The vote for RNC Chairman is taking place today, and these are the candidates. If I were to hazard a guess, the order of pictures is according to their likelihood of winning, from Priebus with the best shot to Cino with the lowest chance.
For the latest information, follow the OKGOP Twitter feed, which is posted below.
RNC Chair candidate Ann Wagner (a former Missouri GOP chair, US Ambassador, and RNC Co-Chair) picked up an endorsement by the Oklahoma GOP's third RNC vote - National Committeewoman Carolyn McLarty on Sunday. OKGOP Chairman Matt Pinnell and National Committeeman James Dunn, the other two votes Oklahoma has, both endorsed Reince Priebus last week.
McLarty issued the following letter to RNC members, announcing her intent to support Wagner.
After thoughtful consideration, I have decided to commit my support to Ann Wagner for RNC Chairman. I believe she is the most completely qualified and capable candidate running.
Ann holds her conservative values dearly. She is right-on on the issues. She knows the dangers of letting our freedoms slip away to big government control. She observed this directly during her ambassador service in Europe. As a result, she has a deep-seated concern about the direction our country is going.
Ann has firsthand experience on the RNC as a member and as Co-Chair. She has the political and managerial experience of running the State Party and a statewide campaign in the powerful swing state of Missouri.
Ann Wagner has the diplomatic skills to be a persuasive spokesperson and professional representative for the Republican Party to the press, to the major donors, to the legislative leadership, and to the public.
Ann is a person that can be trusted to use our dollars wisely and efficiently. She can inspire the confidence of major donors and of Mom and Pop donors around the country.
The election of Ann Wagner as RNC Chairman will clearly demonstrate the RNC’s determination to recover from controversy, to unify, and to set a steady, forward course to Victory in 2012.
According to National Review's Hotline On Call blog, the race currently stands as follows: Reince Priebus is first (30 votes), Michael Steele in second (15 votes), Ann Wagner in third (12 votes), Saul Anuzis in fourth (10 votes), Maria Cino in fifth (6 votes). Over half of all RNC voting members are still uncommitted, so this could go to any of the current candidates.
You can visit Wagner's website here, and watch her announcement video below.
As the election for Republican National Committee chair gets closer, the picture as to who will be chairman for the 2012 election cycle is beginning to form.
Currently, there are six candidates in the running: current RNC Chairman Michael Steele, former Michigan GOP Chairman Saul Anuzis, former RNC Co-Chair Ann Wagner, Party chairman Reince Priebus, former Bush administration official Maria Cino and former RNC political director Gentry Collins. Steele and Anuzis were candidates in the last RNC chair election (2009).
According to NationalJournal.com's Hotline on Call blog, this is the current tally of plegded votes for each candidate. Only members of the Republican National Commitee (three per state/territory) can vote in the chair election.
Reince Priebus - 16
Michael Steele - 12 Saul Anuzis - 10 Ann Wagner - 10 Maria Cino - 3 Gentry Collins - 2
Undeclared - 115 [Steele and Priebus do not have a website that I could find]
The Daily Caller and Americans for Tax Reform will be hosting a debate with the candidates on Monday, January 3rd at 1pm EST.
