Bush Picks New GOP Chairman

President Bush tapped former Montana Gov. Marc Racicot to head the Republican National Committee on Wednesday, saying the new chairman will make a special effort to reach out to minorities and labor unions.

"He has got a fine history of winning races and he'll translate that into practice come next fall, the 2002 races," Mr. Bush said in an Oval Office meeting with Racicot and the outgoing chairman, Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore.

"Marc has got a history of success, he knows how to build grass-roots organizations, he's going to reach out to members of the labor unions and the minorities, just like Jim Gilmore did, to continue to take our positive, optimistic message to all neighborhoods around the country," he said.

Racicot said his history as a team player will serve the party well. Gilmore and the White House often clashed.

"We have many candidates to support, many efforts to be undertaken, many opportunities to reach out and try to touch the people of this great nation as we set about to vindicate the principles and goals of the Republican Party," he said.

Later, Racicot told reporters he would continue his legal work a Washington law firm, where is also is a lobbyist.

Mr. Bush picked a staunch ally as the GOP heads into midterm elections next year, and party leaders are expected to endorse the selection next month.

Gilmore resigned Friday amid friction with the White House.

Mr. Bush turned to Racicot — pronounced RAHS-koh — as part of a broader overhaul of RNC operations to prepare for the 2002 elections, with control of Congress and three dozen statehouses at stake.

The president gave his blessing to Racicot's selection during a meeting Tuesday with staff. Republican leaders were notified of the decision late Tuesday, according to two senior Republican officials who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Racicot, 53, a two-term Montana governor, was one of Mr. Bush's earliest supporters. He helped the Texan gain the backing of a majority of GOP governors in the late 1990s, creating a launching pad for the Bush presidential campaign.

During the Florida election recount, Racicot emerged as one of the Bush campaign's most effective spokesmen. He projected a sense of calm and order amid the chaotic political climate, Democratic and Republican admirers said.

He was the president's first choice to be attorney general, but took himself out of the running for family and financial reasons. Conservative activists objected to his candidacy because he was considered too moderate on some issues.

Mr. Bush selected staunch conservative John Ashcroft, a former Missouri governor and senator.

Since the campaign, Racicot has been working at a Washington law firm.

Party members elect the RNC chairman at a meeting next month. Mr. Bush's choice is virtually certain to get the nod because he is the titular head of the party.

In recent days, Racicot and senior Bush adviser Karl Rove discussed terms of employment. One ssue was whether the former governor can earn money from outside the RNC after he becomes chairman, the officials said.

White House officials said there was no other serious contender for the job unless Racicot had turned it down. Names of several other prospects were floated just in case, including Rep. J.C. Watts, R-Okla., and Rep. Henry Bonilla, R-Texas.

Gilmore had clashed with the White House, angling for more authority over the RNC than Mr. Bush or Rove would allow. Racicot is considered a team player by the White House, a savvy politician who will follow Rove's lead, help raise money and represent the president well on television.

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