 |
My Top 3 |
 |
Following an election that has left Republicans with no clear vision about how to regain power, the normally low-profile race to head the GOP’s national committee has turned into a six-man showdown that has opened rifts along racial, regional and ideological lines.
As Republicans debate their future, the contest for chairman of the Republican National Committee has become a proxy for the major questions at the center of the party’s challenges: how to attract young and minority voters, win outside the South and counter an increasingly powerful Democratic majority.
After Chip Saltsman, a candidate for chairman, sent party members a CD that included the song “Barack the Magic Negro,” he received sharp criticism from former House speaker Newt Gingrich (Ga.) and other Republicans who worry that the party is losing touch with the moderate, suburban voters who are key to winning national elections. But nearly all of the candidates are facing intense scrutiny from party factions, as GOP officials view the next chairman as a vital figure in the post-Bush era.
Related stories from top sites:
- Republicans Slam Bush As Negro’ flap might help Saltsman
Leave a Reply