on December 1st, hosted by the Republican National Conservative Caucus and moderated by FreedomWorks; and the other on January 3rd, hosted by Grover Norquist and Americans for Tax Reform. RNC members often travel to attend these debates, and as such these are hotbeds of politicking among members.
To keep track of all this activity over the next two months, FrumForum will be rolling out an updating whip count and endorsement list shortly. Stay tuned!
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