I have written in this space about my dislike for Florida Governor Rick Scott’s seeming inability to answer a direct question on the subject of same-sex marriage, and the waste of hundreds of thousands of taxpayers dollars through the court antics of state attorney general Pam Bondi in defense of the 2008 voter’s Amendment 2. In the process, I have been judged a Democrat on a vindictive political mission. Such is not the case—for I am neither. 

As we approach the Nov. 4 mid-term elections, with its assortment of new ballot amendments, it is important to consider all aspects of the voting process, including the credentials of those seeking re-election. To that end, we offered this editorial column to Matt Chen of the Broward Republican Executive Committee to provide his spin on the GOP’s strengths and candidates.

While many Democrats will likely dismiss the content that follows as ideology over logic, we agree with Mr. Chen’s view that much in Florida is moving in the correct direction. While Mr. Chen would have us believe that this progress is do to the diligence of our governor over the past four years, he fails to address the general growth and turn-around experienced by the country as a whole. Nevertheless, following is his take on the state of the GOP Party in Florida. We welcome responsible discussion on the topic.

Let’s have a reality break about both the GOP and Rick Scott.

Ronald Reagan garnered 40+ percent of the GLBT vote in his two landslides. So did George H. W. Bush.  In 1994, the Gingrich Revolution that captured a GOP Senate, House and 32 GOP Governorships netted 42% of the GLBT vote, according to the New York Times.  And recent exit polling since 2000 suggests there are over a million American Gays who almost routinely vote Republican.

The Broward Republican Party is an example of how most metropolitan GOP’s have become much more open to Gays in their ranks.  During this young century, the Lauderdale Beach Republican Club, the Broward Republican Women’s Club, and the Broward Young Republicans have elected openly-partnered Gays as their Club Presidents.

In 2012, Gay blogger and Young Republican President, Nicholas Stone, was presented with the “Young Republican Volunteer of the Year Award” at the prestigious Broward Lincoln Day Dinner.

Last month, Mimi Planas, President of the Log Cabin Republicans Miami Chapter, received the “2014 Most Active GOP Club President Award”, after spectacularly organizing a large public policy summit with Governor Scott’s Office.

She has also garnered regular coverage from the Miami Herald, South Florida’s Gay newspapers, and the Pink News of London — “the largest GLBT paper in Europe” for endorsing Governor Rick Scott.

Ms. Planas says Scott has brought many corporations to Florida and created 640,000 new jobs, resulting in one of the very highest drops in state unemployment in the entire country.

As for gay marriage, gays won–period.   It was the Log Cabin Republicans who won the case in California that was later affirmed by the US Supreme Court.

Pam Bondi’s appeal is purely a function of her Oath of Office, but the appeal will be declared unconstitutional and echo the USSC decision.

Bondi should be judged by Gays for her nationally recognized leadership in obliterating Florida’s pill mills; and putting the big heat on human traffickers.  Our state’s once horrific crime rate is at a 40 year low.

Let me close, folks, by saying a Florida university study following the 2010 mid-term elections determined Republicans narrowly carried the South Florida GLBT vote.

If Republican Rick Scott does not win the majority of Gay voters again, he will likely get somewhere near his impressive 2010 Florida gay vote and be reelected, much to the predictable, albeit anguished astonishment of the Gay media and the Dolphin Democrats.

Matt Chen
Broward Republican Executive Committee

The Broward Republican Executive Committee (BREC) is the main county GOP party group in Broward — a county where registered Democrats outnumber Republicans two to one. However, the more than 250,000 GOP voters can sway statewide races. The group consists of hundreds of activists who share the goal of electing Republicans to local, state and national office.