At this spring’s annual Gridiron Club dinner, Robert “Mike” Duncan’s routine was that of “the anonymous chairman,” a somewhat self-deprecating recognition that he is not as well-known outside the Beltway as his Democratic counterpart, Howard Dean.

But both Duncan, chairman of the Republican National Committee (RNC), and many high-profile Republicans say his low-key style makes him the right guy to play a crucial role in Sen. John McCain’s (R-Ariz.) bid for the White House.

Duncan, the consummate party man and longtime Kentucky committeeman, seems to embrace his behind-the-scenes role.

“I’m not in it to have a nationally known name,” he said. “Howard Dean is certainly better-known.”

A native of Inez, Ky., owner of two banks and a veteran of Republican politics for more than 30 years, Duncan worked at the RNC as general counsel and treasurer before taking on the chairman’s role.

When Duncan was elected to the spot, the plan was he would play a dual role. Duncan would do the “blocking and tackling of politics,” as Karl Rove put it, and Sen. Mel Martinez (R-Fla.) would be the party’s face, doing most of the TV work.

But after Martinez resigned his post last fall, Duncan stepped into the spotlight, sort of, and into a captain’s seat as his party tries to maintain control of the White House for a third consecutive term in the shadow of an unpopular president.

In an interview in his Capitol Hill office at RNC headquarters — sitting on one of the chairs adorned with University of Kentucky throw pillows — Duncan said the committee was ready when McCain became the party’s new standard-bearer.

Last year, with a big and diverse field of candidates vying for the nomination, Duncan approached each GOP campaign and told them what he was planning in each of the 50 states to prepare for the time when there was a nominee, according to Rove.

Because of Duncan’s relationship with the committee and the state parties, Martinez said, he is the right person for the job.

“He is well-known to the party people that John McCain may not know,” Martinez said.

There is one general response when asking Duncan or other senior Republicans to assess the RNC chairman’s performance: Look at the numbers. The RNC has significantly outraised the Democratic National Committee (DNC) this cycle, and everyone interviewed for this article noted that fact as crucial to McCain’s hopes in a year when the Democratic candidates are shattering fundraising records.

“The best way to judge the job you’re doing [as chairman] is [to ask,] ‘What is your cash on hand?’ ” said McConnell, a longtime friend of Duncan’s.

The RNC reported about $31 million in cash at the end of March, and Duncan said April will also be a good month. The DNC reported about $5 million at the end of March.

“That didn’t happen by accident,” Rove said.

“He’s not going to be the guy outscreaming Howard Dean,” Martinez said. “But he’ll out-work him.”
Dean, through a spokesperson, declined to comment on Duncan.

The RNC can spend about $20 million in direct coordination with McCain, but the rest can certainly be used to promote his candidacy in other ways.

Aside from building a party McCain was likely relieved to inherit, Duncan’s strength — as a result of his behind-the-scenes style — is his ability to manage the needs and egos, and he has in a short time been able to more or less coalesce the group around McCain.

“He is very low-key, but maybe because of that he has excellent relations with the state chairs and the national committemen,” Rove told The Hill.

Frank Donatelli, a longtime party operative and McCain’s new point man at the committee as Duncan’s deputy, said that last year, while the campaigns were in full swing, a “minority” of the national committeemen and -women were supporting McCain.

But Duncan was able to rein them in quickly, Donatelli said.

“It was a pleasant surprise,” Donatelli said. “I do give the chairman a lot of credit.”

Charlie Black, a senior McCain adviser and another longtime party operative, said Duncan has been able to “smooth over a lot of conflicts.”

“From the day McCain seemed to be the nominee, he welcomed us with open arms,” Black said.

Duncan’s help for McCain is only one issue he faces as he looks to the future.

Duncan, pointing to a picture of himself sitting in the Oval Office with Bush, said he has talked to the president about the role Bush will play in the campaign.

“He understood that the political spotlight would go off him at a certain point and go on our nominee, and he has encouraged me to do everything that I possibly can for Sen. McCain, and we are doing that and he is committed to doing what he can,” Duncan said. “He wants the party to be strong, he wants us to have a strong ticket on the ballot and he wants Sen. McCain to be elected.”

Bush has been “generous with his time” this year, having done 10 fundraising events for the party, Duncan said.

“People understand that this is about the future,” Duncan said when asked about the potential risks of Bush speaking at the convention this summer. “All conventions have a part of the past and a part of the future, but the centerpiece of this is going to be about John McCain, it’s going to be about his message to the American people.”