The 2011 Republican National Committee (RNC) chairmanship election was held on January 14, 2011, to determine the next chairman of the RNC, to serve a two-year term ending in 2013 and will lead the party through the 2012 general elections. After seven rounds of balloting,

Reince Priebus Reinhold Richard "Reince" Priebus ( ; born March 18, 1972) is an American politician, attorney, and naval officer who served as chairman of the Republican National Committee from 2011 to 2017 and as White House chief of staff during the first s ...

was elected chairman over incumbent chair Michael Steele, Saul Anuzis, Ann Wagner and Maria Cino. Priebus won re-election with near unanimity in the party's

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

meeting in

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 United ...

. He was likewise re-elected to a third term in

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

, setting him up to become the longest serving head of the party ever.

Candidates

* Saul Anuzis, National Chairman for the Save American Jobs Project, former Michigan Republican Party Chairman * Maria Cino, Political Director of George Bush's 2000 Campaign *

, Chairman of the

Republican Party of Wisconsin The Republican Party of Wisconsin is a conservative politics, conservative and Right-wing populism, populist political party in Wisconsin and is the Wisconsin affiliate of the Republican Party (United States), United States Republican Party (GOP) ...

* Michael Steele, incumbent Committee Chairman, former Lieutenant Governor of Maryland * Ann Wagner, former United States Ambassador to Luxembourg, former Missouri Republican Party Chairman ;Former candidates who withdrew before voting began * Gentry Collins, Former Political Director of the RNC, withdrew on January 2, 2010 * Gary Emineth, Chairman of the North Dakota Republican Party

Timeline

* December 13, 2010 – Incumbent Chair Steele announces bid for re-election. * January 3, 2011 – Candidate debate held by Americans for Tax Reform at the National Press Club * January 14, 2011 – Election held by party voting members in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

Debates

A debate among the candidates hosted by Americans for Tax Reform took place on January 3, 2011, at the National Press Club. Anuzis, Cino, Priebus, Steele, and Wagner participated in the debate.
Republican Committee Chair Debate
''

C-SPAN Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network (C-SPAN ) is an American Cable television in the United States, cable and Satellite television in the United States, satellite television network, created in 1979 by the cable television industry as a Non ...

'', January 3, 2011, full video

Polling

A poll by the '' National Journal'', released on January 13, 2011, showed Priebus in the lead with 40 committed votes out of 168, Steele 17, Wagner 15, Anuzis 14, and Cino 12.

Results

With 168 voting members of the RNC, 85 votes were required to win the chairmanship. : Candidate won majority of votes in the round : Candidate secured a plurality of votes in the round : Candidate withdrew

References

{{Republican Party (United States) National Committee Republican National Committee Chairmanship Election, 2011 Michael Steele Republican Party (United States) leadership elections Chairmanship election, 2011 Republican National Committee chairmanship election