Reid Wilson at the Hotline has the scoop on Sean Mahoney, whose resignation from the RNC seems to be less about his objection to Michael Steele than his likely run for Congress against Democrat Carol Shea-Porter:
NH RNC member Sean Mahoney resigned his post today, taking aim at chairman Michael Steele in a strongly-worded protest letter over the committee's profligate spending.
“Not only has the out-of-touch, free-spending culture of Washington come to completely dominate the United States Congress, but I have watched with growing unease as the same mentality has seeped into our own national party,” Mahoney said in a letter to Steele.
The letter is not entirely altruistic. Mahoney, a wealthy businessman from Portsmouth, has been considering a bid against Rep. Carol Shea-Porter (D) for months. Party rules say Mahoney would have to resign his post as national committeeman before he makes a bid official.
What’s notable isn’t that Mahoney resigned, it’s that his resignation and attack on Steele come parceled as part of what according to Wilson looks like a declaration of candidacy. That means Mahoney has calculated that vilifying Steele is potentially beneficial if he does decide to throw his hat into the ring.
While the talk in town is that Steele is unlikely to get the boot before his term as chairman expires next year, that may change if more candidates decide to distance themselves from the RNC. It can’t help Steele’s standing as the man in charge of getting Republicans elected if a number of those candidates are running expressly against his leadership this fall.