Source: Thrasher to replace Greer as Florida GOP head?
From Jim Stratton and Aaron Deslatte of the Sentinel staff:
Embattled Republican Party of Florida Chairman Jim Greer will step down today, a change that will be announced at a 1:15 p.m. press conference.
Greer will be replaced by State Sen. John Thrasher, a former speaker of the Florida House.
Greer has been fighting a weeks-long effort to remove him by unhappy party members and officials. Until today, his office has insisted he would not step down. Greer, a close ally of Gov. Charlie Crist, is a former Oviedo city council member.
His decision to resign comes just days before a statewide gathering of party officials in Orlando. His opponents had promised to turn that meeting into a showdown.
The source said Tuesday that Crist came to the realization that Greer should go as party chairman late last week and over the weekend.
“Greer was basically killing two people – Charlie and himself,” the source said.
The plan is apparently for Greer to resign effective sometime in February, followed by a special meeting to vote Thrasher as his replacement sometime before the legislative session starts March 2.
The move will be formally announced at a conference call Greer has scheduled with Republican executive committee members today.
Thrasher is considered a skilled political operative and a comfortable choice for various Republican leaders — including those in the House and Senate, Crist and Republican gubernatorial frontrunner Bill McCollum.
A senior McCollum campaign official said Tuesday that the gubernatorial candidate “has been actively engaged in these discussions regarding the future of the Party. He fully supports Senator Thrasher for the post.”
http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_politics/2010/01/source-thrasher-to-replace-greer-as-florida-gop-head.html
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