Ed Gillespie.
Well, Gillespie did a decent job getting incumbents re-elected but I don’t see that he was any better at “ground game” then Steele. In fact, Gillespie was involved in Allen’s losing run in Virginia.
I just can’t buy into the idea that coming off the greatest off-year win in decades, the head of the party who won it lacked “ground game.” Besides which, “ground game” is code speak for bribing people to vote—at least, in the context that Democrats do it.
If DeMint knows what specifically would help Republican “ground game” (walking around money?, busing in voters from Mexico City?) he should just say what it is. I’m not disputing that it can be better, just that someone other than Steele will be automatically better at it.