Republican National Committee chief Michael Steele will be facing a challenge from a former U.S. ambassador and Missouri GOP chair named Ann Wagner, according to
Politico. Steele has not yet announced if he is going to run again but former Michigan GOP chair Saul Anuzis formally announced his bid for the chairmanship Friday, while Pennsylvania chair Rob Gleason, Connecticut party chair Chris Healy and Wisconsin party chair Reince Priebus also seem to be interested.
“Ann’s working the phones really hard and I think she’s very dedicated to trying to win this. This is for real, she’s working this hard. Ann never stammers,” Washington-based GOP strategist Gregg Hartley told Politico. “I think in the next few days, plan on it being formal.”
Wagner has been making all the moves of a candidate for RNC chair, even though she has not yet been specific about her intentions.
Wagner chaired Rep. Roy Blunt’s successful Senate campaign this year and co-chaired the RNC from 2000 to 2004.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.