SC GOP removes Lexington County Republican Party chair for rule violation
The Lexington County Republican Party chairwoman, who has been involved in controversy over how she has run the party, was removed from her position by the state party’s executive committee for a violation of party rules.
The violations occurred when legal actions were filed against members of a faction who wanted Lexington County GOP Chairwoman Pamela Godwin out as the party’s leader. It’s against party rules for someone who holds a party office to file legal actions against fellow members.
“The chairman position of (the) Lexington County Republican Party is now vacant due to violations of SCGOP rule 16A,” S.C. GOP spokeswoman Abby Zilch told The State.
Godwin said she has not filed any legal actions against party members. Instead a member of the Lexington County Republican Party’s Discipline Committee filed cases against those who formed a competing faction.
“I played by the rules and did everything right,” Godwin said in a text message to the State Media Co. She added S.C. GOP Chairman Drew McKissick “is trying to vacate my chair under this bogus rule because they have nothing against me.”
The decision to remove Godwin came after a unanimous recommendation from the state party’s rules committee, which McKissick is not a member of, Zilch said.
The state party executive committee, made up of representatives from each county party, took up the recommendation Wednesday evening during its quarterly meeting and overwhelmingly approved Godwin’s removal in a voice vote. Lexington’s representative to the executive committee, Lanneau Siegling, is allied with Godwin’s faction.
It is now up to the Lexington County GOP’s executive committee to pick a new chair to complete Godwin’s two-year term, which expires in 2025.
Godwin won’t be able to run again for a county party chairmanship until 2025.
Godwin in an interview Thursday said she plans to file a legal action to stop her removal, but details of her effort are being finalized.
Under Godwin, the Lexington County GOP leadership, which was elected as a slate in April, has splintered into two factions.
The dueling factions each claimed to be the official county GOP and were at a stalemate in recent months. They have held dueling meetings and have dueling websites and Facebook pages.
A group led by First Vice Chair Mark Weber and Third Vice Chair John Allen and Weber did not like how Godwin ran the party. They said Godwin insisted on absolute loyalty, didn’t start necessary committees and couldn’t run a meeting, accusations she denied.
The Weber-Allen faction also accused Godwin of taking the party’s money out of a bank account and putting it into an account her faction controlled.
Godwin’s group said the treasurer refused to give Godwin financial documents and the party checkbook and needed to take control of party money.
Weber, who is now serving as interim chair of the Lexington County GOP, said he is grateful for the state party’s action.
“Now is the time to move forward with our shared principles and goals as not just members of the Lexington County Republican Party but as fellow Republicans,” Weber said in a statement. “We know that our party will coalesce with our common values and continue the progress that we have made over the past few months.”
Weber and Allen’s group sought to oust Godwin through a petition of the county party’s executive committee.
Godwin’s faction, which includes Second Vice Chair Richard Gehling and Siegling, said the actions by Weber’s group had no merit.
Godwin also disputes that Weber is even the interim chair saying he was suspended from his role through February.
Her faction, through its committee of discipline, had filed small claims lawsuits for roughly $7,000 against Allen, Weber, party Treasurer Jackie Fowler and Preston Baines, who handles information technology and the county party’s website.
The existence of those legal actions ultimately were the grounds used to remove Godwin, state party officials said.
However, Godwin’s name does not appear on the legal filings and discipline committee was elected by the county party after an erratic August meeting where members continuously shouted at one another and officers needed to step in to keep altercations from becoming physical.
Ultimately the public dysfunction of the county’s Republican Party potentially hurts how those on the outside perceive the group and may hurt how much they can accomplish, state party officials have said.
“At the end of the day, we want everyone in all the county parties to be productive and get to work and reach out to new people in their communities to join (with an) emphasis to be productive,” Zilch said. “We want everyone to come together and work together because we get people elected and do our mission and all of that cannot happen when we’re sitting there fighting with each other.”
This story was originally published December 14, 2023 at 9:04 AM.
