After six rounds of voting, Michael Steele has been elected as the first African-American chairman of the Republican National Committee (RNC). This mildly surprising victory of the more moderate Steele puts a new face on the party, which has been criticized for failing to appeal to minority voters.
Steele, the former Lieutanant Governor of Maryland, came to the podium with a "great deal of humility and sense of service," expressing that this as the fulfillment of a dream. He said "to friend and foe alike, we want you to be a part of us, we want you to work with us, and for those of you who want to obstruct, get ready to be knocked over."
He also had words for Northeast Republicans, "Get ready, baby, it's time to turn it on and work to do what we always do well, and that is win! We're gonna win again in the northeast." Steele will definitely be tested in his ability to generate Republican wins throughout the country with the 2009 governor's races in New Jersey and Virginia, and the 2010 midterm elections.
While Mike Duncan, the previous RNC Chairman and former frontrunner in this race expressed sentiment that "the winds of change are blowing at the RNC," Steele says he will continue to focus on conservative principles.
"We stand proud as the conservative party of the United States, and we will make sure we work hard to ensure that those principles, those values that have made us the party of Lincoln, are part of the issues, the policies to set a new direction for this country." He says that Republicans "concede no ground on matters of principle, and matters that matter to the people of this country."
Steele doesn't have an easy road ahead of him, and repairing the Republican image will be quite an undertaking. His victory comes as a relief to many Republicans, who are looking for a change after the past eight years, but will he be able to provide the type of leadership and cast the vision so many Republicans are craving?
Time will tell, of course, but the initial enthusiasm is a good sign.