Former RNC chairman says the candidates all need to 'tone down' their rhetoric

Michael Steele.
(Image credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele is doling out free advice to GOP presidential candidates: Chill with the rhetoric.

"I've talked to everyone about toning it down," Steele told the Los Angeles Times before the start of the main CNN Republican Debate Wednesday night. "The sooner we change the tone of the rhetoric, the sooner we change the emphasis from exclusion to assimilation and inclusion, the better off the party will be."

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.