In between the first and second ballots, Duncan lost four, Steele gained two, Dawson gained one, Anuzis gained two, and Blackwell lost one. It’s looking like a long day. Basically, five votes changed hands. (The first-ballot total was Duncan 52, Steele 46, Dawson 28, Anuzis 22, Blackwell 20.)

While the second ballot was being cast, the discussion in the cramped, wireless-free press section was about who drops out first, and how the rest plays out. Both Saul Anuzis and Ken Blackwell have in-state rivals who are hell-bent on ensuring their intraparty foe doesn’t end up running the national party. They’ll be using their influence to push the “anybody but Saul” and “anybody but Ken” candidates when it winnows down a bit. Katon Dawson seemed to be gaining momentum before the voting, and the buzz was that he was wowing members in the closed-door meetings, so his 16 percent of the vote (17 percent on the second ballot) seems a little tepid. The knock on Steele is that he’s too moderate or too liberal to run the party, and so if the race comes down to Steele and Not Steele, some of the most vocally conservative members might be forced into backing the Not Steele candidate.

No candidate has to drop out at any point, but last place and sliding is a tough spot to be in, so Blackwell seems to be the most likely to make it a four-man race.

Another reporter notes that the RNC has to be out of the ballroom by 5 p.m. because a wedding is slated to use the room starting at 5:30. Besides the RNC Chair, the RNC has to elect several other positions, including co-chair, secretary, and treasurer.