Brevard County County Republican Chairman Jason Steele, a vocal critic of outgoing state chairman Jim Greer and the victim of an effort by a former party staffer to damage him with a fake Twitter account, is calling on executive committee members to support John Thrasher for state chairman, and Thrasher says he has hired recently laid off RPF staffers to work on his campaign for chair. Steele's letter:

There has been much discussion about our GOP's chairmanship in the past month. As many of you are aware, I have been a strong advocate for state Sen. John Thrasher as the next chairman of the Republican Party of Florida.

For the past year, our party has been in drastic need of medical attention. We have been bleeding out. Divisions have widened and separated our party membership, we have lost much of our financial support, and some have called into question even the most basic tenets of the Republican Party and its commitment to our state and our nation.

In these times of hemorrhage, we need a critical care surgeon to stop the bleeding, and John Thrasher is that man! Sen. Thrasher brings a wealth of experience and a unifying strength to the RPOF that will revive us, and will rejuvenate us, so that new leadership can begin in 2011 with a Florida GOP that is alive and healthy.

Sen. Thrasher brings three things we need desperately in 2010. He brings:

Stability: As the Speaker of the Florida House, John has proven that he can unify our party to accomplish our immediate goals.

Fund Raising: Sen. Thrasher has been a GOP mainstay. Very few others would come to us with the financial resources available to Sen. Thrasher, and I for one am grateful for this.

Credibility: As a former Speaker of the Florida House, a sitting state Senator and a long time GOP leader, John Thrasher brings to the chairmanship the strength, dedication and experience that can almost instantly restore our party's credibility in these tough times.

Sen. Thrasher has said he only wishes to fill the chair until the 2011 regularly scheduled committee election. He has said he will step down at that time, and make way for new leadership.

That is the time for a long-term care plan for the continued success of our party. Once the immediate problems are solved, the 2010 elections have passed and we can rebuild, we can thank our "trauma surgeon" and look for a family physician.

As always, In unity,

Sincerely, Jason Steele

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