Florida State Senator and congressional candidate Lizbeth Benacquisto will have to face Republican voters and explain her past voter registration as a Democrat in Broward County, Florida.
Back in 1993, a young twenty-something Benacquisto was registered to vote as a Democrat. According to her campaign, her stint in the Democrat Party only until 1995, when he registered as a Republican.Below is a screen shot of Benacquisto’s 1993 voter registration record:
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Many prominent Republicans over the course of U.S. history, including a fellow by the name of Ronald Reagan, were once Democrats themselves. Some even have admitted to be radical liberal ideologs.
While some will try to make the case that Benacquisto is a Democrat at heart, even though her voting record in the Florida Legislature has been soundly conservative, and in-step with the Republican agenda, others will also try to paint Benacquisto’s chief primary challenger, businessman Curt Clawson, as also favoring Democrats, this after he donating to Democrat U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI).
But Benacquisto’s past affiliation with the Democrat Party is the least of her worries, as her marriage to ultra-liberal Democrat donor, Bruce Strayhorn, could pose as a major threat to her campaign, and turn off many conservative Republicans, pushing them to vote for Clawson or one of the other Republican candidates in the race.According to Opensecrets.org, Strayhorn has been funding the liberal Democrat cause since 1996, when he first donated to the Democratic National Congressional Committee (DCCC), which just happens to be the counterpart to the Republican National Congressional Committee (NRCC).
After Clinton lost Senator Barack Obama, Strayhorn jumped on board the Obama presidential campaign, being quoted as saying “we have to make a change in Washington.”
While there have been political couples like Benacquisto and Strayhorn, that have opposing political views and party affiliation, it is hard not to think that there could be some common ground found between the two love birds.Benacquisto, who like many other Republicans, was supportive of Charlie Crist before he switched to being an Independent in 2010, is running on the one thing she can count on, her voting record.
Here are a few of the documented donations Benacquisto’s husband made to Democrats over the years:
- 1/10/06 $2,500 Moving America Forward (D)
- 3/6/08 $2,300 Nelson, Bill (D)
- 1/20/03 $1,000 Nelson, Bill (D)
- 9/24/04 $1,000 Castor, Betty (D)
- 6/30/99 $1,000 Nelson, Bill (D)
- 6/30/00 $1,000 Nelson, Bill (D)
- 6/5/02 $1,000 Nelson, Bill (D)
- 6/5/02 $1,000 Nelson, Bill (D)
- 5/30/07 $500 Democratic Executive Cmte of Florida (D)
- 10/11/96 $275 Democratic Congressional Campaign Cmte
- 5/23/94 $250 Democratic Congressional Campaign Cmte
- 6/29/01 $250 Nelson, Bill (D)
- 6/30/00 $-423 Nelson, Bill (D)
- 3/21/05 $-800 Nelson, Bill (D)
- 10/15/04 $1,000 Democratic Executive Cmte of Florida (D)
*Update– Minutes after this story posted, the Lizbeth Benacquisto campaign called the Shark Tank to cry about the story, calling it “sexist” and stating that her husband’s donations to Democrats were “irrelevant.”
Here is what they sent over:
Lizbeth has been consistent in her loyal support of the GOP and Republican causes. In fact, she is so dedicated to expanding the Republican ranks that before they were married, Lizbeth convinced her husband to join the GOP. Today, Lizbeth is proud to serve as the leader of the Florida Senate’s Republican caucus and has earned the support of Republican voters in Southwest Florida to serve them. We know these voters, friends, and colleagues recognize this stunt for what it is; a desperate tactic from a failing candidate.Lizbeth has been a Republican since 1995 – most of her adult life and 15 years before Curt Clawsen sent big bucks to a liberal Democrat, US Senator Debbie Stabenow. Within just a few months of his contribution, Democrat Stabenow cast the deciding vote to pass Obamacare. –Benacquisto Campaign
Do you think its relevant?