Who is Michael Steele

Michael Stephen Steele (born October 19, 1958) is an American political figure, serving since January 2009 as the chairman of the Republican National Committee. He is the first African American to chair the Republican National Committee and the second to chair either major U.S. party's National Committee after Ron Brown, who chaired the Democratic National Committee. Steele was also the first African American to serve in a state-wide office in Maryland, as the Lieutenant Governor of Maryland from 2003 to 2007, where he chaired the Minority Business Enterprise taskforce and actively sought expa...

GOPAC is a Republican (GOP) state and local political training organization. Although often thought of as a PAC, or Political Action Committee, it is actually a 527. It is "the premier training organization for Republican candidates in elected office on the state and local levels."

GOPAC was founded by Delaware Governor Pierre S. du Pont, IV in 1978 in "an effort to build a farm team of Republican officeholders who could then run for congress or higher state offices later." http://www.gopac.com/gopac_chairmans_corner.php On February 1, 2007, former Maryland Lieutenant Governor Michael Steele became the chairman and served until his election as chairman of the Republican National Committee in January, 2009. The current chairman on GOPAC is Frank Donatelli.

Soon after Steele took over as chairman of GOPAC he said in an interview with Newsmax.com that he wants Republicans to know that the organization will soon be back as the powerful force it once was under Newt Gingrich. Steele told NewsMax that Republicans face a shrewd foe. In effect, he said, Democrats have wheeled themselves out as Trojan horses, ingratiating themselves with voters by pretending to adopt Republican values but then voting as traditional Democrats.http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2007/4/16/171319.shtml

Other past Chairmen of GOPAC include former Oklahoma Governor Frank Keating, former Georgia Congressman and Secretary of the Army Bo Callaway, California Congressman David Dreier, Arizona Congressman John Shadegg, former Oklahoma Congressman J.C. Watts, and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich of Georgia.