Ex-Missouri GOP Chief Wagner to Challenge Steele

Beleaguered Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman Michael Steele says he has not decided whether to seek a second term, but the field is forming without him. Former Missouri GOP Chairwoman Ann Wagner has decided to enter the fray, the National Journal Hotline On Call political blog reports.

"We must start immediately to erase past debt and to restore the confidence of our donor base,” Hotline reports her saying in a video. “We must have these resources in order to take back the White House and complete the job that was started this year. Fundraising must come first. We also must have greater transparency and accountability when it comes to the RNC's budget and expenditures."

Wagner, who co-chaired the RNC from 2000 to 2004, is a former ambassador to Luxembourg. She joins Saul Anuzis, former head of the Republican Party in Michigan and a 2009 candidate for the RNC helm, as an announced candidate.

Meanwhile, former U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman of Minnesota, who had been expected to challenge Steele, has decided not to do so, according to Politics Daily. Coleman told C-SPAN, “I am not here to do any battles with our chairman,” Politics Daily reported.