Mississippi College Republicans Chair Resigns, Becomes Democrat

In what has continued a bizarre campaign season in Mississippi, the head of the Mississippi Federation of College Republicans has resigned and has told supporters and local media that he will become a Democrat.

The Clarion-Ledger reports that now-former Chairman Evan Alvarez of the Mississippi Federation of College Republicans came to the decision recently as the group was trying to pursue impeachment against one of its members who not only endorsed Tea Party candidate Chris McDonnell in his bid to challenge incumbent U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran in his bid for re-election during the Republican primary this year, but endorsed McDonnell while identifying himself as with MFCR, a violation of the group’s rules.

“The impeachment hearing was scheduled for Saturday at the downtown Jackson headquarters of the Mississippi Republican Party. Approximately 35 McDaniel and tea party supporters showed up to protest any impeachment of Busby.”

Those protests got very load and heated, and the individual up for impeachment apparently became emboldened during the proceedings, the paper reported. In an offer of settlement, Alvarez offered the individual, identified as Kolby Busby, the opportunity to apologize, but he refused, The Clarion-Ledger said. Alvarez eventually ended the proceedings once it became clear that the entire thing was spiraling out of control.

As Alvarez told the paper in an e-mail, it was after he shut down the hearing that he began contemplating his move to the left of his fellow Mississippi Republicans and began to think the Tea Party had moved the entire Republican Party too far to the right.

“After that whole event and a lot of thought up to know, I am leaving my position in the organization and have begun to speak to members of the Mississippi Democratic Party and will be changing my party affiliation to Democrat in the next few days. I have attached my letter to this email explaining the reasons that I can no longer be Chairman, and why I can no longer standby and identify with the Republican Party.”

If Alvarez was looking for any sympathy from his former Republican brothers and sisters, it doesn’t look like any is coming.

According to The Daily Caller, College Republican National Committee Chairwoman Alex Smith did not have any kind words about Alvarez’s leaving the party.

“As chair of the CRNC, some would expect I would be disappointed by today’s news. I am not. This defection was based on self-interest, not principle.

“Mr. Alvarez will feel increasingly lonely in a party that is hemorrhaging young voters because of President Obama’s and Democrats’ extreme left wing agenda that is crippling our generation.”

The resignation of Alvarez from the Mississippi College Republicans is just the latest twist in the U.S. Senate race that has galvanized the South. It was just Friday that The Inquisitr reported on the suspected suicide of a Tea Party leader charged in connection with a man who gained access to the nursing home housing Cochran’s wife, snapped photos of her and then used the ads in a campaign ad.

[Image via Flickr Creative Commons]