Last Paid Staffer of Idaho GOP Quits

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — The last remaining paid staffer at the Idaho Republican Party has left, leaving embattled state chairman Barry Peterson alone at the helm. Financial director Mary Tipps Smith says she left her position Wednesday after about a month on the job.

She says she was the last paid staffer at Idaho's Grand Old Party. Her departure follows former Executive Director Trevor Thorpe's resignation. Thorpe left the party immediately after the conclusion of the failed state convention.

Chaos and division have plagued Idaho's GOP ever since the state convention ended in a meltdown several weeks ago. For the first time in nearly 60 years, Republicans failed to elect a new chairman or pass a single platform amendment. Peterson immediately hung up when contacted by The Associated Press Thursday morning.