RNC chair Steele to appear with Hill hopefuls Fimian, Smith

Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele will make appearances with two Virginia congressional candidates Wednesday as he kicks off his "Fire Pelosi Bus Tour" in the Old Dominion State.

Steele will appear Wednesday at 8:15 p.m. at the Henrico Theater in Highland Springs with Chuck Smith, the GOP nominee trying to beat Rep. Bobby Scott (D) in the 3rd district. Smith, like Steele, is African American, and the RNC chairman has made a point of touting his efforts to recruit more minority candidates to the GOP cause. But Smith has almost no chance of winning in November, as President Obama carried the 3rd district in 2008 with 76 percent of the vote.

Steele will also appear Wednesday at 11:30 a.m. at Fairfax Republican Party headquarters with Oakton businessman Keith Fimian, who is seeking to unseat Rep. Gerald Connolly in the 11th district.

Fairfax is playing host to a star-studded political lineup this month. Steele's appearance will come 10 days after Democratic National Committee Chairman Tim Kaine, Virginia's former governor, also visited the town to boost Connolly's campaign. On Monday, Obama himself was in Fairfax for a backyard town-hall meeting on the economy, with Connolly in attendance.