Former state Rep. Ryan Haynes says he won't seek another term as chairman of the Tennessee Republican Party following a tumultuous presidential election cycle.
Haynes made several critical statements about Donald Trump during the presidential primary campaign, and angered several executive committee members for what they considered to be his tepid support for the candidate once he became the nominee.
"It was an awesome challenge and I am honored we have taken the party to a place where we have more Republicans elected in Tennessee than ever before,” Haynes said in a statement to NewsChannel 5.
Trump ended up winning Tennessee by 26 percentage points and Republicans added one to the supermajority in the state Legislature. Haynes says he is "satisfied" that the number of elected Republicans has reached the highest point in state history under his leadership.
Haynes was elected in April 2015 to complete the term of Chris Devaney, who stepped down to become executive director of the Chattanooga-based Children's Nutrition Program of Haiti.
