ST. CHARLES COUNTY • The county Republican committee will get a new leader soon, following chairman Jon Bennett's defeat in Tuesday's primary by an activist in Ron Paul's 2012 presidential campaign.

Bennett, the committee chairman the past two years, lost his seat on the panel to Joe Wetter, who was a county coordinator for Paul.

Libertarian-minded backers of Paul have squabbled with the county GOP leadership since 2008, notably at county presidential nominating caucuses in that year and in 2012.

Bennett, a former state representative, and Wetter, the grandson of a former St. Charles mayor, were running Tuesday to be committeeman for First Capitol Township for the next two years.

Wetter got almost twice as many votes in unofficial returns, 1,249 to 639. Bennett said he didn't actively campaign this year to keep the volunteer post.

Two years ago Wetter fell six votes short of defeating Bennett in a four-candidate race for the same seat.

Wetter said he decided to run for the committee in 2012 after the county's caucus in St. Peters disbanded amid boisterous disputes over rules with caucus organizers.