Tennessee Republican Party Member Resigns In a Huff

A longtime Republican activist in Tennessee says he’s quitting the state party.

Mark Winslow announced Thursday that he’s resigning from the Tennessee GOP’s Executive Committee. In a statement posted on social media, he says the soul of the state party has “rotted away.”

“As it’s currently constituted, the TNGOP is really nothing more than a small corrupt group who view our party as their private club and personal piggy bank,” Winslow wrote in his resignation post.

Winslow is a former staffer with the state party and has long advocated a shakeup in its current leadership.

He’s also a Donald Trump supporter — involved in a dispute this spring over who would represent the businessman as delegates to this summer’s Republican National Convention.

Winslow also sued the Tennessee GOP for defamation five year ago. That came after confidential information about his severance pay from the state party showed up in a political ad.

And Winslow said he believes the state party has shown favoritism in GOP primaries, a practice that would be a violation of the party’s rules. That would seem to be a reference to a recent controversy over consulting work performed by the wife of a current staffer on behalf of some Republican candidates.

Despite those disputes, Winslow notes he’s managed to hold onto his seat on the Executive Committee. But he’s concluded the 68-member board lacks the power to change the Tennessee GOP.

“I came to understand a long time ago that if you want to make a real difference, the SEC (State Executive Committee) is the last place you should hang your hat,” Winslow said. “It’s great if you need an empty title to validate yourself, but that’s never been my thing.”

Winslow confirmed in an email that he authored the post.

The Tennessee Republican Party says it hasn’t officially received Winslow’s resignation.