ASSEMBLING THE A TEAM

Racicot to leave post at RNC to move to Bush 2004 campaign (RON FOURNIER, 05/05/2003, AP)

Republican National Committee chairman Marc Racicot is expected to become chairman of President Bush's re-election campaign and the leading candidate to replace him as party leader is Washington lobbyist Ed Gillespie.

Racicot, the former Montana governor who was one of Bush's more forceful advocates during the 2000 Florida recount, could assume the campaign post as early as July when the Republican National Committee meets for its midyear meeting, said several Republican sources who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The party has no better spokesman than Governor Racicot. Posted by Orrin Judd at May 6, 2003 11:19 PM