Norquist to Host RNC Chair Debate
National Journal reports:
Conservative activist Grover Norquist will quiz candidates running for Republican National Committee chairman at a debate to be held just two weeks before elections, he told Hotline On Call Wednesday.
Norquist, who runs Americans for Tax Reform, will moderate the Jan. 3 debate at the National Press Club. It's an effort, he says, to take the race for chairman beyond the 168 members of the national committee and to bolster transparency.
"Only 168 people get to vote, but this is going to affect everybody who wants limited government, and everybody who wants lower taxes, and everybody who wants the Reagan coalition to do well," he said. "This is something that affects whatever part of the movement you're in."
The group held a similar debate in 2009, with the goal of opening what is a historically closed process of electing a new RNC chairman to the activist class. The 2009 debate, which streamed live on C-SPAN and the internet, drew tens of thousands of viewers.
ATR is soliciting questions from conservative bloggers and Tea Party organizations; last year, bloggers submitted nearly 1,000 questions. And Norquist pointed to several important questions about the dynamics of the race, especially about who gets involved.
"Whether it's a challenge to [RNC chairman Michael] Steele, or Steele doesn't run, the campaign after him is going to be interesting. Do the would-be presidential candidates put a finger on the scale? Do they leave it to the committee to decide?"
But the most important question, which candidates will actually run, remains up in the air. So far, only Michigan RNC member Saul Anuzis and former North Dakota party chairman Gary Emineth have said they will run. Anuzis has already committed to attending the debate, Norquist said.
