Steele announces transition team

Michael Steele has announced his transition team, and there’s some interesting trends to be found. First, National Committeemen outnumber State Party Chairs six to four. State party chairs seem to be a bit more grounded in the on the ground needs, while Committeemen, while elected by the state, are more firmly grounded in the national message and apparatus. However, several of the Committeemen selected have extensive experience in statewide elections. 

Also of interest: 1 member is from a true purple state, 1 is from a non-voting territory, 4 are from contested but ultimately blue states, 3 are from firmly blue states, and 1 is from a true red state. Also, the one that is from a red state is none other than Henry Barbour, nephew of Hayley Barbour, Mississippi Governor and former RNC chair. This shows that Steele will be seeking help from the “establishment” as he tries to get traction for his new way forward.

Finally, his vanquished rival and GOP technology gu…pion…..well, I don’t know what the best word is, but Saul Anuzis knows how to use tech. Not included: Mike Duncan, the outgoing chair. It’ll be interesting to see how Steele uses this coalition to pave his new way forward.