Benkiser on Washington Times Insider Radio

You can listen to it here. I am working on some client proposals on the moment so don’t have time to listen to it so if any readers want to post their thoughts in the comments I’d appreciate it.

Marc Ambinder: Shakeup in the Race

A must read on the Blackwell-Benkiser alliance and the social conservative centric ticket.

A Shakeup In The RNC Chairman’s Race

17 Dec 2008 08:21 am

The decision of Texas Republican Party chair Tina Benkiser and former Ohio Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell to formally ally in the race to become the next chairman of the Republican National Committee is, by rights, a minor affair, but it has to the potential to be the most important development yet.

“Recognized as a national conservative leader with an amazing record of accomplishment, Ken Blackwell is a dedicated servant-leader,” Benkiser wrote in a letter to RNC members.  “Whether it is leading the charge on issues or successfully running an effective organization, Ken is what our Party needs at this time. He will establish a clear distinction between the Republican Party and our opposition.”

Most significantly, this union gives evangelical Christians on the national committee a single ticket to join. Combined, the Blackwell-Benkiser ticket commands the support of at least 20 to 25 members, and probably closer to 30 of them.  About 40% of the 168 members on the committee are estimated to be hard core social conservatives. Support from 85 members is needed to win. Parochially, the alliance gives Blackwell an entree into the Texas delegation. More importantly, Benkiser gives him some administrative cover, because she, not he, has run a party organization before. But now that there’s a ticket so solidly identified with the Christian right, there will be many Republicans who, while not wishing them ill, worry about a party that is too overtly Christian and religious.  The ticket, therefore, opens up an avenue for candidates who don’t claim to be the avatars of evangelical activists. To be sure, the next RNC chairman will be opposed to gay marraige and pro-life.

Candidate Chip Saltsman, who has been courting, above all, Southern Christian conservatives, will probably lose support.

The frontrunner, current chairman Mike Duncan, is now in a bit of quandary. On January 5, the conservative steering committee of the party meets to interview the candidates. Duncan encouraged this committee to form, and intended to rely on the then-relatively even distribution of social conservatives to thread the needle between the right and the center-right.  The day before the meeting, all of the candidates will debate, in public, at the National Press Club.

Morning Update

Day Two of our new blog and things seem to be picking up in the race. Saul Anuzis’s plan got some press on his blue print, and Ken Blackwell announced a running mate.

The Washington Times has a story today about it today:

Texas Republican Party Chairman Tina Benkiser has teamed up with Ohio´s Ken Blackwell in the contest to lead the Republican National Committee over the next two years.

The Washington Times has learned Mrs. Benkiser has decided to forgo a run for RNC national chairman and instead to run for co-chairman, a traditionally less powerful position that historically, with one exception, has been held by a woman.

“If I ran for chairman, I decided after looking over the field, it might contribute to dividing the conservative vote and allowing a moderate to win,” she told The Times in a phone interview Tuesday.

Blackwell / Benkiser Ticket

It was announced today that Ken Blackwell would run with Tine Benkiser as his co-chair candidate. According to party rules the party has to elect a female co-chair. (Aren’t we the Republican Party, what if there were two highly qualified women running shouldn’t we elect them for both chair and co-chair? Meritocracy I thought was our big thing, but I digress…)

Matt Lewis first reported this on AOL’s political machine today, and I am trying to get comment from the Blackwell campaign as well as others on what they think of this development. The letter is below.

Dear RNC Member,

Today we are very pleased to make the most important announcement of the campaign for RNC Chairman. I am pleased to announce that Texas GOP Chairman Tina Benkiser and I will be running together as a ticket for the positions of Chairman and Co-Chairman of the Republican National Committee, respectively.

I wholeheartedly endorse her candidacy for Co-Chairman and thank her for her support.

This is clearly exciting news for our campaign. But I am ever more excited about the potential to work with Tina to lead our party to victory in 2010. She has been of the very best state party chairmen in the country and has the values and principles that we need in party leadership. She offers a vital perspective of what state party organizations across the country need from the RNC in order to be effective.

I am thrilled at the prospect of working her, and for you, next year. Please take a moment of your time to read this important letter from Tina Benkiser.

Sincerely,

Ken Blackwell