The Republican Party of Florida held a special meeting in Sarasota on Friday morning. A supermajority of those present voted to fire RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel, partially due to her share of the blame for Republican performance during the midterms. The meeting did not achieve a quorum, and the gesture was essentially meaningless except to illustrate the split within the RPOF.
That vote took place after Anthony Sabatini, Lake County Republican Party Chair, led a petition demanding a special meeting to determine the group’s position on McDaniel, who is currently running for re-election. The petition had 30 signatures from members of the state Republican Executive Committee, forcing state Chair Joe Gruters to call the meeting.
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Once assembled, a supermajority of those present voted against McDaniel, 69-2. However, the 71 present were out of 256 REC total members, meaning the vote was informal as an official quorum was impossible with such numbers. Even if the full quorum had been present, it alone would not have affected the outcome, as only three Florida GOP members have a vote on the national level.
According to Florida Politics, Gruters called it an “epic failure” and leaped to McDaniel’s defense.
“Party politics is a team sport. Every time I asked Ronna for anything at the RNC, she always delivered, and she will continue to do well when she wins the race next week.”
Sabatini’s spirits, however, were not dampened by the turnout.
BREAKING: 71 members of the Republican Party of FL met today to vote NO-CONFIDENCE on Ronna McDaniel
Although the some in party leadership worked hard to suppress turnout & avoid a quorum, the group STILL met to vote
Vote Result: a SUPER MAJORITY of the 71 voted to FIRE RONNA!
— Anthony Sabatini (@AnthonySabatini) January 20, 2023
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NO better way to celebrate the new America First energy in the @FloridaGOP than with a little .50 cal range time! 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/u1WCqIoamZ
— Anthony Sabatini (@AnthonySabatini) January 20, 2023
In an interview on Lindell TV, Sabatini elaborated on the event, praising the decisions and the attendance of Florida citizens protesting Ronna McDaniel and her performance.
“Ronna McDaniel failed miserably with the people who did show up.”
. @AnthonySabatini On Informal New York RNC Vote: "Ronna McDaniel Failed Miserably With The People Who Did Show Up" https://t.co/YEfKpKzx4l pic.twitter.com/dubujTUmn1
— Grace Chong 🇺🇸 (@gc22gc) January 21, 2023
Sabatini wanted the meeting to occur ahead of Jan. 27 elections next week on who leads the RNC. McDaniel is seeking re-election and faces a severe challenge from California lawyer Harmeet Dhillon. MyPillow founder Mike Lindell is also running but is unlikely to win.
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