Hotline's On Call blog has published a statement from RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman on Blackwell's victory. Following is an excerpt:
"I have often said that the Republican Party - the Party of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass - cannot be truly whole until it welcomes more African Americans back home. Great candidates like Ken Blackwell are one of the many ways we are doing exactly that. The Republican Party is united in its support for Ken Blackwell and will work together to ensure his historic election."