On the sixth ballot, members of the Republican National Committee elected former Maryland Lt. Governor Michael Steele as its chairman. Steele is the first African-American to lead the RNC.
The race saw 3 candidates - RNC Chairman Mike Duncan, former Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell and Michigan GOP Chairman Saul Anuzis drop their bids during the balloting. Duncan unexpectedly withdrew after the 3rd ballot, Blackwell withdrew after the fourth ballot - endorsing Steele and Anuzis withdrew after the fifth ballot. The final ballot count was - 91 to 77.
Steele was the first African-American elected to serve in a Maryland state-wide office. Most recently the chair of GOPAC, political action committee working to elect Republicans to office, Steele lost a 2006 Senate election to Democrat Ben Cardin.
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