Jim Greer, the chair of the Florida Republican Party, has resigned his post, in a proxy fight that spells trouble for Governor Charlie Crist in his US Senate race against conservative favorite Marco Rubio.

Greer, a longtime Crist ally appointed by the Governor in 2007, was criticized by party regulars for his use of party money, and crucially, his involving the state party in contested primaries, like the Crist-Rubio primary.

The chairman said that his stepping down would remove the distraction of the fight within the party, saying on a conference call with reporters that his critics were set to “burn the house down and try to destroy the Republican Party.”

But really, this will only intensify the importance of the Crist-Rubio matchup. National Republican activists have rallied around the conservative Rubio against Crist, seen as more moderate. They used the Greer Chairmanship as a proxy fight, the first step to beating Crist in the primary. And this success will only lead to triumphant boasts that Crist is doomed.

If the Greer move is any indication, the war within the national GOP is being won by the tea party faction.