Rebekah Jones was removed from the 1st Congressional District ballot, but that hasn't stopped her from requesting donations to fund a legal appeal.
Following a complaint from her Democratic Primary opponent, Leon Circuit Court Judge John Cooper on Friday disqualified Jones from running because she had not been a registered Democrat for 365 days before qualifying as a candidate for Congress. In a fundraising email with the subject "We need your help to get rid of Matt Gaetz and Ron DeSantis," the former Department of Health (DOH) data curator called on supporters to help pay for the high legal fees to continue her congressional campaign, in which she hopes to unseat Gaetz.
"The legal costs associated with combating this Russian-style attempt to block my campaign, which is the last desperate attempt of a terrified governor, congressman and party who knows they cannot win this election at the ballot box, are high," the Jones campaign wrote. "We're appealing this egregious decision, but we need your help."
Court records don't yet show an appeal. However, Jones' attorney, Ben Kuehne, suggested during Friday's hearing that the Jones camp would file an appeal.
Spending campaign funds on legal expenses is an appropriate use of funds.
The decision made Jones the latest candidate undone by a new Florida law requiring long-standing and consistent membership of a political party. Republican Ashley Guy dropped out of a state House race this year over similar concerns, as did Democrat Curtis Calabrese from a South Florida open congressional race.
Republican Austin Brownfield was also booted by a Pinellas County judge from a state House race because he was registered without party affiliation a year ahead of qualifying. Cooper cited the ruling in issuing his own determination about Jones.
Peggy Schiller, Jones' Democratic Primary opponent, sued in Leon County Circuit Court to throw Jones from the ballot. Schiller's attorney, Juan-Carlos Planas, a former state Representative, argued in court that Jones cannot run because of the new state law requiring candidates to be a member of a party for a year ahead of qualifying as a candidate.
During her testimony, Jones argued that outside individuals fraudulently sent in the paperwork to change her status as a Maryland voter. Jones also calls Schiller a sham candidate.
"All the polls and media agreed we were poised to defeat the incumbent Congressman, currently embroiled in a number of controversies, including the ongoing FBI investigation into sex trafficking," Jones wrote in her campaign email.
Pollsters at the left-leaning Listener Group have shown Jones within striking distance of Gaetz. However, that poll is largely considered an inaccurate reflection of the race.
FiveThirtyEight has given Gaetz a more than 99 in 100 chance of winning re-election. With Jones on the ballot, the site had Gaetz leading by 27 percentage points, but that lead grew to 38 points after Jones was disqualified.
The embattled congressional candidate rose to prominence in May 2020, when she was fired from DOH for "insubordination." Jones accuses DeSantis and DOH of firing her for "refusing to manipulate" COVID-19 data. Jones' claims are so far unsubstantiated.
