Dona Ana County GOP chairman quits after controversial Facebook post

The Republican Party chairman of southern New Mexico’s Dona Ana County has resigned after making comments on social media that referenced “violent, leftist protesters” following deadly protests in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Roman Jimenez wrote in the Facebook post on the party’s page Sunday that the protesters were responsible for creating a divide between races and genders and were “getting exactly what they asked for:” a segregated society of groups.

Jimenez later told an Albuquerque TV station that the post was taken out of context and he regretted it was misconstrued.

The county’s GOP Party said in a statement Tuesday that it had accepted Jimenez’s resignation and Victor Contreras will serve as interim chairman until the country central committee convenes a meeting to elect a new chairperson.