Posted on 01/19/2010 3:52:11 AM PST by marktwain
Top Senate Republican leaders have chosen one GOP House member over another in a Panhandle Senate primary, saying Rep. Greg Evers has done a better job raising money and is simply more conservative than primary opponent Rep. Dave Murzin.
The endorsement is the second major one in a week for Evers, following the announcement that he has the backing of the National Rifle Association, which is making the election of Evers to the Senate one of its top priorities.
Some Republicans this year have expressed anger at party leadership for taking sides in GOP primaries, but Sen. Don Gaetz, one of the members of Senate leadership behind the endorsement, said that’s always happened, and said there were two primary reasons for backing Evers, a farmer from Baker, over Murzin.
Gaetz said the best way Republican candidates can help GOP legislative leadership is to show they can garner support in the district, as measured in part by having broad financial support from a large number of donors.
“Did they go home and develop a strong base of support,” is a major criterion in gaining support from the party leadership, Gaetz said. Evers and several other candidates that leadership has backed, including Jim Norman in the Tampa Bay area and Lizbeth Benacquisto in South Florida are doing that, he said.
By implication, Murzin hasn’t raised enough money.
(Excerpt) Read more at jaxobserver.com ...
Gaetz, who may very well be a good person, etc., etc....has it wrong.
It’s not about necessarily who can raise more money. This next election cycle is clearly about who supports the Constitution; who shows commitment to true Conservative principles vs. RINO’s and others who merely pay such things lip service.
There is a swing to the Right in this country, and those who fail to see it, embrace it, and respond accordingly are doomed (politically-speaking). This is especially important for the GOP “party apparatus” and leadership to understand.
AMEN RightOnline —— this is what the GOP doesn’t get yet -— we will be backing candidates who believe in the Constitution and limited government and if some of the longtime D.C.ers lose their jobs - whether GOP or Dem - so be it.
From the comments, there is a link to an article and a quote from it:
“Murzin supported the Florida Chamber of Commerce and other business interests that argued the law allowing employees to keep guns locked in their vehicles at work was a violation of private-property rights of employers.”
The business’ private property rights end at the surface of the pavement, and mine start at my tires. It is not good public policy to allow businesses property rights coverage to extend into their employees’ cars in such a way that it prevents citizens from bearing arms while traveling to and from work.
For Merzin to say “There is no clear difference between Greg Evers and me on Second Amendment rights” (another quote from the article linked in the comments) is pure bunk.
This issue is a strong reason to pick Evers over Merzin in the absence of other compelling reasons. Apparently there weren’t any.
Yup. For 2 years now, instead of hanging up, I’ve been telling anyone who calls me from the GOP or the RNC that I will NO LONGER be giving any money to support their candidates, and will be making my own personal donation only to individual candidates who represent conservative values. End of Story.
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