There is a burgeoning battle waging between competing factions of President-elect Donald Trump's transition team regarding the nomination of Reince Priebus heir as Republican National Committee chair, Politico reported Thursday.
The winning side of this Trump Tower debate – the GOP establishment vs. populist in Trump's inner circle – might hold the balance of power in the Trump administration going forward, according to the report.
Priebus' GOP-establishment side backs Mitt Romney niece and Michigan GOP chairwoman Ronna Romney McDaniel for the RNC post. The populist challenge is lead by the faction of Vice President-elect Mike Pence, Steve Bannon and GOP megadonor Rebekah Mercer – and they support an institutional outsider Nick Ayers, a Pence aide – according to the report.
"It's a question whether Reince, Bannon or Pence gets their pick, but I think Trump personally likes the person Reince likes the best," a source told Politico.
RNC official Matt Pinnell and veteran GOP operative Mercedes Schlapp are also candidates for the post, if not potential co-chairs, according to the report, which speculated a decision to come Friday or Saturday.
"I'm making the assumption that Reince Priebus, who has the ear of the president, is pretty much going to have 90 percent of the decision-making about who succeeds him, because he understands how delicate and how important the vehicle is," California committeeman Shawn Steel told Politico. "So if it's some name I'm not familiar with, I'll have to assume Reince endorses it and that he thinks it's a good idea."
Gov. Chris Christie, R-N.J., has been summarily dismissed as a candidate for RNC chairman, The New York Times reported earlier Thursday.
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