BOISE — The chairman of the Idaho Republican Party has resigned.
The party, in a statement Tuesday, released Jonathan Parker's resignation letter he sent on Monday.
Parker says he's resigning because the effort of maintaining a full-time job and being fully engaged as a father was harder than he imagined. He says he plans to focus on those priorities.
The Idaho Republican Party in the statement says Jennifer Locke of Hayden will be acting chair until a replacement is elected this summer to fill the remainder of the two-year term.
Here is the letter in its entirety:
Dear Idaho State Republican Leadership:
A little over a year and a half ago, you entrusted me with being Chairman of the Idaho Republican Party. I was honored that so many of you would ask me to take on this role that I didnot seek but you believed I was the right person to lead us into the critical 2018 election. As you may recall, building a family with my wife Kelly has always been my top priority and in fact, kept me from attending the State Central Committee meeting where I was elected in 2017.
Last year, Kelly and I were blessed that Presley came into our lives as our beloved daughter. Serving as your Chairman, while maintaining a full-time job and being a fully engaged Father has been harder than I imagined, so much so that I have reluctantly decided that I should no longer continue to serve as Chairman of the Idaho Republican Party so that I can focus on the priorities I place above all others.
Serving as your Chairman has been an honor and together we accomplished many great things. While the 2018 elections were rough in many other states, here in Idaho we stopped the blue wave dead in its tracks. We elected Brad Little - Governor, Russ Fulcher - Congressman, Janice McGeachin - Lt. Governor, and Julie Ellsworth - Treasurer. We also reelected Mike Simpson - Congressman, Lawerence Denney - Secretary of State, Brandon Woolf - Controller, Lawrence Wasden - Attorney General and Sherri Ybarra - Superintendent of Public Instruction and maintained super-majorities in the Legislature.
I notified First-Vice Chair Jennifer Locke of my decision to step down over the weekend, and according to our rules, our first will serve as interim Chairman until the summer meeting when the state central committee will choose a new Chairman for the remainder of the term. I fully pledge to you that I stand ready to assist Chair Locke to make sure this transition is seamless and that the party continues to thrive.
I'm forever grateful to you, my Republican family, for the love, friendship and support you have shown me over the many years we've worked so hard to build our Idaho Republican Party. Thank you foryour understanding and support of my decision to place the priorities of my family first. I trust that you know that it was not one that I arrived at lightly.
On this holiday, as we reflect on the legacy of Abraham Lincoln, the father of our party, and all our Presidents, let's pledge to move forward together and continue to build our proud Party and strive to keep Idaho what America was meant to be.
Sincerely,
Jonathan Parker
Chairman, Idaho Republican Party
(Associated Press contributed to this article)
(Photo courtesy: Idaho Republican Party/idgop.org)
