RNC Chairman Race Could Hinge on Abortion; Steele Said to Lack Re-election Votes

Monday at 1 p.m., candidates for the hotly contested RNC chairmanship will take part in a debate organized by Americans for Tax Reform (ATR) and the Daily Caller. (The event will take place at the National Press Club, but you can watch it live here.)

Viewers are encouraged to submit questions, and one regarding the candidates' pro-life credentials is highly likely to come up.

Among those hoping to oust the embattled Michael Steele is Maria Cino -- a behind-the-scenes GOP player who organized the party's 2008 national convention, has close ties to Speaker-elect John Boehner, and has been endorsed by former Vice President Dick Cheney. Unfortunately for Cino, she may have already been tripped up by the abortion issue.

As LifeNews.com reported, there are "concerns from among pro-life advocates that Cino, who says at length that she is pro-life, served as a member of the board of directors of the WISH List, a pro-abortion organization that focuses on electing pro-abortion Republican women to top federal offices. Cino also made several donations to WISH List over the years covering the late 1990s."

Hoping to push back on the criticism, Cino's camp released a letter of support from Reps. Jean Schmidt (R-Ohio) and Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.). The letter notes that

Maria is a devout Roman Catholic and stands with us in our opposition to abortion. Maria has also stood with us in our battle just to get to the House of Representatives. Her work at View Pac has enabled women from all over the country to make our voices heard here in Washington.

Though former RNC political director Gentry Collins has dropped out of the race -- saying that any of the other challengers "would do a fine job leading the committee through the 2012 Election cycle" -- Cino still finds herself a long-shot candidate in the Jan. 14 vote.

Wisconsin Republican Party Chairman Reince Priebus is the early favorite to win. Also running are former Missouri GOP chairwoman Ann Wagner and ex-Michigan GOP chairman Saul Anuzis.

Politico is reporting that Steele does not have enough support to win election to another two-year term. He has been under fire for months, accused of financial mismanagement and often criticized for various gaffes -- including saying that abortion is an "individual choice" -- during his RNC tenure.

And in another blow to his campaign, two top aides to Steele have reportedly resigned. According to the Daily Caller, Michael Leavitt, Steele's chief of staff, and Doug Heye, his top spokesman, announced their resignations on Monday.