House Minority Leader Craig Ford called on state Democratic leaders to resign in an open letter written to them and shared with the media on Wednesday.

Ford represents the Gadsden area in the House and is considering a run for governor in 2018. In his letter, he accused Democratic Chairwoman Nancy Worley and Joe Read, head of the Alabama Democratic Conference, of missing opportunities to contrast their message with Republicans.

Ford said that they should step down from their leadership positions, accusing them of poor candidate recruiting, silence on statewide issues and “neglect and mismanagement” of the Democrats’ infrastructure in the state.

“To put it bluntly, the Alabama Democratic Party is on life support, and the only hope we have of turning our situation around is if we make immediate and significant changes, including changes in leadership,” Ford wrote.

Worley responded by saying Ford was only seeking publicity.

Alabama’s Democrats have not elected a candidate to statewide office since 2008, and lost control of the Alabama Legislature in 2010, losing a large number of seats in north Alabama.