No subject

worries that his selection would reinforce the notion that Republicans are
increasingly becoming a Southern regional party. Mr. Dawson also withdrew
from an all-white country club he belonged before he started running for
office, a point that was raised by Republicans concerned that it would
provide a bad contrast in a year when the country elected its first
African-American president.

Mr. Steele also represented an important break for Republicans for another
reason: He was one of two outsiders - non-members of the committee - running
to be its leader. Historically, the party typically chooses members to be
its leaders.

Mr. Steele accepted the selection after a prolonged standing ovation from
members who were clearly tired after five hours of voting.

"As a little boy growing up in this town, this is awesome," he said.

Mr. Steele also signaled that after an election in which there were signs
that the party was shrinking - in terms of parts of the country and groups
it was appealing to - he would make a concerted effort to get the party back
on track and compete with Democrats. His speech offered a sharp contrast of
tone in a meeting that had been marked by expressions of concern by leaders
of the party. 

"It's time for something completely different and we're going to bring it to
them," Mr. Steele said. "We're going to bring this party to every corner, to
every boardroom, to every neighborhood, to every community. And we're going
to say to friend and foe alike, 'we want you to be a part of us, we want you
to be with us and for those of you who are going to obstruct, get ready to
be knocked over.' "

Mr. Steele was one of two African-Americans competing to be the party's
leader. The other was Ken Blackwell, the former Ohio secretary of state. Mr.
Blackwell quit the race after the fourth ballot, in which he drew just 15
votes. He then endorsed Mr. Steele, which had ideological significance: Mr.
Blackwell was among the most conservative candidates in the race, and there
were recurring concerns among some conservatives about Mr. Steele's
convictions. 

The results also signaled a desire by the party to make a clear break with
former President George W. Bush. The incumbent chairman, Mike Duncan, who
had been installed in the job by Mr. Bush, withdrew after the third ballot,
in which he got just 41 votes, compared with 52 votes in the first ballot. 

"Obviously, the winds of change are blowing at the R.N.C.," Mr. Duncan said.

Mr. Steele made no mention of his race in his acceptance speech, and members
said that was not a major factor in their decision. Nonetheless, it was
clearly a force, playing out at a time when the nation has just inaugurated
its first black president. 

In addition to Mr. Dawson's experience with a white country club, another
candidate for candidate - Chip Saltsman of Tennessee - came under fire after
distributing a Christmas CD with a song parody entitled, "Barack the Magic
Negro."

Mr. Saltsman dropped out of the race on the eve of the contest after
apparently failing to qualify for the ballot 

Mr. Steele was the first African-American elected to a statewide office in
Maryland in 2003, when he became the state's lieutenant governor. He ran
unsuccessfully for the United States Senate in 2006.