Keeping Florida and Collier County Red – Hats off to the Winners!

Congratulations to the winners of the Primary Election.

Although Countywide turnout was only 29.7%, Republican turnout was 36.4%, beating the Democrat 32.5% turnout. No Party Affiliation and Other only turned out at 12.7%. 35% of the Republican vote came on election day.

With the Primary Election behind us, now is the time to unite. There were many good candidates who put it all on the line, but in the end we can only have one winner in each race, and we are fortunate to have such good candidates. Now is the time for us all to come together to make sure we win every race in November. To not do so is unthinkable.

See below as we highlight the Republican winners from Tuesday’s Primary elections.

The Leftists in our country have inspired a Red Wave of patriots not previously involved in politics. With a united Republican Party, we will be assured of victory in November.

I’m glad to see the CCCVPAC has had over 8,600 sessions on our website and 12,600 page views. They spent just a couple seconds less than four minutes on their visits.

Primary Election Winners

Federal Offices

Our Political Action Committee is not allowed to promote Federal candidates, but we are excited that Congressmen Byron Donalds (District 19) and Mario Diaz-Balart (District 26) won their elections handily to take on their Democratic opponent. Also representing a small portion of Immokalee is Scott Franklin who won and is unopposed.

U.S. Senator Marco Rubio will be taking on Democrat Val Demmings

State Offices

Governor Ron DeSantis will take on Democrat Charlie Crist

Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody will take on Democrat Aramis Ayala

Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis will take on Democrat Adam Hattersley

Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson will take on Democrat Naomi Ester Blemur.

District 80 State Representative Adam Botana will take on Democrat Mitchel Schlayer

District 81 State Representative Bob Rommell – won with no opposition

District 82 Representative Lauren Melo – won with no opposition

Local County Races

Collier County Commission District 2- Chris Hall Winner

Chris Hall won with a resounding 50.1% of the vote.

Hall had overwhelming support on Election Day with over 60% of his vote total on election day.

Hall had 5,728 total votes out of a total of 11,438.

He will face Democrat Bebe Kanter in General Election.

 

 

 

Collier County Commission District 4 – Daniel Kowal Winner

Danil Kowal won by achieving 42% of the vote total of 10,402. He received 80% more votes than incumbent Penny Taylors.

Kowal will face write in candidate Bill Oppenheimer in the general election day in November.

He received 57% of the vote on Election Day.

Competing against three other candidates, Kowal’s vote total was 4,373 out of a total of 10,402 votes cast.

 

Collier County Judge Group 3 – Chris Brown Winner

Chris Brown won his race with 52.7% of the vote. On election day he garnered 12,934 votes to his opponents 8,023 to put him over the edge.

Brown won with 35,502 votes to 31,823 for his opponent Pamela Barger

Chris Brown Website

 

 

Collier County School Board District 1 Run Off Winners

Jerry D. Rutherford and Jory Westberry will advance to the General Election in November.

Rutherford attained 44.6% of the vote. On Primary Election day, Rutherford captured more than the combined vote of his two opponents.

Jory Westberry obtained 33.1% of the vote

 

Collier County School Board District 3 Run Off Winners

Kelly Lichter and Jen Mitchell will advance to the General Election in November.

Kelly Lichter received 48.6% of the vote, while Jen Mitchell received 38.2% of the vote.

Jen Mitchell captured the most vote by mail ballots, while Kelly Lichter won the Early and Election Day totals to be the top vote getter.

 

 

Collier County School Board District 5 Run Off Winners

Tim Moshier and Roy Terry will advance to the runoff in the General Election in November.

Moshier captured 39.6% of the vote, while Roy Terry Captured 27% of the vote totals.

Note – Be sure to check with the Supervisor of elections to make sure your information is correct so you will get your absentee ballot. Your vote-by-mail ballot cannot be forwarded. 

Check your voter status by clicking here

Things to Do Right Now

Here are a few things you should do right now:

Request a vote-by-mail (VBM) ballot if you will not be in town to vote in person or prefer the convenience of voting from home. You can do it online by answering a few questions and then printing out, signing, and mailing in a form. Or you can request a paper form to fill out from the Supervisor of Elections office by calling (239) 252-8683 or by emailing SupervisorofElections@colliergov.net.

What will be on the ballot?

View the Collier County Republicans on Ballot Here

From the Collier County Supervisor of Elections and Florida Department of State websites, the following offices — if contested — will be on the Collier County primary election ballot:

• U.S. Senate: 1 senator
• U.S. House: representatives for Districts 18, 19, and 26, based on the newly-drawn congressional district in which you live (map here)
• Florida Governor, Attorney General, Chief Financial Officer, and Commissioner of Agriculture (elected by all voters statewide)
• State Senate: 1 state senator (all Collier County voters live in the newly-drawn Senate District 28 – map here)
• State House: representatives for Districts 80, 81, and 82, based on the new state House district in which you live (map here)
• County Commission: representatives for Districts 2 and 4, based on the new county commission district in which you live (map here)
• School Board: representatives for Districts 1, 3, and 5 (elected by all voters county-wide)

Other Non-Partisan Races such as Mosquito Control District and Fire Commissioners will be on the November ballot

Judicial Elections

In addition, there will be certain judicial offices on the ballot. Unlike the above positions, the qualifying period for the offices of state attorney, public defender, justices of the Supreme Court, and judges ended on April 29. So we already know which of them will be on the ballot.

Specifically, five incumbent State Supreme Court Justices and eight Second District Court of Appeals judges will be on the ballot for merit retention votes. One Collier County judgeship will also be on the ballot.

Unopposed incumbents who will be considered elected at the General Election are 20th Circuit State Attorney Amira Fox, 20th Circuit Public Defender Kathy Smith, and 20th Circuit Judges Shannon McFee, James Shenko, Nick Thompson, Ramiro Mañalich, Alane Laboda, James Sloan, Kyle Cohen, Lauren Brodie, Robert Branning, and Gilberto Perez.

Details on Voter Schedule

Voter Registration Deadline/Book Closing: July 25

Vote-by-Mail Ballot Mailings: July 9 (UOCAVA)/July 14-August 15 | Ballot Request Deadline: 5 p.m. on August 13

Early Voting: August 13-20  10 a.m.-6 p.m.

Election Day: August 23

During the Primary Election, electors will vote for state and federal representatives within their party affiliations. If opposed within their own parties, the Governor, State Cabinet Members, United States Senators, Representatives in Congress, State Representatives, State Senators and County Commissioners will be on the ballot.

The winning candidates of the Primary Election, who see opposition from another party, will then move on to the General Election in November.

Voters may also see non-partisan races including judicial candidates and candidates for school board depending on their jurisdiction.

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FLORIDA IS A CLOSED PRIMARY STATE

Florida is a Closed Primary state. This means that only voters who are registered members of a political party may vote for their respective party’s candidates in a Primary Election. Voters without party affiliation are not eligible to vote for party candidates and voters who belong to a minor party can only vote for party candidates if those candidates are on the ballot in accordance with Florida Statute 101.021.

To make changes to their party affiliation, voters must notify the Supervisor of Elections office by completing and signing a new voter registration application form or other signed written notice that contains your date of birth or voter registration number. You cannot change your party at the polling place. To be eligible for a Primary Election, a party change must be made at least 29 days before the Primary Election as addressed in Florida Statute 97.1031.

Universal Primary: a universal primary is a contest in the Primary Election in which all candidates have the same party affiliation, but will not see opposition during the General Election. During a universal primary, all qualified electors may vote regardless of their party affiliation.

Freedom Thursday – Keeping America Strong, Free and Prosperous

Joey D’s Restaurant – Green Tree Shopping Center

6 to 8 pm

2356 Immokalee Road | Naples, Florida 34110

Host Brendon Leslie – MC Rick Rice – Music by Jason Beal

Includes food, beer, wine and soft drinks

Reserve your tickets below:

Join Us Thursday, March 31 for Freedom Thursday

Senator Norm Coleman dedicated more than three decades to public service. He was a student activist in the 1960s, Minnesota’s chief prosecutor and Solicitor General in the 1970s and 1980s, and Mayor of St. Paul in the 1990s. He represented Minnesota in the U.S. Senate from 2003-2009. In 2011, Senator Coleman returned to his legal career, as Senior Counsel at Hogan Lovells.

During his six years in the U.S. Senate, Senator Coleman served on the prestigious Foreign Relations Committee. He was Chair of the Western Hemisphere subcommittee and ranking member of the Near East subcommittee, working to foster closer ties with our hemispheric neighbors and protect America’s interests in the crucial Middle East region.  Senator Coleman also Chaired the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. Under his leadership, the Subcommittee identified more than $80 billion in waste, fraud, abuse, and potential taxpayer savings. He championed UN reform, investigating fraud and abuse in the Oil for Food program and in the North Korea UN Development Program. As Mayor of St. Paul, he had zero tax increases in his 8 years in office, helped start 20 Charter schools and led a revitalization of the Capitol City.

The concept of service is close to Senator Coleman’s heart; he is active in a variety of political organizations and nonprofits. Senator Coleman serves as National Chairman of the Republican Jewish Coalition.  He is the Chairman of the Congressional Leadership Fund, an independent expenditure “super PAC” whose mission is to regain and expand the House Republican majority.  He also serves as Chairman of the Board of the American Action Network, a center-right “action tank” and sits on the Board of the Network’s sister organization, the American Action Forum, a forward-looking policy institute dedicated to keeping America strong, free, and prosperous.  He is currently Co-Chair of the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition and served for nine years on the Board of the National Endowment for Democracy.

About Brendon Leslie

Brendon Leslie is the Founder and Editor in Chief of Florida’s Conservative Voice. He left his job as a reporter in mainstream media because he was fed up with the fact that someone else was always behind the scenes, pulling the strings.

His goal as an independent reporter based in Florida is to deliver the truth about both national and local stories that the mainstream media refuses to show. With no boss pulling the strings, Brendon’s highest priority is to maintain the trustworthiness and independence of Florida’s Conservative Voice.

About Rick Rice

Rick Rice is a Ravid Republicanran for the MN House in 2010 in a blue town where he got his ass kicked 65 to 35%,

• Appointed the Co-Chair of the Elephant Club of MN from 2014 – 2016
• Elected National Committeeman of the Republican Party of MN serving 2016 to 2020
• Reappointed Co-Chair of the Elephant Club of MN from 2018-2020
• He has a 32-year-old son who has served in Afghanistan, Kuwait and Iraq as a Crew Chief on a Black Hawk Medi-Vac for the MN Army National Guard and is still serving his country today.
• He is married to Nancy & they moved to Estero in June of 2020
• Rick is fond of saying “I’m so happy to be in Florida” I wish there were two of me!

 

 

Naples Candidate Ratings Based on Values

Let’s Begin

Vote by mail ballots go out for the City of Naples at the end of this month. What’s the city been up to?

It’s been pretty dysfunctional as they are on their 3rd city manager in 9 months, lost other key employees, hold 14-hour marathon sessions, all while the City of Naples Community Well-Being index dropped this year from a top rating to #43.

What Are The Ratings?

The Collier County Citizens Values Political Action Committee (CCVPAC) promised to rate the candidates and compare them to the Republican Values (see values at bottom of page), and provide candidate responses to the questionnaire that we provided.

Only one candidate, John Dugan, completed our questionnaire. Apparently, the other candidates did not want to be rated on our values. (The Questionaire for City Council is here)

What is Bullet Voting?

Since that is the case, although you can vote for up to three candidates, we are recommending you vote for only John Dugan, who wasn’t afraid to state his values up front and have them communicated to the community.

By casting just one vote for John Dugan, and not casting votes for two other candidates, your one vote will be much more meaningful and will send a powerful message that we will not support candidates who fail to go on the record and answer questions that will clearly state the values that they do or do not embrace.

See John Dugan Website

Here’s What the Facts Say About The Candidates

 

John Dugan is a rock-solid Republican and not a “Party Switcher.”

He was instrumental in fundraising and getting out the vote for the Republican party during the last election cycle.

His conservative values are reflected in the Questionaire that we sent him. See a copy here.

Ray Christman was a registered Democrat until April, 2020 when he changed his registration to NPA (no party affiliation). His household provided campaign funds to Andrew Gillum against our governor Ron DeSantis. In addition, they contributed funds to Javier Estevez who ran against State Representative Dave Borrero. His values do not match the values we stated.

Ian Rudnick was a registered Democrat until December of 2020 when he switched to no party affiliation. He’s only voted in three of the last 16 Primary or General Elections. That history doesn’t match the values we’ve stated and shows a disinterest in the election process until he decided to run for office.

Beth Petrunoff registered as a Republican in February of 2020, and switched to No Party Affiliation 3 months later. She became a Republican again in September in order to be a Republican for this election.
Her primary objective seems to be stopping the Naples Beach Hotel (see document). This does not match the values we’ve stated. In addition to Petronoff refusing to fill out the CCCVPAC questionaire, she also refused to interview with Naples Better Government Committee (which has been evaluating candidates for more than 20 years)

Terry Hutchison has been a registered Republican since 2008. Mr. Hutchison “speaks” very Republican in a public setting with Republicans. He has indicated in his campaigns that he is against the city granting zoning variances and changing the rules on an ad hoc basis. However, when the City Commission was asked to consider a change to long-standing boat length requirements in Port Royal in order to satisfy one boat owner that exceeded the size limit, Mr. Hutchinson seconded the motion and voted to approve this change ignoring the strong objections of neighbors.
Within two weeks of Mr. Hutchinson’s vote, there was $10,000 provided to his campaign, all with the donors’ last names matching the person who received the variance. (See List of Donations). Perhaps this is a strange coincidence, but the voters should decide. In addition to Hutchison refusing to fill out the CCCVPAC questionaire, he also refused to interview with Naples Better Government Committee (which has been evaluating candidates for more than 20 years)

The Cure for Naples

Why are we here again? It is because Republicans have a poor voting record in the City of Naples elections and vote for candidates who are former Democrats and left leaning candidates who changed their political affiliation in order to be more palatable to the Naples Republican base.

We have the ability to remove those candidates that don’t have the same values on government’s role in our lives. See more on voter turnout issues