The new chairman of the Oklahoma Republican Party said in a fundraising email that the organization has run out of money.

“On my first day on the job, I found we were upside down on the balance sheet,” Randy Brogdon said in an email that went out Thursday night. “Simply stated we had more bills to pay than money in the bank.”

The former state senator said he had to lay off seven paid staff members. He said he will work without a salary and will get help from volunteers until finances turn around.

Brogdon declined in an interview to provide specifics about the exact financial condition of the party when he took over, saying he was still talking to accountants and looking through the books.