Hey Pinellas Republicans, Don’t Vote For George Buck!

The Tampa Bay Young Republicans don’t endorse candidates during Republican primaries, but we will inform the public when there are candidates on the ballot that pervert the platform of the GOP and actively undermine the work being done, particularly by the youth in this party. Lately, when the Tampa Bay Times and the mainstream media instructs people not to vote for a candidate, it encourages our party to vote for them, but we here at the TBYR want to set the record straight from within the Republican Party.

Do not vote for, George Buck, in this upcoming Republican primary for Congressional District 13!

Pinellas’ 13^th congressional district has quite the assortment of talent vying for the Republican Party’s nomination to face off against the former Florida Governor, Democrat/ Republican/Independent/Snake Oil Salesman, Charlie Crist. From Washington-veteran and exemplification of the American Dream, Amanda Makki – to Anna Paulina Luna’s national-level command of young conservatives and social media dominance; to the steadfast conviction, skilled oration, and hometown hero, Sheila Griffin. All three of whom have demonstrated to be formidable candidates that not only have a real chance to beat a powerful incumbent like Crist, but collectively represent everything the youth of this party stands for.

Diversity. Strength. Patriotism. Logic.

However, there is an outlier on the ballot named, George Buck, that represents the fringe of the party that the media loves to hyper-focus on and will continue to point to long after he loses this primary. On the surface, George seems like an alright guy – retired firefighter, counterterrorism instructor, Army veteran. It takes quite a set of personality defects to cancel out these positive attributes. Unfortunately, over the course of this primary, Buck has repetitively shown that he has no place representing the Republican Party.

There have been more national articles written about George Bucks’ campaign email that insinuated, Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, should be hung for treason, than there has been about the positive attributes of the rest of the candidates combined. Since that moment, national GOP leaders such as Chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, Tom Emmer, House WHIP, Steve Scalise, and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy to name a few, have condemned the candidate. This single fundraising email has been the type of fodder that Democrats quickly plastered around the country as a representation of our entire party, when in fact it represents the viewpoints of a single man’s derailed campaign that does not have the support of the vast majority of the party nor the constituents in the district. Trust us when we say that we despise Ilhan Omar and her policies, but calling for her hanging is despicable.

If that were not enough, Buck has spent as much time insulting and attacking his Republican primary opponents in ways that go beyond the normal primary political sparring. Early on in the race, a group of his supporters decided to march outside of an Amanda Makki meet and greet while holding signs and shouting charges of terrorism. Normally this type of behavior is followed by a denunciation, but George soon after reaffirmed the actions of his followers by implied or direct accusations of that nature on social media. One would expect a terrorism expert to be able to tell the difference between a Hezbollah operative, and a woman who escaped religious persecution to live the American dream, but we’ll digress.

In the comments section on that thread, a supporter posted links and screenshots of court documents involving Makki’s mother’s murder. One can’t be held responsible for the acts of fanatical supporters, but it would be well within expectations to remove that type of material. That information remained for at least several weeks, until the Buck campaign blocked a TBYR board member for having the temerity to ask how he’d spent more money than all of the other candidates combined that early in the race with little to show for it. For somebody that complains that the Republican Party has tried to keep him out, he has had no problem trying to keep Young Republicans out of his campaign. Additionally, he has also insinuated that Amanda Makki should not be allowed on the ballot, as he believes that no foreign-born candidates should be allowed to serve in Congress. This is not just objectively a bad idea, but it is the type of rhetoric that prevents our party from gaining more mainstream popularity.

Which brings us to the next string of attacks on Anna Paulina Luna. The first charge was that she was using a “fake name” – Anna has opted to use her maiden name. It’s not as if she has some dark hidden history covered by an alias, it’s simply easier to recognize. Next, he attacked her campaign ads, claiming “stolen valor” because she wore equipment in a photo that George took as claiming to be a Special Forces operator. Luna has discussed her career transparently several times months before in interviews. These are just a few examples of Buck openly insulting his primary opponents with baseless, yet serious allegations. A quick glance into his history on Facebook or Twitter will show you his views are more consistent with your drunk Grandfather on Thanksgiving rather than a serious candidate for US Congress. Pinellas voters, please do not be fooled by political mailers touting his veteran and firefighter credentials, this is not somebody that should representing our party.

As part of the GOP, we have to be outspoken when it comes to condemning this type of candidate on our ballot. It only takes one social media post or email for the national media to decry our entire party as racists, bigots, anti-Semites, or worse. As a party we have done a fantastic job of this over the past few years as we’ve publicly shamed and ousted many public figures such as Steve King, Roy Moore, and countless other local candidates across the country, because we know that the media will not grant legitimacy to our arguments if we allow these people to represent us in any capacity. The second that a candidate’s rhetoric begins to incite violence or invite the radical outliers in this country, we remove them. The same cannot be said for the Democrats, as they refuse to acknowledge the underlying anti-Semitic and racist base in their own party.

The TBYR will continue to set precedent in progressing the party forward, and our executive board wants to make it glaringly obvious that the Young Republicans do not support George Buck. Our party will be great hands whether Anna Paulina Luna, Amanda Makki, or Sheila Griffin win the primary on August 18^th, and they will have the full support of this club once the primary in finished!

— Tampa Bay Young Republican’s Executive Board

Florida’s primaries are Tuesday, August 18^th – be sure to get to your polling station and cast your vote.