Red state GOP chair quits less than a month after winning reelection

Allen West resigned as Dallas County Republican Party chair on Wednesday, just days before his own party was set to vote him out, and just a month after winning reelection.

West called county elections administrator Paul Adams to announce his resignation, according to Commissioner Andy Sommerman, who chairs the elections commission committee. The local Republican Party had been scheduled to meet on Monday, where its county executive committee planned to vote for West's ouster, KERA News reported.

Party members were furious after West signed a contract reverting to countywide, joint vote centers for the May primary runoff. He made the decision after a disastrous March primary, which confused and possibly disenfranchised as many as 30,000 voters.

The chaos stemmed from the party's December decision to hold separate, precinct-based primary elections instead of the traditional joint voting centers. The experiment triggered a series of legal battles in local and state courts.

West told KERA that holding another chaotic election could expose the Republican Party to disenfranchisement accusations and "serious legal ramifications and litigation."

This wasn't the first time West has had to resign.

The Trump fan abruptly resigned as chairman of the Texas Republican Party in 2021 after less than a year on the job. At the time, he teased a potential run for statewide office. West then announced he was challenging Greg Abbott for the Republican nomination for Texas governor, and he lost the 2022 primary with about 12% of the vote.