AUSTIN (AP) — Texas GOP Chairman Allen West said Friday he is stepping down after a short but combative run of using the job to antagonize top Republicans in America's biggest red state, including protesting outside Gov. Greg Abbott's mansion.
The decision intensified speculation that West, a firebrand who served one term in the U.S. House after coming up during the tea party movement in 2010, may pursue statewide office in Texas. He was coy about his future plans but acknowledged he is considering a run, although he did not say for which office.
“We will let you know when we want you to know," West told reporters in the East Texas town of Whitehouse, where he laid into the GOP-controlled Legislature for not passing enough conservative measures, including voting restrictions that Democrats blocked in a walkout.
