GOP power struggle starts

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By Ralph Z. Hallow

A power struggle that will determine the future leadership of the Republican Party has broken into the open as dissatisfied Republican leaders pushed for a meeting early next month that they hope will be the first step toward ending Washington-based control of the party.

In a move seen as a backlash against years of control of the Republican National Committee (RNC) by allies of President Bush and their District-based consulting firms, several senior members of the party's governing body are working to call an extra meeting to hear from all candidates for national chairman three weeks before the election for the post is scheduled.

The effort is seen by party insiders as an attempt to allow all six candidates for chairman to have an equal shot at the job, rather than giving an edge to the incumbent chairman, Robert M. "Mike" Duncan.

The special session would assemble all 168 members of the RNC on Jan. 6, the same day the Conservative Steering Committee, a self-designated "conservative" rump group of about 80 RNC members, has scheduled its own meeting with the six national-chairman candidates as well as a straw poll, ostensibly to measure which candidate has the most conservative support.

If only the rump group met Jan. 6, it would mean that most RNC members would not have the opportunity to question the six candidates together, in person, until three weeks later, just before the members vote on a new chairman.

Some conservative RNC members suspect that the Conservative Steering Committee is not particularly conservative and that allies of Mr. Duncan are using the steering panel meeting to advance his re-election bid.

"What I am after is a level playing field for all candidates and a chance for members to address their concerns," North Dakota Republican Party Chairman Gary Emineth told The Washington Times.

Mr. Emineth, abetted by RNC members Shawn Steel of California and Curly Haugland of North Dakota, began telephoning and e-mailing other RNC members Monday.

Mr. Emineth's goal is to solicit enough petitions from RNC members to require Mr. Duncan to call the special meeting of the full committee for the morning of Jan. 6, leaving the steering committee to hold its meeting in the afternoon.

Mr. Duncan, who is seeking a second term as national chairman, was chosen two years ago by Karl Rove, who was then White House chief political strategist.