Saulius "Saul" Anuzis (born March 6, 1959) is a Republican Party leader from the U.S. State of Michigan, he is currently serving as national chairman for the Save American Jobs Project on the American Solutions team. He was chairman of the Michigan Republican Party from 2005–2009 and was also a candidate for national chairman of the Republican National Committee in 2009.
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Anuzis was born in Detroit, Michigan, to Lithuanian immigrants, Ceslovas and Elena Anuzis. He attended Bishop Borgess High School and later studied economics at the University of Michigan–Dearborn campus. His senior year he was elected president of the Student Government and also was one of the founders and first chairman of the College Republican club on campus. His parents and paternal grandparents, Ignas and Elena Anuzis, received the Righteous Among the Nations award from Israel's national Holocaust memorial, Yad Vashem, for helping three young girls escape from a Jewish ghetto and make their way from Lithuania to Estonia during World War II. One of those girls, now grown, nominated them for the award.
Anuzis is married to Lina (née Alksninis) and they have four sons, Matas, Tadas, Vytis, and Marius.
Anuzis is a former member of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. He was also a gubernatorial appointee to the Michigan Jobs Commission and the Michigan Export Development Authority. He is a scout master of local Boy Scout Troop 100 (comprising Lithuanian scouts), and is actively involved in several Lithuanian-American organizations and serves on several non-profit boards. He currently serves as honorary consul to Michigan for the Republic of Lithuania. Anuzis and his family reside in Eaton County.
In 1980, Anuzis was elected as the youngest delegate to the Republican National Convention held in Detroit. After attending President Reagan's first inaugural he was elected third vice chairman of the Michigan Republican Party. Anuzis also served six years as a member of the Michigan Republican Party's state committee and two terms as a chairman of a congressional district party.
Anuzis managed Dick Posthumus' first state Senate race in 1982 and then worked closely with Posthumus throughout his career in Michigan politics, including running his unsuccessful bid for governor in 2002. During that time, Anuzis worked for the House Republican Campaign Committee, the Senate Republican Campaign Committee and as chief of staff to then-Senate Majority Leader Posthumus.
In 1990, Anuzis took a break from politics to focus on his family and business interests. He and partner Bruce Yuille founded Coast to Coast Telecommunications that year. They later sold that business in 2000-2001 when Anuzis and Yuille then co-founded Quick Connect USA.
Anuzis has been mentioned as a potential candidate in the 2012 U.S. Senate race. A website called Draft Saul was set up by supporters in March, 2011.[1]
On February 5, 2005, Anuzis was elected chairman of the Michigan Republican Party. Anuzis was a frequent guest on regional talk radio, and was notable for raising funds for a new state Republican party headquarters and for being the only Republican Party state chairman to operate a blog. He was re-elected to a second term February 10, 2007, despite heavy statewide election losses for Republicans in 2006.
On November 12, 2010, Anuzis officially announced that he was running in the 2011 RNC Chairmanship Election.[2]
On November 13, 2008, Anuzis officially announced that he was running in the 2009 RNC Chairmanship Election.[3]
RNC Chairman Vote
Source: CQPolitics,[4] and Poll Pundit [5]
| Candidate | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Round 4 | Round 5 | Round 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Steele | 46 | 48 | 51 | 60 | 79 | 91 |
| Katon Dawson | 28 | 29 | 34 | 62 | 69 | 77 |
| Saul Anuzis | 22 | 24 | 24 | 31 | 20 | Withdrew |
| Ken Blackwell | 20 | 19 | 15 | 15 | Withdrew | |
| Mike Duncan | 52 | 48 | 44 | Withdrew |
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Betsy DeVos |
Chairman of the Michigan Republican Party February 2005 – February 2009 |
Succeeded by Ron Weiser |
| Preceded by Keith Butler |
Republican National Committeeman from Michigan since April 2010 |
Succeeded by incumbent |
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