RNC hopefuls stress return to core values

WASHINGTON, Jan. 6 (UPI) -- The six men trying to become the Republican National Committee chairman agreed during a debate the party must return to its core principles.

The candidates also acknowledged they must borrow from President-elect Barack Obama's playbook, and become more technology savvy and learn how to compete in traditionally Democratic states, The Baltimore Sun reported Tuesday.

Of the five candidates hoping to unseat incumbent Mike Duncan, three candidates -- former Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell, South Carolina Republican Party Chairman Katon Dawson and former Tennessee GOP leader Chip Saltsman -- are considered more conservative, The Wall Street Journal said. Two contenders, former Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael Steele and Michigan Republican Party Chairman Saul Anuzis, are moderates.

The 168 members of the Republican National Committee elect their next chairman Jan. 28.

During the debate sponsored by the conservative anti-tax group Americans for Tax Reform, the candidates agreed on what they consider the party's recent missteps, such as embracing big government spending, failing to incorporate new technology into the committee's management and party campaigning, and alienating key constituencies, including minorities.

The candidates agreed the party's comeback strategy after poor showings in 2006 and 2008 center on restating the party's core values instead of articulating new message or shifting positions on key issues, the Sun said.

"We just need to learn to talk to people a little bit better than we have," Steele said.