Chairman of Nevada GOP to resign source says

Chris Comfort, the chairman of the Nevada Republican party, plans to resign, forced out by GOP leaders who didn't get along with him, a GOP insider said Friday.

A dentist, Comfort had not run political campaigns before and some Republicans didn't think he was doing a good job in what is a key election year, the insider said.

"The board lost faith in him," the GOP source said.

Republicans are competing hard to defeat U.S. Sen. Harry Reid, a vulnerable Democratic leader, and the national GOP is expected to throw a lot of funding resources into the state for the race.

As well, the Republicans are trying to take back control of the state Senate where Democrats now hold a 12-9 advantage.

The state Republican Party board clashed with Comfort over electoral strategy and simply decided to ask him to step down, the GOP source told the Review-Journal Friday night. The insider has direct knowledge of the discussions and spoke on condition of anonymity because no announcement had been made.

Comfort did not return a message seeking confirmation.

A Nevada News Bureau blog, which first reported the coming resignation, said it could come as soon as Monday.

It wasn't clear who would replace Comfort who has held the top GOP position for a matter of months.

"I don't know if the board even knows who will be the new chairman," the GOP insider said. "I haven't heard any names and if I don't know they don't know."

The Republican disarray could harm the party's efforts to take advantage of anti-Democratic Party sentiments across the country fueled by the divisive health care reform.

The Democrats have a voter registration advantage in Nevada and the get out the vote effort may be key to elections this non-presidential year when many voters stay home unless energized by political parties or issues.