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Maryland GOP Chairman James Pelura III has had better weeks.

Leading Republicans are skeptical of his management of the party, and the Senate minority leadership asked him to resign on Tuesday.

Though GOP lawmakers might be stoking Pelura's ouster, he still has support in central committees across the state.

"I can tell you in Montgomery County, and the people I know around the state, Jim is very popular," said James F. Shalleck, the county's former GOP chairman. "A lot of people are not going to support his move. He works hard, and it's a thankless job."

And, said Stephen Wright, a Republican Central Committee member in Harford County, "I just think Jim has got, because of his personal style and the way he thinks, he's got people activated, at least in the grass roots."

Pelura did not respond to a telephone call seeking comment.

He has called a meeting, at party leaders' request, for July 18 of the GOP's 31-member Executive Committee, which is made up of party officials from each county and seven officers elected statewide. One of the chief topics will be Monday's firing by Pelura of Justin Ready, the party's executive director.

The previous week, the committee met in Annapolis, and Pelura did not share any questions about Ready's handling of the party's day-to-day affairs.

After Ready's firing, April Rose resigned. Rose was the GOP's event coordinator. Ready declined to comment. Rose could not be reached.

Just days before, House Minority Leader Anthony J. O'Donnell and House Minority Whip Christopher B. Shank wrote the committee asking members to rein in Pelura's criticism of Republican lawmakers.

Pelura, a 61-year-old Davidsonville veterinarian, was elected party chairman, an unpaid position, as a member of the Anne Arundel Central Committee.

He has won fans for pushing forward with policy initiatives that have riled the lawmakers. The chairman has seated committees to set the party's tax and environment policy, and he hasn't been afraid to lambaste GOP lawmakers who support Gov. Martin O'Malley's budget.

O'Donnell (R-Dist. 29C) of Lusby and other lawmakers say elected officials should set party policy.

"The leadership is trying to test the mettle of Jim Pelura," said Wright, of Churchville. "There are going to have to be compromises. They're trying to test his mettle to see how much he can take."

Other Republicans, however, harbor resentment of Pelura's leadership.

In last year's tight 1st Congressional District race, the party promised to send mailers encouraging absentee ballot voters to choose Republican candidates.

Nothing happened, said Chris Meekins, campaign manager for state Sen. Andrew P. Harris.

Harris (R-Dist. 7) of Cockeysville lost the race to Democrat Frank Kratovil, the Queen Anne's County state's attorney, by fewer than 2,900 votes. The absentee ballot count didn't help; of about 27,000 ballots cast, Kratovil outpolled Harris by about 1,700 votes.

"If we knew the ball was going to be dropped, the campaign would have taken it over and done it internally," Meekins said. "I'm not saying that was the only reason we lost, but it definitely didn't help matters."

And much of the criticism directed at Pelura is focused on fundraising.

The party has been carrying debt since Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. lost in 2006. The recent Red, White and Blue Dinner, which featured former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, raised between $60,000 and $70,000, said John Kane of Potomac. Kane served as party leader before Pelura.

"He had to make a quarter million. Anything less than that is a failure and tantamount to bankruptcy," Kane said.

Sen. Alex X. Mooney said he agrees with Pelura's policies, but says the party needs a fundraiser.

"His inability to raise money as party chairman is making it very difficult for us to elect more Republicans who can advance those conservative policies," said Mooney (R-Dist. 3) of Urbana.

In an e-mail addressed to Pelura and forwarded to party leaders Tuesday, Minority Leader Allan Kittleman and Minority Whip Nancy Jacobs called on Pelura to step down.

The e-mail said, in part, "… as Chairman of the Maryland Republican Party, we do not feel that you have positioned the Party to take advantage of the opportunities that have presented themselves as we approach the 2010 elections."

The party's only announced gubernatorial candidate at the moment, Mike Pappas of Perry Hall, has joined the chorus urging Pelura to resign.

"We can't have a strong party until we have a leader we can believe in, who is effective and won't fight with legislators," he said.

Pappas was the party's parliamentarian. Pelura fired him after he announced his candidacy, Pappas said.

Shalleck said the dispute involves "a lot of big egos" in a power play for control of the party.

"He made decisions they disagree with. Fine, you don't ask for someone to resign and hurt the party for these policy and procedural differences," he said.

Blogger Brian Griffiths of Pasadena wondered whether the issue would be resolved by the time of the party's annual convention in November.

"I'm not certain there's anybody who can play peacemaker," Griffiths said. "It would be in everybody's best interests for him to step down.

"He's got to step back and say this is not in the best interests of the party for us to be fighting like this with an election coming up."