GOP Considers Electing Its First Black Chairman

The contest for Republican Party chairman comes as GOP leaders seek to figure out what the party stands for, and struggles to avoid shrinking into a party of Southern white men as the country grows increasingly diverse. Among the six remaining candidates are two blacks: Michael Steele (pictured right), the former lieutenant governor of Maryland, and Kenneth Blackwell (pictured below), the former Ohio secretary of state. Party officials said this was the first time two viable black candidates have competed for GOP chair. The Democratic Party elected its first black chairman, the late Ronald Brown, in 1989.

"I think it's color blind; I don't think people are talking about it," said Mike Duncan, the current party chairman who is seeking re-election. Nevertheless, racial codes and strains have emerged in the contest. Katon Dawson, the South Carolina Republican chairman, quit his membership in an all-white country club shortly before joining the race. Another candidate, Chip Saltsman, the Tennessee party chairman, was roundly criticized for distributing a holiday CD to party members that included a parody song called "Barack the Magic Negro."

Some Republicans argued that electing a black chairman could prove helpful as the party struggles to rebuild. "Race is not a consideration of why a person should become chairman of the RNC, but if the nation can celebrate its first African American president, I would certainly think the Republican Party could celebrate its first African American chairman," said Jim Greer, the chair of the Florida Republican Party, who endorsed Mr. Steele last week. "There certainly is an advantage of a credible message of inclusion if you have a minority as chairman."

Booker Rising response: Booker Rising likes to see black folks controlling stuff across the board, so of course I like this development. However, I am rooting for Mr. Steele to become the new chairman.