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North Carolina GOP Leader Resigns After Making Controversial Comments on 'The Daily Show'

An appearance on “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” has cost Don Yelton, a member of the N.C. Republican Party, his position as Buncombe County precinct chair for the GOP.

An appearance on “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” has cost Don Yelton, a member of the N.C. Republican Party, his position as Buncombe County precinct chair for the GOP.

A five-minute segment of the Comedy Central show Wednesday night about the state’s new election law, focused a good bit on Yelton’s racial views.

On Thursday, as the video went viral, Claude Pope, chairman of the N.C. Republican Party, called for Yelton’s resignation.

“The North Carolina Republican Party finds the comments made by Mr. Yelton to be completely inappropriate and highly offensive,” Pope said in a statement the state GOP released.

Yelton said the law’s intent is not racial but designed to “kick the Democrats in the butt.”

He also criticized lazy college students and “lazy blacks that want the government to give them everything” because the state was issuing free IDs to ease compliance.

“I can’t believe we have that many stupid people in North Carolina. People who don’t know how to follow directions and go down there and get a photo ID for free at the DMV. Do we want those people picking your president?”Yelton asked.

Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/2013/10/24/3308737/nc-voting-law-target-of-daily.html#storylink=cpy

Caroline Cournoyer is GOVERNING's senior web editor.