Priebus formally reelected as Republican National Committee chairman

Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus was formally reelected for another two-year term on Friday at the RNC's annual winter meeting in Charlotte, N.C.

Priebus's reelection had been all but certain since December, when he announced he had the backing of 150 of the committee's 168 members. Some committee members who were Ron Paul supporters sought to oust him, but he easily beat back the challenge, even wooing some Paulites from the Nevada state GOP to formally nominate him for the position.

The chairman has had great success at turning around the committee's fundraising, though in its other job, voter turnout, the RNC badly lagged Democrats in 2012.

He acknowledged that problem — and said the party needs to make great strides in technology as well as put a much stronger emphasis on outreach to communities that have in recent years been written off, like younger voters and minorities.

"We're still in the middle of a comprehensive review, but there is one clear, overriding lesson from November: We didn’t have enough voters. I'm no math whiz; I'm an attorney. But I don't need a calculator to know we need to win more votes. We have to find more supporters. We have to go places we haven’t been, and we have to invite new people to join us," he said. "And we want to be Republicans for everybody. We have to take our message of opportunity where it’s not being heard. We have to build better relationships in minority communities, urban centers and college towns. We need a permanent, growing presence."