GOP governors seek new party leader

SAN DIEGO, Nov. 18 (UPI) -- Two GOP governors came out against Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele Thursday and called for new party leadership.

Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour and Texas Gov. Rick Perry said RNC members should look for a new party leader, even though the GOP routed the Democrats in the Nov. 2 midterm elections, Politico reported.

"To defeat an incumbent president, even one that's got the political problems of this one, the RNC has to operate at absolutely maximum capacity, and this year they operated far, far, far below that in terms of fundraising, in terms of grassroots organization and in terms of building strong, self-reliant state parties," Barbour, the outgoing chairman of the Republican Governors Association and a former national party chairman, said at the RGA meeting in San Diego.

Perry, the incoming RGA chairman, didn't make a direct reference to Steele but did ask members to get behind RGA Executive Director Nick Ayers.

"In 2012, the RNC is going to play a very, very important role, so whoever they choose needs to be someone who truly has the ability to represent the party and is a highly capable individual from the standpoint of raising money and organization. And I know that Nick Ayers is a very capable young man," Perry said, adding, "The vast majority of Republican governors are highly supportive of Nick."