Duncan tenure at issue in RNC race

Republican National Committee (RNC) chairman Mike Duncan has
come under fire for his handling of the party apparatus this election year,
criticism that could derail his bid for another term.

Those watching the race closely say Duncan, appointed
after the 2006 mid-term elections, likely has the largest bloc of votes heading
into the January 31 election. But as the incumbent, Duncan faces a risk if
voters see the 2008 election as a referendum on his tenure.

{mosads}Duncan is facing criticism from state party chairmen who
say the national committee has largely ignored their states in favor of a
handful of battleground states. Though he raised more money than any other RNC
chairman during the 2008 cycle, Duncan doled that money out to little more than
a dozen targeted states, a move many say cost the party at the congressional
and local level.

“There should be a baseline level of support and
infrastructure-building in every state beyond which election year additional
resources can be provided,” said one chairman of a non-targeted state who is
critical of the chairman.

Duncan himself says the focus on battleground states is
the de facto rule number one for the party’s central committee.

“In a presidential election year, the White House is the
first priority,” Duncan told The Hill in an exclusive interview. “Choices have
to be made about where resources go, and when you have a presidential campaign,
your strategy has to be about winning the electoral votes.”

Duncan allies say far more states are happy with the
level of involvement from the national party than are upset. While the National
Republican Congressional Committee and the National Republican Senatorial
Committee saw their fundraising operations dwarfed by their Democratic
counterparts, Duncan’s RNC raised far more than the Democratic National
Committee (DNC) did.

The RNC will finish the year having raised more than $320
million, Duncan said. The committee set records for both the number of
individual contributors and the number of new donors this year.

But it’s not just about money. Many RNC voters also feel
Duncan has led the RNC to become a top-down organization, run more out of
Washington than from the states. Chairmen from around the country describe RNC
meetings as staged affairs in which they are lectured, not solicited for input.

State organizations are told how much money to raise,
which consultants to hire and how to run their organizations, several chairmen
told The Hill. At least two state delegations tell The Hill on condition of
anonymity that they will not vote for Duncan under any circumstances,
statements that have not been made about other candidates.

“There has been a relationship with the states that has
not been one that promotes new ideas and the development of ways to reach the
American voter,” said Jim Greer, head of the Florida Republican Party.

Greer is still mulling his own bid for chairman, and
though he wouldn’t address Duncan’s performance specifically, his thoughts on
the way the RNC is run are clear.

“Whoever’s at the top generally has responsibility for
that,” Greer said. “We need to do some house cleaning.”

Duncan allies say he has done exceptionally well trying
to please everyone while spreading his attentions over candidates and campaigns
spanning the presidential race to races for Congress and governor’s races in
several states. Of late, Duncan has claimed credit for last-minute Republican
wins in Georgia and Louisiana.

But the chairman has recognized the importance of doling
out more resources to the states. His “Platform for Progress,” laid out to
voting members of the RNC, calls for installing Victory Program directors in
all 50 states as early as just a few months from now in order to prepare for
the 2010 cycle.

Longer-term planning has been a key element of DNC
chairman Howard Dean’s strategy, and most RNC chairman candidates are looking
for a way to emulate that idea. Duncan’s plan also calls for more help for
states in advance of redistricting and reapportionment, which will happen after
the 2010 Census.

Having lost the White House, the RNC is now free to focus
more on state-level needs, Duncan said.

“I know the difference between working when you have the
White House and when you don’t,” he stated. Without a Republican president, the
RNC “becomes a more member-centric organization.”

Several state chairmen said they felt pressure from
Washington to skip a meeting in Las Vegas to discuss tactics and strategies
that worked.

Duncan is also hurt by the party’s desire for a clean
break from the Bush administration. Duncan “was George Bush’s last appointed
chairman,” rival Saul Anuzis, chairman of the Michigan Republican Party, told The
Hill in a recent interview. “I think people are looking for a change.”

Activists eager to alter the public face of the
Republican Party were disappointed when House Minority Leader John Boehner
(R-Ohio) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ken.) were easily reelected
to their posts despite unprecedented losses two cycles in a row. 

Duncan is now the most prominent face of the Republican
Party who still has to be re-elected, and activists have turned their attention
to him. Republican bloggers, for example, have largely turned to Anuzis, former
Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael Steele or former Ohio Secretary of State Ken
Blackwell and against Duncan.

“In my family, loyalty is not a character flaw,” Duncan
said, noting he has served actively in Republican politics since the 1972
presidential race. “I think I’m qualified to be a movement conservative and an
institutional Republican. When the president asks you to do something, you do
it to the best of your ability.”

Elections featuring incumbents can frequently devolve
into a referendum on past performance. For some within the Republican Party,
Duncan has endeared himself through strong fundraising and a willingness to put
members first. 

But others worry Duncan’s Washington-centric approach.

Like incumbents running against promising challengers,
Duncan’s job in the race to keep his post atop the committee is clear: Cast
doubt on other candidates and keep the spotlight off himself. For someone
running to be the public face of the Republican National Committee, that may be
easier said than done.