It was just last October that former Texas Eagle Forum President Cathie Adams was elected Chair of the Texas Republican Party.
On Saturday, less than eight months after taking office, Adams was ousted:
The state Republican Party ousted a longtime social conservative leader and instead elected Houston lawyer Steve Munisteri as its new party chairman Saturday, after a rare floor fight.
Munisteri capitalized on concerns over party financial problems and the lack of grass-roots organizing to overtake Cathie Adams of Dallas, who has held the post for the last eight months.
Munisteri, 52, took more than 59 percent of the votes from more than 7,000 delegates who remained for the ballot as the convention neared its end Saturday afternoon.
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In her nomination speech, Adams gave a fiery account of her fight of 30 years against abortion, gay marriage and the United Nations, and for maintaining a Christian nation. More recently, she said, "I'm saying no to Barack Hussein Obama."
"I'm not here just to say I'm offering change. We've fallen for that one before," she said.
Adams has played hardball politics for years, creating opponents along the way. Recently, she angered some GOP activists by declining to release financial information about the party.
When a supporter tried to nominate her to be the party's vice chairwoman, many delegates loudly booed.
"As a party, we need to practice what we preach. As a whole over the years, we have drifted away from core values of openness," said Austin delegate Eric Stratton, who supported Munisteri.
Adams has been a good spokeswoman, but the party is now looking for a strong grass-roots organizer, Stratton said.
