To elect a new state Chairman before the seat is vacant is unprecedented. 

Even more unprecedented is the call for an election for state Chairman to be held on a Monday, January 8th at 1:00PM in the middle of the day, in Tallahassee, the home county of the Vice-Chairman and his supporters.

While holding an election on a work day in Tallahassee is perfectly convenient for Evan’s friends, elected officials, gubernatorial appointees, and lobbyists, it disenfranchises those who cannot skip work or travel to attend - the hard-working, grassroots wing of our party. 

This Rush to power is a slap in the face of the members who cannot attend the Tallahassee meeting to vote. While we all want last month’s drama to end, pushing to elect a new Chairman at that time slants the election in favor of Tallahassee insiders.

Many of our Chairmen, State Committeemen and Committeewomen will have to drive 9-12 hours to attend and others have work commitments that  make it extremely burdensome to be in Tallahassee on Monday, January 8. The new chair will be elected by a fraction of the eligible voters!

An appearance of impropriety surrounds Vice Chairman Power’s use of his new-found power to steamroll or rig the election in his favor.

Evan should make time to campaign for the position like everyone else!

Rigging the Tallahassee election to be unfair for other candidates does not bring this party together. It makes us more divided than ever.

We cannot close the chapter on one scandal while opening up another by having a rigged Chairman's election. We are the party of law and order and we must not taint the new Chair’s seat by allowing a biased election to be rammed through this way.

For the foregoing reasons, We, the rank-and-file members of the Florida GOP, demand the Chairman’s election be held separately to follow the removal or resignation of the current Chairman, at the Annual Meeting in February when National Committeeman and National Committeewoman elections will also be held.