Fox News: Steele Will Not Seek Re-Election

Amid talk of RNC Chairman Michael Steele's announcement regarding his re-election campaign, multiple news outlets are reporting that the embattled GOP leader will not seek a second term.

"Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele is expected to announce he will drop out of the highly contested race to keep his post," Fox quotes unnamed sources as saying.

The news outlet confirmed that Steele sent a confidential e-mail to committee members on Saturday asking them to join him for a "private conference call" on Monday.

Politico confirms the reports with a story of its own. "[K]ey supporters expect him to drop out of the hotly contested race," its story says.

The outlet adds that Steele "has built no known reelection team or structure, making the prospect of a campaign unlikely in the face of competition that grows fiercer by the day."

Steele has become wildly unpopular within the party. He is generally seen as unable to raise money and lacking the leadership skills necessary to lead the party. In fact, a recent staff member criticized Steele's leadership in a scathing resignation letter and a website has even popped up supporting his defeat.

Challengers for Steele's chairmanship, Politico says, include: Wisconsin Republican Chairman Reince Priebus; Ann Wagner of Missouri, former co-chair of the RNC; Maria Cino, who is backed by former RNC Chairman Ed Gillespie and former Vice President Dick Cheney; Saul Anuzis, former Michigan Republican chairman; and Gentry Collins, who served as RNC political director until last month.