Taber steps down

Washoe County Republican chair Tom Taber lasted 205 days in his job before resigning. The county party has been roiled by the same divisions as other county GOPs and the state party, but Taber said his departure is for personal reasons unrelated to those problems.

The GOP in Nevada has experienced stresses since Ron Paul supporters became a strong force in 2008. Their influence became even greater in 2012 when they gained full control of the state party machinery. Their support for presidential nominee was considered by longstanding party leaders to be so lukewarm that a sort of party government in exile called Team Nevada to maintain a traditional party role and support Romney. Shortly afterward, the Washoe County Republican Party declared its independence from the Paulists running the state organization and filed with the Federal Elections Commission as a free-standing entity.

Taber became Washoe county chair last July after defeating a candidate supported by some Republican officials in elective office. His photo remains the first thing seen on the Washoe GOP website.