Jacob Ogles
A candidate running for an Ocala area House seat accepted $500 from the Vote Men PAC, a controversial group that exclusively endorses men running against women.
Steve Shives in October took $500 from the group The Summerfield Republican said the committee was among the first to financially support his campaign after its launch last year.
“I took the check because they sent it to me, no strings attached,” Shives said. The first-time candidate acknowledged he did little research before accepting the money.
The revelation comes as Shives touts the support of former Rep. Anthony Sabatini, who headlined a nationalist convention in Tampa in 2022.
Vote Men PAC’s website makes clear the belief that women should not hold positions of power.
“If the relations between men and women in any society are unhealthy, then that society will never progress. It will always fall into stagnation and eventually die,” the website reads. “Our founding fathers had the wisdom to understand this truth and they deliberately chose to exclude women from their political system.”
Reports show the group wrote a check to Shives’ campaign on Oct. 17. At the time, Shives faced only Beckie Sirolli in a Republican Primary in House District 27. Astor Republican Richard Gentry entered the race in January.
Shives though July 26 raised about $21,000 on top of a $127,000 candidate loan and has spent $125,000 ahead of an Aug. 20 Primary. Gentry has raised almost $170,000, throwing in another $80,000 in a loan, and has spent almost $160,000. Sirolli has raised a little more than $12,000, put in $6,000 out of pocket, and spent more than $16,000 on the race.
The winner of the Primary faces Democrat Andy Ferrari and Libertarian Dennis Simpson in the General Election.
Vote Men PAC has a history of donating only to men facing women. The group sent checks to House District 81 candidate Greg Folley and House District 18 candidate Nick Primrose, but both candidates immediately returned the money, prompting the group to slag both Republican candidates as “Cowards and Criminals.”
The group also donated to Rep. David Smith, but after the donation was noticed by Florida Politics, the Winter Springs Republican returned the money and distanced himself from the group. He also said the money had been unsolicited. That earned him a spot, too, on the PAC’s list of cowards.
Notably, the Vote Men PAC has no section of its website promoting the candidates it supports and who accept its donations.
In that case, Vote Men PAC Chair Cody Davis reached out to Democratic candidate Sarah Henry and encouraged her to withdraw, according to Henry. Davis at the time said he left a message in a polite voicemail that she should “drop out of this race and focus on the domestic sphere.”
Sirolli, a former police lieutenant, said she received no direct communication, but was indirectly encouraged to drop out and has been confronted with suggestions, some quoting Bible scripture, about why women shouldn’t be leaders.
“I publicly made it very clear I was not dropping out, even though I was encouraged to by people saying my presence would end up splitting the vote,” she said.
Shives, for his part, said he has no intention of returning the contribution.
“There are a lot of PACs that only support women candidates,” he said. “In fact, I think there are more that support only women than support only men.”
He stressed he isn’t opposed to women holding office, and donated money to House District 26 candidate Addie Owens, Marion County Commission candidate Sarah Almeida Dennis and Marion School Board candidate Allison Campbell.
Shives this week touted an endorsement from Sabatini, Chair of the Lake County Republican Party. Sabatini in his endorsement called Shives a “true conservative champion.”
Sabatini has a reputation for hostility in Tallahassee, and has his office relocated to the House office building basement after calling then-House Speaker Chris Sprowls a “liberal” and another House colleague a “cuck.”
Chives praised Sabatini, who he met through Republican Party functions. “He has been a strong, conservative leader for our state and has relentlessly fought back against the radical Left’s attempts to infiltrate our homes, businesses, and way of life,” Shives wrote on Facebook.
