ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — Just more than a week after three St. Johns County elected officials were charged in connection with helping to create fake voter guides during the 2024 Primary, a new voter guide is raising concerns among some local candidates.
“Very tone deaf,” said Congressman John Rutherford (R-FL 5th District).
Rutherford argued the main headline, which reads “SJC Republican Endorsed Candidates,” seems intentionally vague and could make some voters believe the Republican Party endorses the candidates.
“Why doesn’t it say St. Johns County Republican Assembly endorsed candidates?” said Rutherford. “So, it’s very misleading, and it’s sad voters are gonna be exposed to this.”
The flier was produced by the St. Johns County Republican Assembly, which is not directly affiliated with the state or local GOP.
“Our stances are the same as Republicans. Voter integrity, fiscal conservativeness,” said SJCRA Chapter President Jacqueline LeBlanc.
LeBlanc noted, unlike the voter guide at issue in the 2024 case that falsely used the name and logo of the St. Johns County GOP, the St. Johns County Republican Assembly’s flier specifically indicates the name of the organization at least eleven times.
“I mean, there’s some personal responsibility here to just read through the guide. We’ve gone out of our way to really over disclose on this thing,” said LeBlanc.
When shown the flier, Florida GOP Chair Evan Power told Action News Jax he believes it violates the law.
“The Republican Party of Florida takes voter guides and the misuse of its name seriously. This group is not approved by the Republican Party of Florida and appears to have violated the law,” said Power. “We look forward to using all options to bring accountability for this mailer.”
Florida Republican Assembly President Lou Marin pushed back on Power’s accusation with his own statement.
“The St. Johns County Republican Assembly is a chartered chapter of the Florida Republican Assembly (FRA), a statewide political organization that has legally operated in Florida since 1998. Pursuant to Florida Statutes § 103.081(2), organizations that have continuously operated on a statewide basis for more than ten years are authorized to use the name “Republican.” The statute speaks for itself,” said Marin. “If the appropriate state election authorities determine that any aspect of the mailer should have been formatted differently to comply with Florida election law, we will respect that determination and take any appropriate corrective action. Until then, we believe it is appropriate to allow the legal process to run its course rather than prejudge the matter through public statements.”
At the end of the day, both LeBlanc and Rutherford agreed voters should read everything they receive carefully to ensure they know who is behind the message.
“I just ask voters to do their due diligence, look who is fighting for them,” said Rutherford.
“Read everything you get and understand it. And if you don’t understand it or you have questions, contact these people,” said LeBlanc.
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