The election for RNC chairman is almost upon us. For those of you following the race, after the jump I’ve included the latest endorsements for the Michael Steele and Katon Dawson campaigns, along with a lengthy strategy memo from the Ken Balckwell camp.

UPDATE: The Dawson campaign just emailed to announce the endorsement of North Dakota G.O.P. chair Gary Emineth.

Here’s the latest endorsement for Michael Steele:

From Randy Evans, Chairman of Newt Gingrich’s company, Gingrich Holdings, Inc. and General Counsel of the Republican Party of Georgia.
Our Party desperately needs positive change. While the decision about our next RNC Chairman belongs solely to the members of the Republican National Committee, I’d offer these insights as encouragement.
First, please know that I wholeheartedly, and in the strongest possible terms, support Michael Steele for Chairman of the Republican National Committee.
Michael has the combination of voice, values and vision necessary to lead us to a better Party that can speak to hearts of new generations without compromising the values in which we believe.
Michael has served our Party unselfishly for more than 20 years, most recently as an energetic and effective Chairman of GOPAC – taking that organization to the next level. Contrary to what some would like you to believe, it was the leadership of Michael Steele that assured GOPAC made the difference for Republican candidates at the state level even while Republicans were taking a beating at the federal level.
Thanks to that strong, positive leadership, GOPAC contributed mightily to Republican victories in a great many states and legislatures around America.
Michael Steele knows that to win we must articulate a positive and compelling vision that shows Americans who we are and where we want to go. Michael Steele will be that voice for innovation and new ideas. And importantly, his will be a message founded solidly on the conservative principles of economic growth, individual liberty, fiscal restraint, and respect for the value and sanctity of life.
I’m convinced Michael Steele will provide the RNC and the entire Republican Party the inspired leadership, new ideas, commitment to involve and empower people, and a plan to update our technology and means of communications.
Please join me in support of Michael Steele for Chairman. Thanks.

Here’s a lengthy strategy memo sent out by the Blackwell campaign:

TO: BLACKWELL LEADERSHIP
FROM: JOHN YOB, CAMPAIGN MANAGER
SUBJECT: FINAL WEEK
DATE: 1/26/09
FINAL WEEK
Thanks to your hard work since December 5th, Ken Blackwell is now in the position to be elected as the next Chairman of the Republican National Committee. Despite joining the race a month later than the other candidates, not being a member of the committee, and being subjected to regular anonymous email attacks, Ken’s campaign is in excellent position to be successful on January 30th and 31st
The Blackwell strategy for the final week of the campaign is simple and straightforward: secure a base of votes on the first ballot, hold those votes through five ballots, and reach the necessary 85-vote mark on a later ballot.
This document outlines some of the details related to our victory strategy so that you can be properly prepared.
Endorsements
We do not intend to release any additional public endorsements after Monday afternoon since members will begin travelling on Tuesday morning and the positive effect of disseminating such information will sharply decrease. As members arrive in DC, what they really want to do is to personally talk with the candidates. This will also prevent other campaigns from targeting our supporters, which they began to do systematically about three days ago. The exception to this plan is that if we feel another campaign releases an endorsement of a member who is committed to vote for Ken, we may choose to correct the record. This occurred last week on a couple of occasions and we plan to take appropriate measures to make those corrections this week.
As other campaigns release public endorsements, please take a moment of your time to call those individuals and encourage them to support Ken on the second ballot or before.
Current Status of Race
The past two months of the campaign have been similar to the time trials at the Indy 500. They don’t decide who wins; instead they decide who starts in which position for the first lap. The race begins when the balloting begins.
Commitment through Six Ballots
It is absolutely critical that every supporter who is committed to this team is also committed to voting for Ken Blackwell through at least six ballots. Ken or one of the campaign Co-Chairs will be calling everyone this week to re-confirm that this is the case.
Potential for Long Day(s)
You should prepare for the possibility of the election going all day Friday and even into Saturday. Ken will not be endorsing another candidate at any time and we assume some of the other candidates will have a similar strategy. This positioning will likely mean several ballots, and possibly even a stalemate. Those of you who have booked return fights for Saturday should be aware that the election conceivably could stretch late into the day on Saturday. If you have plans to check out of the hotel on Saturday, you may need to revisit that decision based on where we are on Friday night.
Placement
Mike Duncan will take first place on the first ballot and will have somewhere in the range of 65 votes. We anticipate that he will drop after the first ballot unless another candidate endorses him. Our internal counts currently have Ken doing very well with positions 2, 3, 4, and 5 tightly bunched in the 20’s in terms of hard commitments. If any candidate not named Mike Duncan claims to be in the high 30’s or 40’s please politely ask them to show you a list or stop spinning.
We believe that candidates in placements 2-5 will be separated by a relatively small number of votes. Therefore, as long as the campaigns are competitive, there won’t be much difference between coming in 2nd or 5th. Help us to make sure our supporters do not get nervous about a 5th nor overconfident about a 2nd. Verify that your friends know there is no run-off between the top two candidates and that candidates who finish in the lower positions on the first ballot (who have low negatives among the membership) traditionally surge in later ballots.
We are confident we will win this race regardless of where we come in on the first ballot. Remember, Ken has won the hearts of many members who committed to another candidate for the first ballot or two prior to December 5th, when Ken announced his intention to run. We expect that Ken will pick up a number of these votes on ballots 2 and 3.
Later Ballot Commitments
With a large percentage of the members already committed on Ballot 1, the important thing to focus 2nd, 3rd, and 4th ballot commitments. We frankly believe that a second or third on this week is the 2nd ballot commitment is as important, and arguably more important, than a first ballot commitment because momentum is critical.
Ken Blackwell joined the race almost a month after the other candidates. There are several people who already committed to other campaigns for the first two ballots but now prefer Ken Blackwell. Therefore we will make gains as balloting continues.
Historical Precedent
Jim Nicholson placed a distant third in the race for Chairman in 1997 with only 23 first ballot votes. As you can see in the results below, he very quickly moved up with second and third ballot commitments. He increased tremendously upon securing the endorsements of Tom Pauken and Chuck Yob after the third ballot and ultimately won the race with a call for unanimous support on the sixth ballot. We believe a similar result is likely this election but it will likely take additional ballots.
As you can see, if we continue the Indy 500 metaphor, the first two spots in the time trials are not necessarily the winning positions.
Most Qualified Candidate
When RNC Members see a bunching of candidates 2-5 on the first couple of ballots they are going to think hard about which candidate is the most qualified, rather than which candidate they know the best. Ken is clearly the most qualified candidate. There is no other candidate who even comes close to competing with Ken Blackwell in terms of resume. He was an Ambassador at the UN, Undersecretary at HUD, Secretary of State of Ohio, Treasurer of Ohio, and led national efforts to fight statistical sampling. The other challengers are good people but I don’t think any of them would argue they have more experience than Ken Blackwell.
Campaign Offers
Some of the campaigns are being very aggressive in their offers to RNC Members. Please do not be swayed by any offers you receive from other campaigns and please promptly report them to the campaign. We will handle these issues in the appropriate manner with regard to the respective campaign.
Our top priority is what is best for the party and we all strongly believe that Ken Blackwell gives our party the best opportunity for success against the Obama Administration.
Conservative Positioning
Some of the other candidates fault Ken for being too conservative. Please push back on this hard. Ken is not going to hide from his positions as a full spectrum conservative. He worked with Jack Kemp on pro-growth policies in the 1990’s and is on the board of the National Taxpayers Union and the Club for Growth. He is also pro-life and believes we are a pro-life party – but understands the need to highlight different issues in different areas of the country. He has received more than 30% of the African American vote in Ohio and has a better record than any other candidate in attracting Democrat votes.
Conclusion
There are two tasks that are critical for our campaign leadership. We need you to work hard to 1st, 2nd and 3rd ballots and we need you to keep your fellow Blackwell supporters unified and encouraged. Do not let each other get overconfident about a good ballot, and do not let each other get down about a mediocre ballot. The important thing is to stay strong and stick with the campaign strategy. If everyone does that, the mission will be successful and Ken Blackwell will be the next Chairman of the Republican National Committee.
Thank you!

And here’s another endorsement letter for Dawson from the Tennessee G.O.P.:

Like you, we have struggled with the choice of RNC Chairman. We are impressed with the caliber of the field and for that reason, have found it difficult to choose. All are good Republicans and all have something important to offer our Party
After careful consideration, we have come to the conclusion that Katon Dawson offers the best choice among the available candidates. We need to send a message of change—to our base and to the electorate at large. We need to let people know that the Party recognizes what has happened in the last two elections and is prepared to do something about it. Katon offers that message of change. In addition he brings the necessary experience and commitment to the position. Katon has developed a strong plan for the future of the RNC and has the will to see that it is implemented. It is a Plan that stresses the importance of state and local parties. That is where we believe that our Party will rise or fall.
Katon understands and appreciates the crucial issue of redistricting. He knows that we are behind in this fight. He is prepared to deal with the political and legal elements of this struggle. And he is prepared to do so now.
Katon understands that the Chairman is not the only face nor is he the only voice of the Party. Katon will utilize the full range of talented Republican leaders to put forth our message.
Importantly, Katon has served on our Committee. He understands its strengths and weaknesses. He believes that the members have got to be involved in the operation of the RNC. Under his leadership, we will be.
We are proud to endorse Katon Dawson for Chairman of the RNC. We believe that in a field of well qualified candidates, he is the best choice.
John L. Ryder, National Committeeman for Tennessee
Robin Smith, Chairman, Tennessee Republican Party