By AP/KWMU
Springfield, Ill – Illinois Republicans are headed back to the drawing board next year as they search for a new leader who can guide them from the lowest political depths they've seen in decades.
GOP Chairman Judy Baar Topinka handed in her resignation Friday to the Republican State Central Committee.
Topinka says she will leave the post at the end of January after fulfilling a two-year commitment under sometimes trying circumstances.
She says the new chairman will be able to build on gains she made but will still need to work to unite moderates and conservatives within the party.
Committee members say they expect to pick a new chairman in the coming weeks.