Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele, who got off to a rocky start in his job and stoked doubts in the party about him, is looking towards Tuesday's off-year races in Virginia, New Jersey and New York not only as potential signs of a GOP comeback but also evidence of his successful leadership, the Washington Post reports.
Steele points to a strong fundraising year that has sent $13 million into the gubernatorial races in Virginia and New Jersey. And he quickly embraced Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman in an upstate New York House race when the Republican, Dede Scozzafava, faded badly in the polls and dropped out yesterday.
But he hasn't shaken all his critics. The Post quotes one who said that if Republican Bob McDonnell wins in Virginia where he is way ahead in the polls, it is because he connected with voters. The unnamed "top party strategist" said "It's two steps backward and one step forward with the RNC."





