WV GOP HEAD KRIS WARNER FIRES STAFF

(11/06/2004)

GOP chairman Kris Warner was not happy about Tuesday's election, even though the state's Democratic voters went for Republican George Bush, among others on the GOP ticket. He has fired the party's top staff, even though West Virginia's Republican Party made major gains in the Legislature, defeated an incumbent Supreme Court justice and elected the first woman to a statewide executive office. Executive Director Gary Abernathy says he was fired yesterday after meeting with state GOP Chairman Kris Warner. Abernathy says the rest of the staff then quit. Warner refused to give details. Abernathy says the staff had become concerned during the final months of the 2004 campaigns over Warner's focus. Warner's brother, Monty, was the parties nominee for governor. He lost to Democrat Joe Manchin. Warner says his brother's loss had no bearing on yesterday's actions. The GOP also picked up three seats in the Senate and one in the House of Delegates. Brent Benjamin won a 12-year term on the state Supreme Court by defeating incumbent Justice Warren McGraw and Betty Ireland won the secretary of state's race over Ken Hechler.

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