Fake endorsements shake up St. Johns REC, Florida GOP

It’s apparently not just the “fake news” that conservatives in St. Johns County need to watch out for.

They also have to keep their eyes peeled for a slate of phony endorsements, claims the chair of the St. Johns County Republican Party.

Chair Denver Cook says the party “learned that a fraudulent voter guide has been mailed to many Republican voters across the county.”

“This fraudulent guide includes the St. Johns County GOP logo, has a slate of candidates that were not endorsed by the party, does not have legal disclaimers stating who paid for it and represents
the most obvious case of voter fraud I have witnessed to date,” Cook claims.

“The Republican Party of Florida and the St. Johns County Republican Party are the only organizations qualified to speak officially on behalf of our party in St. Johns County. We are taking this matter very seriously and are investigating. No Florida voter should be misled by anonymous, phony groups pretending to speak for the GOP,” affirms state party chair Evan Power.

The St. Johns REC is backing Mara Macie in her latest challenge to U.S. Rep. John Rutherford of Florida’s 5th Congressional District. One of two Primary challengers to Rutherford in 2022, she was unsuccessful, getting 18% of the vote and finishing in a distant second place, with Rutherford taking 66% in that election.

The local REC is bucking the political establishment down the ballot as well, going with Gerry James in his bid to replace term-limited Travis Hutson in SD 7, and with Kim Kendall in HD 18, races where Rep. Tom Leek and former Gov. Ron DeSantis lawyer Nick Primrose, respectively, would seem to have the inside track.

Five local candidates also got the nod. Ann-Marie Evans, Clay Murphy and Ann Taylor got the REC’s backing in County Commission races, while Francis Cummings and Linda Thomson are the School Board picks.

However, the fake mailer has Leek as the pick in SD 7, Primrose in HD 18, Brandon Patty for county clerk, Christian Whitehurst, Henry Dean and Roy Alaimo for county commission, Lynn Straughan for school board, and Tamara Renuart for committeewoman.

“If you are a voter and receive an envelope like the one pictured, please notify us so we can collect them as evidence – preferably unopened to facilitate fingerprint analysis,” Cook urges the party faithful.

Fake endorsements are nothing new in Northeast Florida. In 2023’s Jacksonville municipal elections, former Congresswoman Corrine Brown had to disavow “Quick Picks” sent out under her name.