National Journal’s Reid Wilson has the scoop:
Priebus, the chairman of the Wisconsin Republican Party, has won backing from Indiana national committee member Jim Bopp, a prominent Republican attorney and the founder of a group of conservative members of the RNC.
Bopp’s group, the Republican National Conservative Caucus, was formed just before the 2009 RNC election. Many saw it as a way to coalesce behind a candidate other than Michael Steele, who went on to win the chairmanship.
Priebus “has successfully employed in Wisconsin and intends to implement in the RNC a leadership team approach, which I believe is vital for any Chairman’s success. This means bring together a top notched group of RNC members and professionals … to guide the RNC’s activities,” Bopp wrote in an email to fellow RNC members.
Bopp’s endorsement means 18 of the 168 members of the RNC publicly back Priebus, far more than support any other candidate for the chairmanship. And Bopp’s endorsement will help Priebus convince wavering conservatives that he is the right candidate for the job.