Five Republicans are running for the soon-to-be-open House District 94 seat representing a large western portion of Palm Beach County. Just one appears to be attracting the affection of notable Donald Trump allies in and out of Florida.
Meg Weinberger, an animal rescue nonprofit executive and Chair of the Palm Beach chapter of Moms for Liberty, is racking up endorsements from MAGA world.
That includes nods this month from U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, retired Army Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, ex-news anchor Kari Lake and Real America's Voice (RAV) anchor Gina Loudon, all Trump stalwarts.
Gaetz said in a statement that he believes Weinberger "will champion the conservative policies that have made our beloved Florida the envy of the nation."
"Meg and I share a passion for rescue animals, too," he said. "Meg is a MAGA fighter. She will keep our taxes low, and our streets safe."
Flynn, meanwhile, wrote in a letter (viewable below) that Weinberger "works tirelessly to promote and maintain an America First Agenda" and has "the necessary qualities and skills to excel" as a state lawmaker.
"Meg shows a deep-rooted respect for America and its foundational principles," Flynn wrote. "She will fight for her community and make Florida a better place for generations to come."
Flynn resigned as Trump's first National Security Adviser in 2017 after just 22 days and pleaded guilty later that year to charges of lying about his communication with a Russian ambassador. Trump pardoned him less than two months before he left office.
In videos, public appearances and merchandise sales since he left the public sector, Flynn has helped to popularize QAnon, a far-right political theory that among other things propounds that Democrats, medical experts, Hollywood actors, business elites and medical experts are part of a cabal of cannibalistic child molesters whom Trump and his team are secretly fighting to expose and defeat.
Lake, who refused to concede and filed multiple, failed lawsuits after losing a 2022 race for Arizona Governor to undo the election, said Weinberger "will always fight for America First policies."
"I am proud to endorse my friend Meg Weinberger for (HD 94)," Lake said in a statement Weinberger shared on Instagram. "Meg is a proven America First fighter, proud supporter of President Trump, small businesswoman, and public servant."
After she appeared on RAV's American Sunrise program, Loudon gave Weinberger a nickname she liked so much, she posted a video of it on her campaign website.
"I have to tell you that I've got a new name for Meg Weinberger," Loudon said. "I'm going to call her MAGA Meg because she has been a Trump supporter from the get-go. She will take the ideals of President Trump straight to the Statehouse and do right by you, the citizens of Florida."
U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis, who is holding a Trump-themed campaign kickoff next month, is backing Weinberger too. So are U.S. Reps. Brian Mast of Florida and Jason Smith of Missouri, who both notched Trump endorsements this week, and U.S. Rep. Ronny Jackson of Texas.
Mast chairs the Veterans for Trump Coalition. A related group, Veterans for America First, has also endorsed Weinberger.
Another Trump endorsee, Miami state Rep. Alina García, who is now running for Miami-Dade Supervisor of Elections, praised Weinberger in an endorsement last month.
"Meg has all the tools and conservative bona fides needed to propel the legislature forward in its efforts to continue leading the nation on parental rights, economic prosperity, and defending and protecting our God-given freedoms and liberties," she said.
Others backing Weinberger include Delray Beach state Rep. Mike Caruso, the Palm Beach County Police Benevolent Association and Florida Fraternal Order of Police.
Weinberger founded and runs Rescue Life, an animal sanctuary that for a decade has fostered and cared for previously abused animals. The sanctuary partners with organizations like Kid Sanctuary, Place of Hope and Friendship Circle, among others, to provide therapeutic animal encounters to adults and children with mental and intellectual challenges.
She vows, if elected, to protect gun rights, support anti-abortion legislation, enforce immigration laws, address Florida's affordability crisis, lower taxes, decrease regulation, improve education, back law enforcement and public safety efforts, and support farming and agriculture.
She also promises to "ensure elections are fair and honest" by fighting "to ensure that only legal votes are counted, and ineligible voters and non-citizens are purged from our voter rolls."
In March, Weinberger went on a horseback ride through HD 94 to raise awareness for Trump's presidential candidacy, her campaign and the slaughter of animals in Florida.
"Trump's America First policies really resonate with folks in my district," she said. "What better way to show our support for President Trump than to ride across the county with our Trump flags?'
That same month, Weinberger shared a video on X of Trump decrying a civil fraud lawsuit against him, his sons and the Trump Organization as "the greatest witch hunt in the history of our country."
"Thank you President Trump for fighting for our freedom and rights," she wrote. "G-d bless YOU and YOUR FAMILY."
Weinberger leads all candidates in fundraising to succeed term-limited Republican state Rep. Rick Roth with $300,000 collected since she filed to run in May 2023.
Other Republicans running include businessman Anthony Aguirre, who has raised $209,000; college professor Christian Acosta, who has raised $33,000; Palm Beach County Commission Chief of Staff Jon Carter, who has raised $28,000; and Gabrielle Fox, a psychologist and entrepreneur who has raised $7,200.
Former Palm Beach Gardens Mayor Rachelle Litt, the only Democrat in the contest, has amassed $123,000 to battle whoever emerges from the five-way GOP contest in August.
HD 94 runs from West Palm Beach to Belle Glade's agricultural areas.
In the last election, HD 94 voters supported Gov. Ron DeSantis by 15 percentage points over Democratic candidate Charlie Crist, according to elections data analyst Matt Isbell of MCI Maps.
But the area's affinity for DeSantis doesn't necessarily translate into a shoo-in for Trump-associated candidates. District data from 2020 showed President Joe Biden beat Trump by 1 percentage point.
Two years before that, former Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum earned a 5-point lead over DeSantis there.
State candidates this year have until June 14 at noon to qualify for their respective races.
The General Election is on Nov. 5.
No comments:
Post a Comment