Following months of confusion that featured divergent factions of the Lexington County Republican Party claiming to be the legitimate local party, the state GOP has removed the county chair elected this spring.

Lexington GOP Chair Pamela Godwin, elected to the post in April, has officially been removed by the State GOP’s Executive Committee after being deemed to have violated a rule declaring that any individual that holds a party office can’t take legal action against another member.

“Doing so shall result in an immediate vacancy of said office or delegate or alternate position,” the rule reads. 

According to Abby Zilch, the state GOP’s communications director, the Lexington County Executive Committee will now have to hold an election to install a new chair.

Since August, the county party has been divided into two groups, both of which claimed to be the legitimate county GOP, one led by Godwin and another led by Mark Weber, who had been 1st vice chair under Godwin. The two factions each operated websites and social media accounts purporting to represent the official county Republican Party, each holding their own meetings at separate locations in Lexington starting in August.

The faction led by Weber, the party’s acting chair who was already serving in that capacity in the eyes of his group, posted to Facebook Sept. 10 that Lisa Dowdy, co-chair of a “Disciplinary Committee” under Godwin, was suing 3rd Vice Chair John Allen, Treasurer Jackie Fowler, and Preston Baines for $7,000 per person and other miscellaneous items.

Lexington County court records show that suits brought by the county party against these three individuals were all dismissed in November.

Godwin told the Chronicle in September that she was unaware of any current lawsuit. Neither she nor Weber immediately replied to the Chronicle’s request for comment regarding her removal.

The former chair was ousted from the position in the eyes of many party members long before the state took action. A petition for her removal, which circulated in August, gained the necessary signatures and a letter was delivered to Godwin informing her of her removal. At the time, Zilch told the Chronicle that Godwin still held the title of chair and that the state GOP wasn’t getting involved.

This is a developing story and will continue to be updated.