More Ballots, More Saltsman

By Kleinheider Posted on December 18, 2008 at 6:43 am

Alexander Burns, in breaking down the race for RNC chairman, suggests the road to victory for Tennessee’s Chip Saltsman may be the one paved with the most blood:

A former chairman of the Tennessee Republican Party and campaign manager to Mike Huckabee, Saltsman has more to gain than any other candidate from a protracted, multi-ballot knife fight for the chairmanship. The 40-year-old has been running a vigorous race against more established candidates, though he’s had to distance himself from the Huckabee campaign in a race where no one wants to support a stalking horse for 2012.

Saltsman knows he’s an underdog, but as a student of GOP politics he also knows that once an RNC race gets past the first or second ballot, all bets are off. If Saltsman can become a second- or third-choice candidate for a significant number of RNC members, and survive the first ballot, he could try and follow the Jim Nicholson path to victory. Yet even if he is unsuccessful, he’s established himself as a name to be taken very seriously in years to come.

permalink

Tags: Add new tag, blood on the floor, Chip Saltsman, first ballot, Jim Nicholson, Mike Huckabee, RNC, RNC Chairman  

Comments