The Republican Party chose the first black national chairman in its history Friday, just shy of three months after the nation elected a Democrat as the first African-American president. The choice marked no less than “the dawn of a new party,” declared the new GOP chairman, former Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael Steele. Republicans chose Steele over four other candidates, including former President George W. Bush’s hand-picked GOP chief, who bowed out declaring, “Obviously the winds of change are blowing.”

Steele takes the helm of a beleaguered Republican Party that is trying to recover after crushing defeats in November’s national elections that gave Democrats control of Congress put Barack Obama in the White House.

GOP delegates erupted in cheers and applause when his victory was announced, but it took six ballots to get there. He’ll serve a two-year term.

Republicans are looking for a national party chairman to lead a GOP rebirth after losing control of Congress and the White House in back-to-back elections.

Their choice when they vote Friday was to give former President George W. Bush’s hand-picked party chief, Mike Duncan, a shot at turning around the Republican Party by re-electing him to a second-two year term or choosing a fresh face from one of his four challengers.

No one was expected to get the required majority of the votes on the first balloting by the 168-member Republican National Committee.

Those challenging Duncan are former Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael Steele, former Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell, South Carolina GOP Chairman Katon Dawson and Michigan GOP Chairman Saul Anuzis.

A fifth — former Tennessee GOP Chairman Chip Saltsman — dropped out of the race on Thursday with little explanation, saying only in a letter to RNC members: “I have decided to withdraw my candidacy.

So, who will win?

It’s anybody’s guess.

GOP insiders say Friday’s contest to elect the next chairman of the Republican National Committee will be a long and drawn-out affair, with multiple ballots necessary to determine the winner.

The RNC’s voting rules require a candidate to collect a simple majority of 85 votes in order to claim victory. In the absence of a consensus choice among the field of five candidates, though, the election appears destined for numerous ballots, involving many hours of deliberations punctuated by intense lobbying and political horse-trading between votes.

Public estimates of the five candidates’ support have tended to place incumbent RNC Chairman Mike Duncan at the head of the pack, followed by former Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael Steele and South Carolina Republican Party Chairman Katon Dawson, with Michigan Republican Party Chairman Saul Anuzis and former Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell behind them.

Televison coverage begins on C-Span in little less than an hour and there will be extensive coverage from the RNC Winter Meeting Floor on Twitter. Follow Flap here and Follow the hashtag #RNCCHAIR here for up to the minute commentary.

Flap has endorsed Michael Steele for the Chairmanship.

Stay tuned…..

But my colleague Alex Burns reports that with the vote less than 48 hours away Steele’s camp shared a list of 30 supporters with Politico, including 12 privately pledged backers who wish to remain anonymous. (In total, Steele’s team claims 39 supporters – a number which, if accurate, would put him remarkably close to incumbent Chair Mike Duncan’s level of support.)

Why share this info now? It’s “important to have an accurate picture of where the race stands,” they say. It’s a risky move, though. On the one hand, it could give Steele the appearance of momentum in the home stretch. On the other hand, it will also raise expectations for Steele’s performance on the first ballot. And in an election with multiple ballots, when commitments may not last past the first vote, the expectations game can be decisive.

So, does Michael Steele have the Big Mo going into tomorrows vote?

Let’s hope so.

Read Chris Cilliza’s final handicap of the RNC race here.