Michael Steele was elected head of the Republican National Committee (RNC) today, the first African-American to hold the position.
It took six rounds of voting for Michael Steele to win. After round 4, in fact, South Carolina party chairman Katon Dawson was ahead by two votes, 62 - 60.
85 was the minimum number of votes required to win election; Michael Steele won in round 6 with 91 votes out of a possible 168. Katon Dawson finished with 77 votes.
Michael Steele is, as I said, the first African-American in the position. The GOP has been roundly criticized for the fact that its membership appears to be mostly made up of Caucasian males. It was said that the party needed to expand its ethnic diversity if it is to be significant in coming elections.
Steele was greatly helped by receiving the endorsement of Ken Blackwell, former Ohio Secretary of State, who dropped out after the fourth ballot. Michael Steele served as Lieutenant Governor of Maryland from 2003 through 2007.
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