Washington (CNN) - The next chairman of the Republican National Committee will be chosen by the 168 party activists who make up the party organization, and no one else.
But with with just 10 days left until next Friday's election, the candidates are using every tool at their disposal to curry favor with the RNC membership - including leveraging their friendships with powerful allies on Capitol Hill.
According to two RNC members, incoming House Speaker John Boehner has made phone calls to committee members on behalf of Maria Cino, the former Bush administration official and longtime GOP operative.
Cino, regarded as a dark horse in the RNC race, is close to the House Republican Leader and his chief-of-staff Barry Jackson, but Boehner has not offered a public endorsement for Cino.
A spokesman for Boehner did not return a call seeking comment.
Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan, the incoming chairman of the House Budget Committee, is also calling RNC members to lobby for his friend, Wisconsin GOP Chairman Reince Priebus, sources told CNN. Priebus and Ryan have been personal friends and political allies for over a decade.
Scott Walker, the governor-elect of Wisconsin, is also lobbying RNC members to vote for Priebus
From CNN Politics
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Boehner has to wait until Limbaugh tells him what to do and that's the only person he'll take his marching orders from and not from those of you who so foolishly voted this man as Speaker.
Transparency not behind clossd doors. SOO soon forgotten.
When will the "AMERICAN PEOPLE " wake up?????????
Why is this news? Everyone knows republicans hate democracy.
I can't believe we put a real cry baby as head of congress if he isn't playing golf or getting his weekly tan he is crying over what I have no idea cry baby cry
Transparency, transparency, transparency, wheres the transparency? By the way Boner, what is the republican plan to create jobs in America, and not overseas? What do you mean there isn't one.
Apparently, he likes doing a lot of things behind the scenes...even the swearing in of his staff, rewriting the rules regarding the budget and planning the use of Deem and Pass. I'm pretty sure the only thing the "Pledge" was good for was wiping someone's bottom....hopefully one of these pantwetting goofs in the GOP.
Hmmmm ... the GOP doesn't need a Black guy anymore, so Steele is out ... I'm putting my money on some old white guy who claims to be a Christian, so he can do and say decidedly un-Christian things, but let the GOP "base" feel OK about it.