Last night, Jack Kimball, chairman of the New Hampshire Republican party, resigned before the party’s executive committee could vote to remove him:
“I’m not sure that this is helping our party, but I am not going to become an obstacle in our party,” Kimball said as he announced his resignation amid a plea for unity between Tea Party Republicans and the party’s old guard. . . .
“Don’t do it, Jack!” yelled a supporter as Kimball made his announcement last night inside a Holiday Inn conference room in Concord, where onlookers gathered around a long table seating the 36-member executive committee.
“I have come to the conclusion that even if, during a vote, if I were to win – and I know the odds are against that – it would be next to impossible for me to fulfill my obligations as chairman moving forward given what’s been against me,” Kimball said. After speaking for four minutes from the head of the table, he received a standing ovation from the executive committee and those in attendance.
Former vice chairman Wayne MacDonald will serve in Kimball’s place until January 2013.