MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The chairman of the Wisconsin Republican Party is resigning after a disappointing 2018 election where Gov. Scott Walker was defeated and Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin won a second term.
Brady Courtney notified Republican leaders in a letter Tuesday that he was resigning immediately. Courtney had been chairman for eight years. He took over in 2011 after working as an adviser on Walker’s first successful gubernatorial run.
Courtney replaced Reince Priebus after Priebus moved on to head the Republican National Committee.
Courtney says in his letter that “We were all disappointed by November’s election results.” He says Republican Sen. Ron Johnson asked him to remain on an interim basis.
The party’s executive committee will select a new chair.
Walker released a statement praising Courtney’s performance, saying he did an “incredible job.”
Brad Courtney did an incredible job as the chair of our state party! Against amazing odds, he helped us retain a Supreme Court Justice, fight off recall elections against our state senators and helped Rebecca Kleefisch and me win historic recall elections.
— Scott Walker (@ScottWalker) March 5, 2019
