Steele’s bid for national party job comes up short

After losing his bid for the U.S. Senate to Democrat Ben Cardin, Republican Michael Steele said he would like to run for the top job at the Republican National Committee when Chairman Ken Mehlman’s term expires in January.

Looks like he has lost out on that job as well.

Florida Sen. Mel Martinez has been tapped by President George Bush to be the next committee chairman, according to a CNN report.

Steele could not be reached for comment Monday afternoon.

The chairmanship of the national Republican committee is decided by the votes of all the delegates to the committee’s January meeting comprised of the state party chairs and national committee members from all 50 states.

John Kane, chairman of the Maryland Republican Party, said Steele’s failed Senate bid would not hurt him in campaigning for another national office of sorts.

“He’s battle-tested,” Kane said. “The people who would elect him know that he was the chair of the state party, he knows the campaign ... and he understands the grassroots efforts on a national level.”

Kane said Steele could be a valuable asset in the party’s efforts to reach out to black voters who have felt marginalized by the GOP in the past. But Kane said recommendations from the Republican White House generally carry a lot of weight with the committee’s voters.

Steele is no stranger to the inner workings of the Republican Party. He was chairman of the Prince George’s County Republican Central Committee for six years before serving for two years as chair of the state central committee beginning in 2000.

But Steele’s success as the first black elected to statewide office couldn’t create the momentum to carry him to victory over Cardin in the race for Maryland’s first open U.S. Senate seat in more than 20 years.

Steele’s campaign drew praise and criticism for its unconventional television ads featuring Boston terrier puppies and Steele as the nice-guy alternative to the traditional politician.