GOP official resigns after calling Erika Harold 'street walker'

The Illinois GOP official who called congressional candidate and former Miss America Erika Harold a "street walker" has resigned his office as chairman of the Montgomery County GOP.

In an email to the website Republican News Watch Tuesday, Jim Allen called Harold a "little queen" and likened her to a "street walker and her pimps are the DEMOCRAT PARTY and RINO [Republican in Name Only] REPUBLICANS."

Allen sent his letter of resignation to Illinois Republican Chairman Jack Dorgan Thursday. Dorgan said Allen's emailed remarks were "offensive and inappropriate."

Allen was apparently angered that Harold, a native of Urbana who was crowned Miss American in 2003, was running against Republican Rep. Rodney Davis of Taylorville.

After the comments went public, earning a rebuke from GOP national char Reince Priebus, Allen apologized.

"My comments are very inappropriate and wrong, and I apologize to Miss Harold and her campaign and her supporters,” he said.

Davis distanced himself from Allen, removing him from the "Team 2014" list on his campaign site and issuing a statement condemning the remarks.

"Mr. Allen's comments are misguided and wrong and certainly do not reflect the views of Congressman Davis or his campaign," Davis spokesman Andrew Flach said in a statement. "Our hope is that supporters for all of the candidates conduct themselves in a positive manner and focus on the issues facing our country as the campaign moves forward."

Below, the full text of Allen's email:

—– Original Message —– From: Jim Allen Sent: 06/18/13 10:59 PM To: [email protected] Subject: 13th Congressional District reply Rodney Davis will win and the love child of the D.N.C. will be back in Shitcago by May of 2014 working for some law firm that needs to meet their quota for minority hires. The truth is Nancy Pelosi and the DEMOCRAT party want this seat. So they called RINO Timmy Johnson to be their pack mule and get little queen to run. Ann Callis gets a free ride through a primary and Rodney Davis has a battle. The little queen touts her abstinence and she won the crown because she got bullied in school,,,boohoo..kids are cruel, life sucks and you move on..Now, miss queen is being used like a street walker and her pimps are the DEMOCRAT PARTY and RINO REPUBLICANS…These pimps want something they can’t get,,, the seat held by a conservative REPUBLICAN Rodney Davis and Nancy Pelosi can’t stand it.. Little Queenie and Nancy Pelosi have so much in common but the one thing that stands out the most.. both are FORMER QUEENS, their crowns are tarnished and time has run out on the both of them..