WASHINGTON — Two Republicans fought for the national party chairmanship today after Mike Duncan, former President George W. Bush's hand-picked national GOP chief, abandoned his re-election bid in the fact of dwindling support.

His departure ensures a fresh face at the beleaguered GOP's helm as Republicans seek to rebound from back-to-back defeats in national elections that gave Democrats control of Congress and the White House.

After five rounds of balloting, former Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael Steele and South Carolina GOP chief Katon Dawson were locked in a close race, though neither had reached the 85-vote majority needed to assume the party's top spot. Steele was six votes shy with 79, while Dawson had 69.

They were going head-to-head in what is likely to be the last voting round, the sixth, and both were hoping to pick up some of the 20 votes Michigan state party chairman Saul Anuzis got before he exited the field.

"You've got two great people still running, and I wish them the best of luck," Anuzis said. Neither he nor Duncan publicly endorsed a candidate, though former Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell threw his support behind Steele when he dropped out.

Steele, the most moderate candidate in the field, would be the party's first black chairman and is considered an outsider because he's not an RNC member. Dawson, as a state party chairman, is a member; he's a staunch Southern conservative.