As state director of President Donald Trump’s 2016 Florida primary victory and strong supporter of his “Make America Great Again” movement, Karen Giorno believes she has the record to be Florida’s next Republican National Committeewoman.
“I know the Trump base better than anyone. I am the only MAGA candidate for national committeewoman in this race,” said Giorno. “I can motivate the Trump base today for any candidate that is a MAGA candidate.”
But, the West Palm Beach resident accuses state party leaders, specifically Chairman Blaise Ingoglia, of trying to undermine her candidacy because she is a Trump supporter.
“There is a strange dynamic going on here which we saw throughout the campaign, in the primary process, in the post primary process, going into the convention and then post convention, and that there are still elements within the Republican Party who are “Never Trumpers,” Giorno said. “There are people that would rather not embrace the president or the MAGA agenda and still want business as usual.”
She claims that “dynamic” is alive in the leadership of the state party.
Giorno is running for one of the three Florida positions on the RNC, which sets party rules and will choose the site of the 2020 GOP convention. She is seeking to succeed Sharon Day of Fort Lauderdale who stepped down after being appointed by Trump as ambassador to Costa Rica.
Three other names are mentioned as potential candidates. They include: Manatee County GOP Chairwoman Kathleen King, former RPOF Chairwoman Carole Jean Jordan and Brevard County Republican State Committeewoman Cheryl Lankes.
The selection of a committeewoman will be a two-step process.
The Republican Party of Florida’s executive board, a group of about 35 members, will choose an interim replacement next month. In January, some 200 RPOF members will choose a committeewoman to serve the remaining two years of Day’s term.
Giorno questions the rationale of a small group of party leaders choosing an interim committeewoman, which she says will give that person an unfair advantage heading into the January vote.
“You’re creating an incumbent for two months that really will have no record of accomplishment, but you’re allowing that individual to claim incumbency.”
Giorno says some members of the RPOF’s executive board have told her that Chairman Ingoglia has lobbied against her.
“I would hope that he would just stay out of the race entirely and let the process be the process,” Giorno said.
We made a number of attempts to reach Ingoglia but was repeatedly told he was not available for comment.
Blaise Ingoglia is an anti-Trump person and a supporter of Marco Rubio. Karen Giorno should win the race. She was the reason for Republican victory in Florida in 2016 president election.