Florida GOP chair warns Dems that delaying Kavanaugh confirmation will hurt them at the polls

by | Jul 11, 2018


The chairman of the Republican Party of Florida says Democrats should take a closer look at their opposition to President Donald Trump’s nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court, Judge Brett Kavanaugh. Chairman Blaise Ingoglia says a drawn-out campaign by Democrats against Kavanaugh will only energize the conservative base and motivate Republicans to turn out at the polls this fall.

“The longer Democrats drag this out, the better it’s going to be for Republicans because what you’re going to do is you’re going to get the base excited and motivated to remove the Democrats who have clearly been obstructionists, so far,” Ingoglia said during a conference call with reporters Wednesday morning. “The more they delay this confirmation, the worse off it’s going to be for Democrats.”

Ingoglia says that’s especially true for incumbent Democratic U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson who finds himself in the middle of a dogfight with Gov. Rick Scott. A poll released Tuesday by Axios/Monkey Survey shows Scott with a 3-point lead over Nelson.

“If this drags out and Bill Nelson does not come out and say, ‘I have reviewed everything and I am going to pledge my vote and support for Judge Kavanaugh,’ the better off it’s going to be for the Trump administration, the better off it’s going to be for Gov. Scott,” Ingoglia added.

Ingoglia was joined on Wednesday’s conference call by U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz. Both men agree the party’s rank-and-file have been energized by the nomination of Judge Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court. Gaetz says the nominee is a constitutional conservative who has advocated for limited regulation of business by government and will be a “defender of unborn life.”

“I am encouraged that Judge Kavanaugh will be a constitutional conservative on the court. It’s clear that he will defend unborn life,” Gaetz said. “His decisions have reflected an opposition to the type of abortion on demand that we think will be a productive direction for the court.

“The base is extremely excited about this opportunity,” said Ingoglia. He pointed to a new Tarrance poll of Florida voters conducted for the pro-life organization, Susan B. Anthony List. It shows 56 percent support Nelson voting to confirm Trump’s nominee.

 

0 Comments

 

What is the most glaring political issue facing Floridians ahead of Legislative Session?
×
%d bloggers like this: