Peter Feaman alleges funny business in election of Florida’s RNC delegates

An outgoing Florida Republican leader is openly questioning how the state party chose its delegates to the Republican National Convention.

Peter Feaman, Florida’s former Republican National Committeeman, blasted an email to party members suggesting the party never held a proper election of delegations.

“There was a rubber-stamp of committee members pre-selected by an unknown cabal,” Feaman wrote.

The list of delegates includes Attorney General Ashley Moody, Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson and Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis, as well as former President Donald Trump’s two oldest sons, Don Jr. and Eric Trump.

Feaman said he was distressed by a short notice meeting by phone.

“Then, less than 15 minutes before the phone conference the bombshell email arrived,” Feaman said. “The email said the phone conference would include ‘selection’ of convention committee members ‘who have agreed to serve.’ To my surprise, the list of pre-selected committee members was included.”

That violates state party rules, Feaman alleged, so that the delegates represent a majority consensus of members.

Feaman notably lost an election earlier this year for Republican Party of Florida (RPOF) Chair to Evan Power, previously the state party’s Vice Chair. Feaman elected not to seek re-election and National Committeeman, a job he held from 2012 until earlier this year.

Power brushed off the criticism of the delegate selection process.

“The Florida 2024 delegation voted unanimously to elect Eric Trump as delegation chair and selected other excellent leaders to committee spots,” Power said.

“It is sad that a soon-to-be former member who lost an election has sour grapes. We as a party and delegation are excited for a great convention and we look forward to winning Florida big in November.”

Feaman suggested in his email this furthers a continued pattern of largely ignoring rules that are supposed to govern Florida’s largest political party.

“After 20 years of leadership on the RPOF Executive Committee, one would think I should not have been so naïve as to think the Republican Party of Florida leadership would actually follow the RNC rules,” he wrote. “Silly me.”