First, AFA chairman Don Wildmon has endorsed Katon Dawson for the RNC chair (H/T to Aron Goldman):
American Family Association founder Don E. Wildmon has endorsed South Carolina Republican Party head Katon Dawson’s RNC chairman’s bid.
In an e-mail sent to supporters today, Wildmon writes that “if the Republican Party is to survive, it must get back to its roots. I believe that Katon Dawson…has the ability to take the party where it needs to go.”
As a post script, Wildmon throws a little dirt at one of Dawson’s opponents. He passes along a transcript of Lt. Gov. Michael Steele equivocating about Roe v. Wade in 2006. “[F]or many in the pro-life movement, Steele’s comments could disqualify him from receiving their support.”
Wildmon endorsed Mike Huckabee’s presidential campaign. It’s notable that he’s not endorsing Huckabee’s preferred candidate, Chip Saltsman.
In other news, Newt Gingrich has refuted claims that he exclusively supports Michael Steele’s bid for the RNC chair:
Less than a week after Newt Gingrich counted himself out of the race for chairman of the Republican National Committee, the former House speaker was pulled back into the contest as one contender claimed Gingrich was backing his candidacy.
Former Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael Steele, who announced his bid for RNC chair on Fox News last week, told National Public Radio Tuesday that Gingrich was supporting his candidacy, despite earlier rumors that the former speaker might be mulling a bid of his own.
“Newt’s decided not to run for the job, and he’s, in fact, supporting me in my efforts,” Steele told NPR.
But a spokesman for Gingrich said the former speaker has not formally endorsed Steele.
“Steele is one of several people who are running of whom Newt is supportive,” Gingrich spokesman Joe DeSantis told Politico, adding that Gingrich had also said “good, positive things” about two of Steele’s rivals, South Carolina Republican Party Chair Katon Dawson and Michigan Republican Party Chair Saul Anuzis.
In an appearance on Fox’s “Hannity and Colmes” last Wednesday, Gingrich called Dawson “very effective” and referred to Anuzis as a “good friend of mine.”
He was effusive, however, in his praise for Steele.
Here’s the original quote that started the whole episode:
ABC News’ Teddy Davis and Tahman Bradley report: Michael Steele told National Public Radio Tuesday that former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is backing the former lieutenant governor of Maryland in his bid to be the chairman of the Republican National Committee.
“Newt’s decided not to run for the job, and he’s, in fact, supporting me in my efforts,” Steele told NPR.
I can see how that quote may have been taken out of context.
November 20th, 2008 at 1:40 pm
Tommy, I need to email you about a posting, ASAP.
Thanks.
November 20th, 2008 at 2:02 pm
I’ll send you an blank email and you can respond. I had to change email addresses in April because I was overloaded with stuff, so I usually don’t post it in public forums. I should be able to send it through the email database, I think.
November 20th, 2008 at 2:10 pm
2 – thanks.
November 20th, 2008 at 2:20 pm
I don’t know Dawson well, but the fact that Newt likes him is a plus for me…same with Anuzis.
November 20th, 2008 at 9:08 pm
I don’t know Dawson, but the fact that Wildmon is endorsing him is a big negative in my book. Wildmon does not represent “the roots” of the Republican Party–except the roots of failure, perhaps.
November 21st, 2008 at 7:24 pm
[...] person leading the attack is Don Wildmon president of the American Family Association Mr. Wildmon is a person who has been denounded by Jewish groups for holding Anti Semitic views and [...]
November 22nd, 2008 at 12:35 pm
How can anyone put any value to what that anti-Semite Wildmon says.
Saying that Steele is not qualified based on a single issue is part in parcel the reason the Republican Party is where its at. Once we had the majority the party broke up into its little groups with their pet issues and became a fractured entity who refused to work together on common ground if they didn’t get their individual ways. We wasted
our control of both Houses of Congress and the Presidency because of this.
November 23rd, 2008 at 8:30 pm
The RNC Chairman election is inside baseball. For those who were around in 1992 Haley Barber won because he was a member of the Committee and was well liked among the members. It still took him 4 or 5 ballots to win because it was a multi candidate field. Spence Abraham and John Ashcroft also ran. Anyone who says they kow who is going to win simply does not understand the process. Only 168 people get to vote on this and most play it close to the vest.