Free Republic

As an Iowan who has witnessed Gentry Collins’ rise in national politics, and as a former Political Director of the Republican Party of Iowa who has worked closely with the talented operative only to see him ultimately call for my firing, I read Collins’ letter of resignation, which was leaked to Jonathan Martin of the Politico, with great interest. Collins served as the Political Director of the Republican National Committee (RNC) for the 2010 election cycle. While it is not uncommon for people in Collins’ position to resign following an election, his four-page letter of resignation, which is a scathing...

The well-respected Collins is a former executive director and deputy chairman of the Iowa state party, and a former political director of the Republican Governor's Association. He managed Mitt Romney's ultimately unsuccessful Iowa caucus operation in 2007 and 2008, and later moved on to become John McCain's Midwest regional campaign manager, overseeing the battleground states of Missouri and Iowa. "I am thrilled to announce the addition of Gentry to the RNC team," party chairman Michael Steele said in a statement. "He brings with him a proven record of success at building broad bases of grassroots and volunteer coalitions.