Women’s Republican club snubs female Republican Miami mayoral candidates

The Women’s Republican Club of Miami Federated will have a forum next week for the Miami mayoral candidates — but the two Republican women in the race, June Savage and Alyssa Crocker, haven’t been invited.
Savage isn’t just Republican. She’s a dues-paying members of the club.
“There’s no excuse,” Savage told Political Cortadito. “Imagine advocating for conservative women and only inviting elite men. Appalling advocacy, that’s for sure.”
The club responded to Savage by telling her that the invite went only to the candidates who are polling over 5%, which is the same criteria used by the CBS Miami and Downtown Neighbors Association debate last month. So, did the WRCMF do their own poll? Or did they get DNA’s poll?
Read related: Alyssa Crocker: mother, advocate, fighter — and Miami mayoral candidate
Savage asked for the poll and calls the rationale a “bullshit meter.” So, Ladra can’t help but like her.
“No one knows who paid for it. No one got to see it,” she says about the poll. “And I know numbers go up and down within a week. I know Ken Russell‘s numbers are up, for instance.” That’s solid hearsay based on his performance at the DNA debate.
“All Republicans should be invited,” Savage said of the Republican club’s event Oct. 20, adding that all the Democrat candidates — that would include super long shot Elijah John Bowdre — were invited to the Coconut Grove Democratic Club’s forum earlier this month. “Why are we any different? Because we have more corruption on our end?”
It’s not just a problem for now, Savage says. “This will change the landscape of future grassroots candidates for years,” she said.
She’s not wrong.
Savage is also upset for Crocker, who is a black woman Republican. “This would be a fantastic way to promote to our daughters and sons that you don’t have to be white to run for office, that you don’t have to be a man,” she told Ladra.
Emails and calls to Aida Zayas, the president of the WRCMF, were not returned. Megan Pearl, the club’s secretary, responded in an email: “We give a platform to Republican candidates irrespective of gender because our mission as reflected in our mission statement is to elect Republicans to office. In this instance we decided to limit the size of the panel to afford our members time to hear those candidates polling at over 5% answer more questions.”
That’s not exactly what it says on the organization’s website, under the “Our Mission” area: “WRCMF nurtures a robust network of women in South Florida who produce results in elections. We commit ourselves to advance the participation of Republican Women in all areas of the political system and are dedicated to encouraging and empowering women of all ages and backgrounds. Our goal is to strengthen the Republican Party and work to influence the crucial issues that face our community, state, and nation.”
Keyword: Women. It’s in there twice. No matter.
“We’ve had prior panels with large numbers of candidates and we felt given how this election has been on and off, and is quickly approaching, it would be the in the best interest of our members to get the maximum time to hear those candidates with the best chance of winning,” Pearl said. “Accordingly, we invited those candidates who are registered republicans and polling over 5%.”
Read related: June Savage: The uninvited guest who won’t stay quiet in Miami mayor’s race
Cut out the two Democrats in the top — Miami-Dade Commissioner Eileen Higgins and former Miami Commissioner Russell — and the lone independent, which is former Miami-Dade Commissioner Mayor Sir Xavier Suarez, and that leaves us with three men standing: Commissioner Joe Carollo, former Commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portilla, and former city manager Emilio Gonzalez, who, las malas lenguas say, already has the club’s support.
Gonzalez told Political Cortadito that he thought the women should be invited.
“If you’re going to have a women’s Republican event and there are women Republican candidates, I think all Republicans should be invited,” he said, adding that he does not have an inside track. “I don’t know anybody there.”
Savage said she contacted State Rep. Alex Rizo, the past chairman of the Miami-Dade Republican Party, and got this response: “I find this troubling and offensive and would use this as an opportunity to call ut the WRCM and place a questioning spotlight on them,” she said he texted her. “You have just as much legitimacy to be showcased as a candidate at that event as any other that has been invited. Un fact, I would say that you should have been one of the first to be invited as a dues paying member.
“Regardless of where you are polling right now.”
The club has a week to course correct. The event starts at 6 p.m. Monday, October. 20, at Bay 13, 65 Alhambra, in Coral Gables, which is outside the city of Miami, where there are probably lots of places they could have held this event and drawn more actual voters.
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The post Women’s Republican club snubs female Republican Miami mayoral candidates appeared first on Political Cortadito.

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