Republicans' Dysfunction Bring Polk County Co-Chair to Resign

The former co-chairman of the Polk County Republican Party and Ankeny resident, Chad Brown, said his party has moved to far to the right, the Des Moines Register reports.

Brown, 34, resigned his position and changed his voter registration card to say “Independent."

Brown said in a letter to Polk County Republicans that he hoped to fix problems within the party.

“However, I think this level of dysfunction is not going to be fixed any time soon,” he wrote as reported by the Des Moines Register.

He told the Register in an interview that he believes the Christian right and National Rifle Association are running the party.

Brown cited Congressman Steve King's recent controversial comments on immigration and the GOP's denial of global climate change in an explanation of why he left the party, according to the Des Moines Register.

Chad Brown resigned effective Aug. 5, and changed his voter registration card to say, “Independent.”

King's statement that immigrants were drug smugglers with calves the size of cantaloupes during a recent interview went viral and were the subject of national news reports.

“No one’s really stood out to really fight him on those. I think they’re hateful statements,” Brown told the Register.