Update: The Lee County Republican Party meetings have been canceled by Chairman Jonathan Martin because 50.1% of the party members what to fire him as the chair. The current Lee County Republican Party has fractured into two different splinter groups. Both groups are trying to control Lee County politics.
Martin refuses to resign his Chairmanship Lee County Republican Party, why?
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Jonathan Martin hasn’t filed yet for a Florida Senate seat, but already landed Gov. Ron DeSantis’ support.
DeSantis made clear he expects Sen. Ray Rodrigues, an Estero Republican, will not seek re-election in a tweet endorsing Martin for the job.
“I want to thank Senator Rodrigues for his service to Florida. I wish him well in his future endeavors,” DeSantis posted.
“Jonathan Martin is a conservative fighter for Southwest Florida. I am pleased to support him for Senate District 33. He will be a strong ally for our agenda.”
Martin confirmed he is running for Florida Senate.
OUTRAGEOUS BEHAVIOR: Lee County GOP Chair Jonathan Martin: Lee County GOP Chair Jonathan Martin grabbing a cell phone, objecting to a member recording a PUBLIC meeting.
Martin, a lawyer with Parvey & Cavenago, began reaching out on Wednesday to potential political supporters about plans to file and run for the seat. He has chaired the county Republican Executive Committee for years, and spoke at events with DeSantis during the Governor’s first run in 2018.
To date, Rodrigues remains the only candidate listed in the Division of Elections database in Senate District 33. While still a first-year Senator, Rodrigues holds a reputation as one of the most influential lawmakers in the Legislature. This year, he chaired the Senate Reapportionment Committee.
That committee crafted a new Senate map as part of the once-a-decade redistricting process.