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Jim Greer, the embattled chairman of the Republican Party of Florida, is expected to resign, according to the St. Pete Times. He was up for re-election to the post Saturday, but it now seems state Sen. Jim Thrasher will take the helm of the party. Update: It’s official. Read his letter of resignation here.
Greer was never the most popular figure in certain factions of the party, but the final shoe dropped last week when a baker’s dozen of loaded fundraisers signed an open letter calling for a change in party leadership.
Greer was elected in 2006, and was Gov. Charlie Crist’s pick for the position. Let’s look back at some of his accomplishments:
- He highjacked the news cycle this fall with his ridiculous assertion that President Obama’s address to schoolchildren was “indoctrination,” only to admit the speech was fine after he actually read it.
- Under his leadership, the party ran into a few financial mini-scandals involving personal charges on AmEx cards and more recently a deficit in party spending.
- He was an early supporter of electing Michael Steele to head the national party, which has turned out hilariously.
- He pissed off a bunch of conservatives by making early endorsements in the 2010 Senate and gubernatorial races and by, as some saw it, trying to purge conservatives from leadership positions.
- He is well known for breaking into song, especially Elvis tunes. Thanks, thanks a lot.
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Thrasher is expected to take the helm. A former speaker of the Florida House, Thrasher was a big-time lobbyist who’s been hounded by ethics violations.
