— Dallas Woodhouse said Monday that he plans to leave his role as executive director of the North Carolina Republican Party in June.

"My contract expires at the end of the state convention. With the election of a new State Chair, and after four challenging years, a tenure longer than most in this post, I am moving on," Woodhouse said in a text to WRAL News.

Woodhouse has been a vocal representative for the GOP in North Carolina in recent years, championing the party's legislative agenda and roundly criticizing Democrats at every turn. His departure will leave a leadership void in the party, which will host the 2020 Republican National Convention in 16 months.

GOP Chairman Robin Hayes was arrested two weeks ago in a federal bribery case and won't seek re-election at the party's state convention in June.

According to an indictment, Hayes is accused of using the state party to funnel campaign contributions from Durham businessman Greg Lindberg, the largest political donor in North Carolina in recent years, to state Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey to get around the cap on individual donations. Causey, who cooperated with investigators, was supposed to give Lindberg's insurance businesses more lenient oversight in return for the contributions.

Hayes is also charged with lying to the FBI in the case.

Woodhouse testified before the grand jury in this case, but he is not mentioned in the indictment.