Tim Shallenburger said Tuesday he will remain chairman of the Kansas Republican Party, despite widespread assertions he would step down this week.

“I am not resigning,” Shallenburger told the Journal-World on Tuesday afternoon. “It’s been a very big story that didn’t exist.”

E-mails and phone calls about a pending Shallenburger resignation began flying among GOP political operatives after a Friday gathering of the Pachyderm Club in Wichita, where anti-abortion activist Mark Gietzen criticized Shallenburger for welcoming pro-abortion officials into the party. Word spread to Kansas political blogs Tuesday morning.

Shallenburger said Tuesday that he did “snap back” at Gietzen.

Some Journal-World sources said Shallenburger was ready to step down, but that the former House speaker was persuaded by other Republicans to stay put.

Shallenburger would only say: “I have had some discussions with people about the direction of the party, but I haven’t resigned or been told to resign.”

Shallenburger lost to Kathleen Sebelius in the 2002 race for governor. He became Kansas GOP chairman in February.