The American Spectator

Washington Prowler

(Page 2 of 2)

Richard Riordan out in California, but Marc was very upset at how that Republican primary was handled. He pressed for the White House to at least talk to [now Republican nominee] Bill Simon before the primary election, but he was ignored," says a senior RNC aide. "He's disenchanted with the job, because he feels he's been cut out of most of the political decisions. Those are made by others inside the White House and then handed off to the RNC." /p>

Racicot is also said to have felt he should have been consulted more in the decision to bring Mitt Romney back to run for Massachusetts governor.

Racicot served a governor of Montana from 1993 to 2001 and turned down an RNC request that he run for the Senate. Instead, citing the need to earn money for his family, Racicot joined the Washington office of the law firm of Bracewell & Patterson, where he lobbied for, among other clients, Enron. He is not a full-time RNC chairman. Instead, he continues to work for his firm on a number of different issues, but has said he will not lobby or represent clients before Congress or the White House. "I think he feels torn. He has no desire to work full-time for the RNC, but on the other hand, he took on this role out of personal loyalty and friendship to President Bush. He doesn't want to let him down," says another senior RNC adviser.

If Racicot does step aside, almost certainly not before this fall's mid-term elections, RNC staff expect Deputy Chairman Jack Oliver to be the likely successor due to his ties to Karl Rove. Oliver is credited with the RNC's improved outreach program to Hispanics.

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