This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, Jan. 15, 2011 - Friday was the Day of Decision for St. Louis' own Ann Wagner, who was vying in Washington with four other Republicans to be the next chair of the Republican National Committee.
And in the end, it wasn't to be Wagner's day. At 4 p.m. St. Louis time, after six rounds of balloting, Wagner dropped out and released her remaining supporters. After a midday surge, her support had declined sharply to only 17 votes in the sixth round.
Eighty-five votes are needed to win the chairmanship. In the 7th round, Wisconsin GOP chief Reince Priebus garnered 97 votes, more than enough to claim the job.
Priebus, 38, the chairman of the Wisconsin state party and a former member of outgoing chairman (and defeated rival) Michael Steele's inner circle, pledged to unify the party in the wake of the divisions that became evident during Steele's tenure and the race to replace him.
Priebus also promised to mount an aggressive fundraising campaign to pay off the committee's $21 million debt. He said he wants to bolster state Republican parties to prepare them for the 2012 elections.
"We have to get on track," Priebus said. "Together, we can defeat Barack Obama in 2012."
However, he added: "We all recognize that there's a steep hill ahead of us. The only way we'll be able to move forward is if we're all together."
Wagner had offered similar sentiments in her withdrawal speech to the RNC committeepeople before the final round. Wagner said, "It is our job to heal ... and unify and remember that it is our job to beat Barack Obama in 2012. That is our job"
"I believe that our party is the best hope for our conservative movement. We are the best hope for America to restore freedom, our families and this republic. And don't you ever forget it."
(The question now is whether Wagner opts for another campaign back in Missouri, in a possible bid for the U.S. Senate seat now held by Democrat Claire McCaskill. See details below.)
The Missouri Republican Party swiftly issued a statement praising Wagner's effort, and Priebus' success.
"While Missouri's own Ann Wagner ran a terrific race, we would like to congratulate Reince Priebus on his election as Chairman of the Republican National Committee," said Missouri GOP chairman David Cole. "Priebus' election marks a fresh start for the national party, and now we look forward to working with him to strengthen the GOP as we move into the critical 2012 election cycle."
New U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., also weighed in. Wagner had chaired his successful campaign last fall.
"Though I'm disappointed that my dear friend Ann Wagner was not successful, I wish Reince Priebus all the best as he assumes the chairmanship of the Republican National Committee," Blunt said in a statement.
"Ann would have been a great chairman of the RNC, as she has already proven through her leadership as co-chair of the RNC and her incredible success as Missouri Republican Party chair. I'm so proud of the race she ran; Ann is so talented and will continue to be a great leader for our Party."
Later, national party leaders also made a change in the No. 2 spot. Florida national nommitteewoman Sharon Day won the election for RNC co-chair she defeated the incumbent, Jan Larimer, from Wyoming.
Wagner's Chances Rose, then Dropped
Wagner had experienced a down-up-down day. Despite favorable reviews for her speeches, Wagner garnered the least number of votes in the first round of balloting, which began shortly after noon St. Louis time. She remained in the contest for the second round of voting, which began shortly after 1 p.m. St. Louis time.
The first round tally: Priebus attracted 45 votes, followed by current RNC chief Michael Steele, 44; Washington activist Maria Cino, 32; Michigan committeeman Saul Anuzis, 24; and Wagner, 23.
The second round: Priebus, 52; Steele, 37; Cino, 30; Wagner, 27; Anuzis, 22.
In the third round, Wagner moved up to third place in the voting: Priebus, 54; Steele, 33; Wagner, 32; Cino, 28; Anuzis, 21.
In the fourth round, Priebus picked up a little ground and all three of the other candidates were bunched in the 20s, with Wagner tied with Steele for third place. The vote: Priebus, 58; Cino, 29; Wagner, 28; Steele, 28; Anuzis, 24. (A write-in vote was declared ineligible.)
Shortly before the fifth round of voting began, RNC Chairman Steele went to the podium and announced to the delegates that he was pulling out of the race.
"We've done a lot of good things. We've worked hard and built the party. But it's very clear the party wants to do something a little different, and hopefully a little bit better. ... I really thank you for the chairmanship of this party, for the two years that I've had. And at this time I will step aside for others to lead," Steele said. He thanked the delegates and got a standing ovation when he reminded them of the Republicans' stunning wins in the November elections.
"I hope you all appreciate the legacy we leave. Despite the noise -- and Lord knows, we've had a lot of noise -- despite the difficulties, we won."
After throwing his support behind Cino, who had risen to second place in the fourth round, Steele concluded, "It's up to all of you to decide. We've been through some big storms, some small storms, but this storm you cannot allow to continue."
Despite Steele's withdrawal and his support of Cino, she failed to win a majority in the fifth round of voting. The results saw Wagner slipping to last place because she failed to pick up any of Steele's votes: Priebus, 67; Cino, 40; Anuzis, 32; Wagner, 28. (A write-in vote was declared ineligible.)
Wagner, the former head of the Missouri Republican Party as well as former RNC co-chair, was being assisted by a couple dozen volunteers who are staffing the hospitality suite and stuffing the gift bags at the suburban Washington Gaylord Hotel, where the 168 voting members of the RNC are convened.
A core of close to a dozen also are monitoring the RNC committeemembers' every move.
Wagner ally and Republican consultant John Hancock is the general marshaling the troops on her behalf. In a brief interview before the first round of balloting began, he rightly predicted that Wagner's first tally should be in the mid-20s, but that put her at the bottom of the five-person contest.
Hancock had expected Wagner to rank in the middle. The fact that Wagner added a few votes in the second round could boost her camp's morale. She and Priebus were the only two candidates to add votes in the second round.
Wagner was nominated by a member of the Tennessee delegation. The public could view the proceedings on CSpan1 or cspan.org.
As the Beacon has previously reported, a lot was riding on Wagner's selection, as far as Missouri politics goes. If she had won the RNC spot, state Republicans hoped she would steer national resources toward Missouri to aid the GOP effort to knock off U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo.
Since Wagner lost Friday's contest, she is expected to be encouraged to run against McCaskill herself if former Sen. Jim Talent, R-Mo., opts against seeking to get his old job back. So far, Republican renegade Sarah Steelman, the former state treasurer, is the only announced Republican challenging McCaskill.
Wagner told Beacon Washington correspondent Robert Koenig in December that the day after the RNC vote, she would "either be on a plan raising the major [RNC] donor money that I've been talking about (if elected chairman), or I'll be back in St. Louis."
