Republican Party of Texas State Chairman Steve Munisteri announced his resignation, effective 1 p.m. March 7, today.

Munisteri said he will vacate the position to assume the duties of Senior Adviser to Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky.

The Chairman’s statement said in part:

"Senator Paul also shares my belief that the Republican Party cannot expect to win a national race unless we attract younger voters and take our message aggressively to the Hispanic, African American, and Asian American communities.

He shares my vision of doing so by actively engaging community leaders, traveling to nontraditional Republican communities, and making it clear that everyone that shares our beliefs are welcome in our party. Most importantly, he believes we can be effective in doing so without compromising our principles.

I have known Senator Paul for well over 30 years and have found him to be one of the most intelligent, well-read, well-informed, and rational thinkers that I have ever encountered. I am honored to assist him in whatever his future endeavors may be."

The January 29 announcement follows the adoption of a bylaw amendment proposed by Munisteri at the SREC’s last meeting that will allow seamless transition between chairpersons without the need for vice chair to take over temporarily, according to the Texas GOP.

The party announced Vice Chairwoman Amy Clark will preside over the March 7 election in Austin. The election will be conducted under the Robert’s Rule of Order with the winning candidate receiving over 50 percent of the votes, or 32 in this case.

The four currently announced candidates are RPT Treasurer Tom Mechler, current National Committeeman Dr. Robin Armstrong, current Dallas County GOP Chair Wade Emmert, and former Harris County GOP Chair Jared Woodfill.

Munisteri has chaired the party since June 2010.

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