By DAN KRISTIE, Staff Writer

Local conservative political activist Gwenne Alexander has reportedly left the race for the Republican Party nomination for the 156th Legislative District as abruptly as she entered it.

Alexander, of East Goshen, sent a letter to West Chester Area Republican Committee members on Monday informing them that she is no longer seeking their endorsement to run for the 156th District State House seat.

This comes just four days after she won an informal straw poll the committee people held to determine which of the four interested candidates had the most support.

Republican candidates who place first in those straw polls — once known as "dog and pony shows" — often go on to secure the county Republican Committee's official endorsement, and thus become frontrunners in the primary election.

Alexander did not respond to two voicemail messages and an e-mail message inquiring why she left the race. However, in the e-mail she sent to committee people on Monday, she wrote:

"I wanted to thank all of you for your support and encouragement during my campaign for state representative. Although I enjoyed the process and most of all enjoyed talking with so many of you either on the phone or over coffee, I am withdrawing my name for consideration."

She added that she entered the race because she has been concerned about the tax burden that the state places on its residents.

She put her name in the running relatively late. Last week, just a day before the 156th District GOP committee people were to hold their straw poll, Alexander announced her candidacy.

Dan Truitt, an engineer from East Goshen who before Alexander's announcement had been the perceived GOP frontrunner, came in second in the straw poll. He said he felt betrayed by Alexander's last-minute decision to run.

Of her decision to leave the race, Truitt said: "I have a lot of respect for Gwenne's tireless service to the people of Chester County. I also respect her as a leader in our community, hope to earn her support for my candidacy in the coming months, and look forward to working with her to further our common goals."

As soon as Alexander announced her candidacy, many in the GOP said they were sure she would win the straw poll and would go on to win the endorsement.

Alexander is an influential conservative activist and has been involved in county politics for more than a decade. Many of the county's elected officials and Republican committee people owe to her their involvement and success in politics. Alexander is the president of Chester County Americans for Christian Traditions in Our Nation (Chester County ACTION), an well-known political action committee that supports socially conservative Republican candidates.

She is also a favorite target of local Democrats. Many Democratic committee people said, after hearing of her intention to run, that she would be an easy candidate to campaign against — they said they'd been gathering opposition research on her for years.

The contest for the GOP endorsement is now likely to be between Truitt and Drae McComas, an employee of the county's finance department.

McComas, of East Goshen, worked in the governor's budget office during the Rendell administration, and has held other public and private sector finance jobs. She said that she is a fiscal conservative and that her campaign will emphasize her long experience in public policy and finance.

Truitt, of East Goshen, runs a small engineering firm. He said that his campaign will emphasize his experience running a business.

Two-term state Rep. Barbara McIlvaine Smith, D-156th of West Chester, announced in November that she would not seek re-election to her seat. This surprise announcement sent Democrats scrambling to find a candidate to run in her place.

Mark Stevens, who heads a Harrisburg-based organization that advocates for the creation of a standardized electronic medical records system, has emerged as the likely Democratic frontrunner. McIlvaine Smith endorsed him two weeks ago. Also seeking the Democratic endorsement are Kevin Fitzpatrick, a video producer from West Chester, and Todd Bales, an attorney from West Goshen.

To contact staff writer Dan Kristie, send an e-mail to dkristie@dailylocal.com.