Saltsman Declares Bid for RNC Chairman

by Walter Alarkon - 12/08/08 5:11 PM ET

Chip Saltsman, the campaign manager for former Gov. Mike Huckabee (R-Ark.), declared himself a candidate for Republican National Committee chairman on Monday.

Saltsman said that he knows how to win, having been chairman of the Tennessee Republican Party in 2000. That year, then-Gov. George W. Bush (R-Texas) won the state’s electoral votes over Vice President Al Gore, who had represented the state as a senator.

“Our party needs new and energetic leadership to rededicate ourselves to conservative principles, to regain the American voter’s trust, and to set the stage for a dramatic turnaround in 2010 and beyond,” Saltsman said in a statement.

He also announced Monday that he has the support of former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) and Tennessee Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey (R).

Saltsman joins former Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell, South Carolina GOP Chairman Katon Dawson, Michigan GOP Chairman Saul Anuzis and former Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael Steele as declared candidates. Current GOP Chairman Mike Duncan is also expected to run for the post.

The 168 Republican National Committee members will decide on the chairman at their winter meeting in late January.

Watch Saltsman’s campaign announcement below. It’s followed by video of Frist, Ramsey and Tennessee GOP House Leader Jason Mumpower voicing support for Saltsman.

Saltsman:

Frist, Ramsey and Mumpower: