UPDATED: Joe Bustos Resigns Suddenly as Charleston GOP Chair

Joe Bustos, the recently elected chairman of the Charleston County Republican Party, resigned suddenly today. 

In an email, Bustos wrote, "Effective 12 p.m. today, I am resigning from the Charleston County Chairmanship. The personal attacks and rancor is too divisive."

Bustos ousted previous chair Lin Bennett in a close vote last April. He is also running for Mayor of Mount Pleasant. 

A meeting of the Charleston GOP is scheduled for this evening.

According to this document obtained by Patch (it's also attached to the article as a pdf), some in the county party may have been planning to ask Bustos to resign, citing his candidacy for mayor as a conflict of interest.

In recent days, the Charleston County GOP's Facebook page has contained lengthy and spirited debate about the future of the party and the divide between conservatives.

Bustos' surprise decision comes just two days after state chair Chad Connelly resigned to accept a position within the Republican National Committee.

Keep up with all of Patch's coverage of South Carolina politics by following us on Facebook HERE and Twitter HERE.