Enid Greene Mickelsen, the Republican national committeewoman of Utah, has endorsed Maria Cino for chair of the RNC. In a letter to the committee, Mickelsen cites Cino’s experience in electing Republicans as her strongest point. “When I was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1994, Maria had taken a debt-ridden, moribund NRCC and turned it into the vehicle that delivered a Republican majority for the first time in 40 years,” Mickelsen recounts. “And she didn’t play favorites; she worked with every Republican candidate to achieve that majority.”

Furthermore, Mickelsen defends Cino’s pro-life bona fides. “Some have criticized Maria for donating to Republican candidates who do not agree with her personal views on every issue,” she writes. “But far from betraying our values, Maria’s actions underscore her understanding of the need to elect enough Republicans to be able to control the awesome and terrible power of the federal government.” The full letter is below.

Dear Members of the RNC,
I hope that you all had a blessed and joyful holiday season.
Like each of you, I have recently spent a great deal of time reflecting on the state of the RNC and how we best move forward at this critical juncture in our nation’s history. After much consideration, I have decided to support Maria Cino as our next RNC Chair and want to share my reasons with you.
I respect the different qualities that each of the candidates offers. But as I survey the political and financial landscape we face, I want the most experienced manager with a proven track record of raising lots of money and successfully overhauling national programs. That is Maria Cino.
The role of the Chairman in this cycle is clear, and in my view it is not to be the standard bearer of the Party. That will be whomever we select as the Presidential nominee. The head of the RNC must raise the money and oversee the programs that will allow our nominee, and all of our down-ticket candidates, to get their message out and get our voters to the polls.
When I was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1994, Maria had taken a debt-ridden, moribund NRCC and turned it into the vehicle that delivered a Republican majority for the first time in 40 years. And she didn’t play favorites; she worked with every Republican candidate to achieve that majority.
Some have criticized Maria for donating to Republican candidates who do not agree with her personal views on every issue. As a pro-life woman, I will continue to fight for the protection of life, and other issues, in our platform. But far from betraying our values, Maria’s actions underscore her understanding of the need to elect enough Republicans to be able to control the awesome and terrible power of the federal government.
The next two years will be difficult. We have to embrace and gain the trust of Tea Party Americans. We have to protect a new majority in the House and retake the Senate. We have to elect a new president. And we have to show the American people that we live by our principles. We have less than 24 months, and we need seasoned, capable, effective leadership at our head.
No candidate in this race has more experience and ability than Maria Cino. No one has demonstrated more commitment to electing Republicans. No one has raised more money. No one has successfully run more effective programs. No one has helped more candidates win.
I invite you to review Maria’s lifetime commitment to our Party and her record of success, and join me supporting her as our next Chairman.
I look forward to seeing you next week.
Enid Greene Mickelsen
National Committeewoman for Utah