Republican National Committee members ran candidates for national chairman through the gauntlet this week in Washington as the party searches for a new direction and the right person to lead it.

The competition for the top post at the party’s main fundraising organization has largely stayed positive, but under the surface, subtle signs of a more heated debate are emerging. As members place priorities on different factors each candidate displays, underground skirmishes will become more important:

Former Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell entered the race late but got off to a hot start. He won support from Virginia national committeeman Morton Blackwell, who is an important voice on the committee, and the backing of several prominent conservatives.

 Yet former Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael Steele has long plotted his own campaign and has urged his party to go beyond social issues to reach new voters. Steele has positioned himself as a conservative, but backers see him as the candidate most able to attract voters unhappy with the party’s heavy emphasis on social issues.

The RNC chairman has little real influence over the party’s ideological core. But for those who take ideology into account, mostly on the conservative side of the party, Steele is unacceptable thanks to his work with the Republican Leadership Council, an organization that urges the GOP to accept candidates who favor some abortion rights.

Other candidates have less ideological baggage than Blackwell or Steele; those who place the biggest emphasis on ideology will choose between the two former elected officials.

Washington vs. The Rest of America: Those who oppose a second term for current Chairman Robert “Mike” Duncan complain of the party’s focus on Washington politics and rigid oversight from RNC headquarters, and many say the national party has put too much emphasis on just a few battleground states.

In the minds of many voters, the contest is less about their preferred candidate facing off against the other five candidates and more about building a contrast with Duncan. Every candidate has his own version of a 50-state strategy, an implicit shot at the battleground focus.

Even Duncan has recognized the importance of casting himself as an anti-Beltway candidate, promising at recent forums to bring change to the party he has led for two years.

Steele, who chairs GOPAC, is also seen as something of a Beltway insider, but not to the extent Duncan is.

Insiders vs. Outsiders: Relationships matter, and strong alliances have formed among the chummy 168 RNC members. That benefits those who have been on the committee the longest, chiefly Duncan, who goes back three decades with some members, along with South Carolina GOP Chairman Katon Dawson and Michigan Chairman Saul Anuzis.

Dawson, the fourth-most senior member of the RNC, has a reputation of never leaving a meeting without sharing his thoughts, and he is frequently the first colleague new committee members hear from. Anuzis is known for being quick to add his voice as well, and his hotel suites are often the scene of after-parties, with ubiquitous bowls of M&M candies.

Former Tennessee Party Chairman Chip Saltsman and Steele, who was chairman of the Maryland GOP, have their own relationships, but they don’t run as deep. Blackwell, who has never served on the RNC, began introducing himself to members in early December.

Deep relationships may not be a factor on the early ballots, but as candidates start to drop out and voting progresses through several ballots, some observers expect committee members may decide someone they have known for years would be a safer choice than someone they just met.

Communicators vs. Strategists: Members asking themselves just what role the RNC chairman will play are considering the candidates’ varying skills. Each member has his or her own priorities, and the different candidates to match.

Steele, a frequent presence on national television, is widely seen as the best communicator of the group. Most agree he would fare best on Sunday morning talk shows facing off with incoming DNC Chairman Tim Kaine. Saltsman and Anuzis are seen as strong communicators as well, though few can compete with Steele’s natural style.

Few can argue with Duncan’s fundraising successes. The incumbent chairman raised more money than any other year in history, and he did so without corporate contributions prohibited by the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act. Dawson can claim fundraising successes, too; he helped his state party out of serious debt when he took over as chairman in 2000.

Duncan, Dawson and Anuzis can all point to their experiences running party organizations, and Saltsman can brag about his leadership of Mike Huckabee’s insurgent 2008 presidential campaign, which far outperformed expectations. Steele has won friends through his work at GOPAC, where he helped state-level candidates.

Blackwell is positioning himself as best able to rally the conservative base. A senior fellow at the Family Research Council, a member of the National Rifle Association’s Public Affairs Committee and a board member of the Club for Growth, Blackwell has strong ties to the conservative establishment in Washington, and his call for a “shareholder revolt” could resonate with Republicans around the country.

Not all considerations will be equal in the race for RNC chairman, but the candidate who comes out on top will have done the best at promoting his qualities while simultaneously assuaging the concerns of his biggest critics. And in such a complex race, there is no shortage of critics.