Marc Raciot, 43 Alumni for Joe Biden
Chairman of the RNC
On December 5, 2001, President George W. Bush announced that he would appoint Racicot, a strong Bush ally,[15] to become the Chairman of the Republican National Committee. He was one of Bush's earliest supporters and was a very effective spokesman for the Bush campaign in the recount debacle.[16][17] In addition, Racicot was Bush's first choice for U.S. Attorney General, but he took himself off the list for personal reasons.[18][19][20][21] In order to be confirmed, he severed ties to lobbying organizations that were connected to Enron.[22] On January 18, 2002 the 165-member RNC unanimously ratified Racicot.[23]
Racicot was extremely successful as the Republican party performed very well in the 2002 midterm elections.[24] Republicans took control the U.S. Senate, making Bill Frist the Senate Majority Leader. In the wake of the McCain-Feingold finance reform, the RNC raised a record-$250 million in soft money.[25]
In January 2003, he decided to resign to become Chairman of Bush's 2004 re-election campaign.