Michael Steele Wins RNC Chairmanship

When former Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell has thrown his support behind former Lt. Governor Michael Steele of Maryland.I knew it was just a matter of time.The Blackwell endorsement was the catalyst that propelled Steele to win the national Republican Party Chairmanship.
Michael Steele was born in my hometown of Washington DC in 1958 .

Steele won a scholarship to attend John Hopkins University in Baltimore ,Maryland.Steele graduated from John Hopkins in 1981.Steele then spent three years in seminary school studying to become a priest, he subsequently entered law school at Georgetown where he graduated in 1991.
According to Wkipedia " Steele became chairman of the Prince George's County Republican Central Committee.In 1995, the Maryland Republican Party selected him as Maryland State Republican Man of the Year. He worked on several political campaigns, was an Alternate Delegate to the 1996 Republican National Convention in San Diego and a Delegate to the 2000 Republican National Convention in Philadelphia that ultimately chose the George W. Bush ticket.
In December 2000, Steele was elected chairman of the Maryland Republican Party, becoming the first African American ever to be elected chairman of any state Republican Party.In 2002 then Congressman Robert Ehrlich chose Michael Steele to balance the ticket in his run for governor against then Lt. Governor Kathleen Kennedy.Kennedy denigrated the accomplishments of Steele by stating that "By contrast, Mr.Ehrlich's running mate, state GOP chairman Michael S. Steele,brings little to the team but the color of his skin." The Ehrlich-Steele ticket subsequently won,51%to48%.
Lt. Governor Steele was featured as a rising star in GOP circles this past decade. In 2004 and 2008 he played prominent roles in the Republican party conventions.In 2006 he ran for Senator form Maryland .Steele received endorsements from many conservative notables ,and he also received endorsements of support from his former brother in law ,Mike Tyson.This is not a typo ,Steeles's sister Dr. Monica Turner was married to Tyson .Steele also gained the endorsement of entertainment mogul Russell Simmons.Steele subsequently lost the senatorial race to then Democratic congressman,Benjamin Cardin by 55 %to 44%.

The rising star of Michael Steele parallels that of Barack Obama.
With Obama and Steele on the Democratic and Republican scene,African American men now play an integral part in both political parties.