(ANGOLA) - A disagreement over convention deadlines has sparked a public dispute inside the Steuben County Republican Party.
Former Indiana House candidate Theresa Steele says she was removed from the county's delegation to the Indiana Republican State Convention after missing a registration deadline she says she did not know existed.
A video posted to social media Sunday shows Steele criticizing Steuben County Republican Chairman Rick Michael after she was replaced despite being elected by Republican voters in May.
Michael says Steele was replaced after failing to pay a required $150 convention registration fee before the deadline. In a public statement, Michael said delegates were notified about the process and noted that all other elected delegates completed the requirements on time. He also said the Indiana Republican Party alerted him that one delegate had not paid, allowing the county party to secure a replacement before the deadline passed.
Steele says she intended to serve as a delegate and says basic communication from party leadership could have prevented the situation.
Steele received 1,738 votes in the May Republican primary and finished eighth among the 12 elected delegates. After she was removed, the position was offered to the next highest vote-getter, who declined. Steuben County Council member Renee Carper then accepted the appointment and will serve as a delegate at the Indiana Republican State Convention on June 20 in Fort Wayne.