Steele wins Republican chair vote

Michael Steele has won the election to be chairman of the Republican National Committee, becoming the first African-American to lead the party.

Mr Steele won in the sixth ballot, with 91 votes out of a possible 168. His nearest rival, Katon Dawson, received the remaining 77 votes.

Correspondents say Mr Steele was the most moderate of the five candidates who stood for the position.

The favourite, incumbent chairman Mike Duncan, pulled out after two rounds.

“We’re going to say to friend and foe alike, we want you to be a part of us, we want you to with be with us, and for those who wish to obstruct, get ready to get knocked over,” said Mr Steele in his acceptance speech.

Rebranding

He rose to prominence in 2006 when he stood for a senate seat in Maryland. He had previously served as the state’s Lieutenant Governor.

After his senate defeat, he served as the chairman of GOPAC, a conservative political action committee.

As chairman of the Republican National Committee, Mr Steele will be in charge of overseeing the party’s campaigning efforts nationwide.

He fought for the position on a platform of rebranding the party and finding ways to use new technology to connect with the conservative grassroots.

Mr Duncan had been the favourite to win the election, but dropped out after receiving fewer votes than expected in the first two rounds of voting.

Source: BBC News

Published by: Mo Guled

Related Stories

• November 22, 2009 -- Congressman Payne, Modern Politician or Neo-Colonial Martinet? (9)
• August 27, 2009 -- Somalia President Defends US “Cooperation” (1)
• June 25, 2009 -- Puntland leader in talks with US officials (6)
• May 26, 2009 -- Facing Nuclear Crisis (2)
• December 1, 2008 -- Choice for U.N. Backs Action Against Mass Killings (0)

LATEST NEWS HEADLINES

• Nigeria recalls Libya ambassador in Gaddafi row.
• Eritrea On The Spot Again Over It’s Support Of Somali Militant Groups
• Family Grieves For Son Linked To Terror Group
• Somali Students, cultural tension rising in St. Cloud
• Jordan’s Abdullah: Israel trying to rid Jerusalem of Arabs

ALSO IN THE NEWS

International Women’s Day Celebrated in Somaliland

HARGEISA, 14 March 2010 (Somalilandpress) – As in every year on March 8th—International Women’s Day—the Academy supported Moonlight Girls Association, a Borama-based non-governmental girls’ organisation, to organise and facilitate a commemorative event for this global celebration at Rays Hotel of Borama, the capital city of Somaliland’s Awdal region.
The event, which has been gaining [...]

TOP NEWS

2010 Fiscal Year: A Time To Remember The Late CA, Ali Gulaid

• East Africa is next hot oil zone
• SOMALIA: “British Couple Wounded” – Pirates
• SOMALIA: Tensions high in Bossaso as president shakes up intelligence agency
• Somaliland: Telcom Job Vacancy “SOFTWARE ENGINEER / PROGRAMMER”
• SOMALIA: Twenty killed in Mogadishu fighting
• K’naan’s ‘Wavin’ Flag’ gets ‘We Are the World’ treatment for Haiti

HAVE YOUR SAY

Is Somaliland getting recognized?

SomTel Launched

Dahabshiil’s SomTel International launched

MORE NEWS HEADLINES

• SOMALILAND: Somaliland’s Healer of Women
• US Has No Plan To “Americanize” Somalia Conflict
• More Than 50 Killed in Somalia Fighting
• Prof Iqbal Jhazbay Launches Book on Somaliland at UNISA, Pretoria
• Saudi Arabia signs Djibouti anti-piracy Code
• SOMALIA: Offering Migrants An Alternative To Death by Water