RNC Race: The Blackwell Surprise

RNC Chair candidate Ken Blackwell, whom we first mentioned when OKGOP Chairman Gary Jones endorsed him, continues to gain heavy-weight endorsements in his bid. Today, Blackwell announced a whole slew of new supporters. Here's the press release:

Conservative Leaders Endorse Ken Blackwell for RNC C

A broad cross-section of American conservative economic, social and foreign policy leaders has endorsed the candidacy of former Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell for chairman of the Republican National Committee (RNC).

The election will be at an RNC meeting in D.C. January 28-31.

A meeting of conservative leaders, gathered by the Council for National Policy on November 13, asked Virginia Republican National Committeeman Morton Blackwell (no relation to Ken Blackwell) to prepare and distribute a list of questions for the RNC chairmanship candidates.

All six active candidates, Saul Anuzis of Michigan, Ken Blackwell of Ohio, Katon Dawson of South Carolina, Mike Duncan of Kentucky, John “Chip” Saltsman of Tennessee, and Michael Steele of Maryland, answered the questions. The 37 questions and the six candidates’ answers are posted on the website Townhall.com.

After a review on January 2 of the candidates’ answers and a discussion of their other qualifications, the conservative leaders listed below announced their support of Ken Blackwell and urged the 168 members of the RNC to elect him at their late-January meeting.

Their organizational affiliations are provided for identification only.

The conservative endorsers noted that there were other good candidates, but all agreed that Ken Blackwell is the best choice. They intend to contact grassroots conservatives across the country and ask them to urge the three RNC members from each state and U.S. territory to vote for Ken Blackwell for RNC chairman.

Gary Aldrich, Chairman, CNP Action, Inc.
MORTON C. BLACKWELL, Virginia Republican National Committeeman
Robert B. Bluey, Contributing Editor, RedState
L. Brent Bozell, Founder and President, Media Research Center
Kellyanne Conway, CEO and President, the polling company, inc./WomanTrend

T. Kenneth Cribb, Jr., Former Domestic Advisor to President Reagan
JAMES C. DOBSON, Ph.D., FOUNDER & CHAIRMAN, FOCUS ON THE FAMILY
Becky Norton Dunlop, President, Council for National Policy
Stuart W. Epperson, Chairman, Salem Communications Corporation
STEVE FORBERS, CHAIRMAN & CEO, FORBES MEDIA

Dr. Ronald Godwin, Vice Chancellor, Liberty University
Rebecca Hagelin, Author and Conservative Columnist
Colin Hanna, President, Let Freedom Ring
DAVID KEEN, Chairman, American Conservative Union
Tim LaHaye, Founder and President, Tim LaHaye Ministries

ED MEESE, PAST PRESIDENT, COUNCIL FOR NATIONAL POLICY
James C. Miller, Past President, Council for National Policy
TONY PERKINS, PRESIDENT, FAMILY RESEARCH COUNCIL
Ken Raasch, Chairman & CEO, Creative Brands Group
Alfred S. Regnery, Publisher, The American Spectator

PHYLLIS SCHLAFLY, PRESIDENT, EAGLE FORUM
PAT TOOMEY, PRESIDENT, CLUB FOR GROWTH
Richard Viguerie, Chairman, ConservativeHQ.com

[all-caps emphasis are mine; major endorsements]

Blackwell has gathered so many influential supporters, as well as the most publicly announced Republican National Committee members, that any other candidate will have a hard time beating Ken Blackwell.

From what I'm seeing and hearing, this is Ken Blackwell's race to lose. I'm predicting a Blackwell victory come February.