The Hill News

The Republican National Committee (RNC) can perform better than it has under Chairman Michael Steele, former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) said Thursday.

Pawlenty, a top potential GOP presidential candidate in 2012, told PoliticsDaily on Thursday that the RNC must resolve the serious "internal problems" it suffered under Steele.

"I think the RNC needs to perform better," Pawlenty said. "We certainly appreciate the election outcome. But I think if you look at the memo written by [former RNC political director] Gentry Collins it reveals some pretty severe internal problems at the RNC that need to be addressed."

The memo Pawlenty cited is Collins's resignation letter, which revealed disorder and disorganization within the RNC. Collins ran against Steele's reelection but dropped out on Sunday.

Pawlenty is just the latest prominent Republican to begin wading into the RNC chairman's race. Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) has reportedly! called committee members on behalf of Maria Cino, one candidate for the job for the next two years.

Pawlenty's comments come during a tough reelection fight for Steele, who has been widely criticized for his performance.