UPDATE: Michael Steele will not be seeking re-election as RNC chair, FoxNews.com reports, and plans to announce Monday that he will drop out of the contested race.
Original story unfolds below
On Monday, Republican National National Committee chairman Michael Steele plans to reveal whether he will seek reelection for another term, according to a published report.
Steele on Saturday evening emailed a note to committee members for warning of the upcoming major announcement.
“Dear Members, Please join me for a private conference call, Monday December 13th at 7:30pm (EST),'" he wrote. "For your personal conference code please RSPV to ... Thank you, and I look forward to talking to you Monday evening. Michael.”
Steele's supporters told Politico that they expect him not to seek reelection next month. A key sign that he will step down is that he has yet to gather a reelection team with which to face the growing number of challengers for his job.
Since being elected the first African-American GOP chairman in January 2009, Steele has embarrassed party loyalists with his poor fundraising and messaging abilities. He has also been a frequent target of the late night talk show circuit.
"Chairman Steele was actually scheduled to be a guest on this program back on January 18," The Daily Show's Jon Stewart explained to his audience in August. "But he had to cancel because it conflicted with him, um, deciding he did not want to be on the show any more
Here is the original story.
RNC Chairman Steele to Announce Intentions on a Second TermPublished December 12, 2010
FoxNews.com
Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele will speak with RNC members Monday evening in which he is expected to announce a decision about whether to make another run for the party chairmanship. A handful of well-placed and influential RNC insiders tell Fox News they expect Steele to announce he is not running for re-election.
But Steele has been unpredictable, especially over recent weeks, and some close to the GOP chairman say he wants to run for another term and is struggling to find enough support for a second term.
Fox News confirmed Steele sent an e-mail to committee members Saturday night with the subject line, "conference call."
In the note, he asked members to join him "for a private conference call" Monday evening.
Republicans picked up 63 seats in the House, narrowed the gap in the Senate and picked up 19 state legislative bodies in the November midtem election, but pressure has been mounting all year for Steele to step down from the position.
Critics have described the chairman as gaffe-prone and said he hasn't raised enough money. The criticism has resulted in an array of challenges or potential challenges for Steele's job from Wisconsin Republican Party Chairman Reince Priebus, former RNC Co-Chairwoman Ann Wagner, longtime Republican official Maria Cino, former Michigan Republican Party Chairman Saul Anuzis and former RNC Political Director Gentry Collins.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/12/12/rnc-chairman-michael-steele-expected-resign/