(Photo from the Iowa GOP facebook page)
DES MOINES – On Friday, March 7th, in a letter sent to members of the Republican Party of Iowa’s State Central Committee, Chairman A.J. Spiker announced he was stepping down from his role as Chairman of the party effective upon election of a new State Chairman.
A Des Moines Register reported tweeted late Saturday that Spiker resigned because “he’s to become political adviser to RAND PAC, aide to Rand Paul’s political action committee tells me.” The same reporter also said that some say “Spiker’s resignation is bad news for Dems; GOP likely to get strong replacement, build state party organization.”
In January, the Iowa GOP badly embarrassed itself by posting a flowchart that invited people to use it to see if he/she is racist. Spiker issued an apology and later fired the man responsible for posting the flowchart to the Iowa GOP’s Facebook page. Still, Representative Josh Byrnes called for Spiker to resign, saying “It’s a start but still not good enough. Mr Spiker needs to step down and resign,” Byrnes said. Even right-wing GOP county chairman Gabe Haugland denounced the flowchart.
Spiker served as a member of the Republican Party of Iowa’s State Central Committee from April 2010 until he was elected State Chairman in February 2012. Spiker was then re-elected in January 2013. Spiker leaves the Republican Party of Iowa with more than $300,000 cash on hand, zero debt and with a voter registration advantage for Republicans over the Iowa Democratic Party, the Iowa GOP said.
In the letter mailed Friday afternoon, Spiker announced that elections for a new Chairman would take place during the State Central Committee’s quarterly business meeting on March 29th.
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