Florida GOP Chair Resigns Amid Crist-Rubio Rancor

ABC News’ Teddy Davis reports:

Florida Republican Party chairman Jim Greer – a close ally of Gov. Charlie Crist (R) and an early supporter of RNC chairman Michael Steele –  announced Tuesday that he is stepping down as GOP chief next month, a political victim of the rancor that surrounds the Senate GOP primary between Crist and former Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio.

Greer, according to Florida Republican Party spokeswoman Katie Betta, was motivated to step down today because he feared that a group of Republican Party officials was going to try to dislodge him as chairman this weekend when the party holds its annual meeting in Orlando even though such a move is not permitted in that manner under party rules.

“[D]espite the great progress our Party has seen over the last three years, a small but vocal group within our Party has made it a point to destroy this progress and negatively impact our opportunity for victory in 2010,” wrote Greer in his resignation letter. “There has been, as you may be aware, an effort by this group to seek my removal for reasons that hold no justification. The facts and accuracy relating to this issue have become lost and irrelevant to these disruptive efforts and despite my own efforts, in addition to the efforts of others, to correct the record with the facts and truthfulness, these divisive individuals and their efforts continue without any concern for our Party’s future.”

Greer, who solidified his ties with the governor in 2006 by serving as Crist’s regional finance chairman, goes on to say in his resignation letter that he has determined that “this internal discord has many origins and political agendas, but the one common result is a detrimental effect on the Republican Party.”

“While some are more interested in tearing and shredding the fabric of the Republican Party to pieces, I will not be a participant in this destructive behavior,” wrote Greer. “Therefore, I am putting the future of our Party first and will step down as Chairman of the Republican Party of Florida effective Feb. 20, 2010.”

Crist entered the Senate race as a big favorite to win the seat previously held by Sen. Mel Martinez, R-Fla., but the moderate governor now finds himself in a contentious fight with Rubio.

Crist still enjoys a big fundraising advantage which should help him get his message out on Florida TV.

But Rubio, who has been endorsed by the anti-tax Club for Growth, has galvanized conservative TEA Party activists by hammering the Republican governor for touting – and then trying to walk away from — President Obama’s economic stimulus package.

The new party chairman will be chosen on Feb. 20 by the roughly 250 Republicans who serve on the GOP’s state committee. A leading contender to succeed Greer is John Thrasher, a state senator and former Florida House speaker, who has already been endorsed by Crist in addition to former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Attorney General Bill McCollum, the likely Republican nominee for governor.

Florida holds its Senate and gubernatorial primaries on Aug. 24.

ABC News’ Matt Loffman contributed to this report.