It’s only December 2017, and the first negative salvo in the 2018 Republican primary for Attorney General has been fired by Rep. Jay Fant against former judge Ashley Moody.
In a letter to Republican Party of Florida Chairman Blaise Ingoglia, Fant asks Ingoglia to ban Moody from attending the party’s upcoming annual meeting in January 2018 because he says she is “not a candidate we can trust.” Fant also says that Moody is not only a “Clinton liberal,” but a “true liberal and proud of it.”Big ouch.
Labeling any Republican as a “Clinton liberal” is downright politically aggressive and contentious, and will surely raise eyebrows.
Do you think the 2nd Amendment will be destroyed by the Biden Administration?(2)
According to his letter to Ingoglia, Fant states the following:
- Press accounts which demonstrate the Moody family’s long relationship with the Clinton family and their allies, including Moody’s father who received a lifetime appointment to the federal bench from Bill Clinton.
- Moody was as an assistant and speechwriter to left wing American Bar Association President Martha Barnett, a close ally to Hillary Clinton. She proudly represents this on her website.
- Unbelievably, Ashley Moody sued Donald Trump for fraud. As a candidate for Attorney General I encourage conservatives to stand up and fight for the Constitution, the rule of law, and our platform of life and liberty. That includes taking on liberals who undermine our Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms, progressives who want open borders and sanctuary cities for illegal immigrants, and those who threaten our relationship with President Donald J. Trump.
Fant then repeats the slight that Moody is a “closet liberal and Clinton ally.”
Moody, a closet liberal and Clinton ally who has sued Trump, be denied access to our meeting. The 2018 election ballot is absolutely critical from top to bottom and we simply cannot waste time with candidates who have to hide their past involvement with the Clintons in order to win.- I am asking that our party leadership refuse Ashley Moody access to the annual meeting and immediately discontinue RPOF’s indirect support of her campaign through party resources including the non- allocable in-kinds for staff support that already total over $23,000 as of the November 2017 report.
Here is the letter:
Ingoia responded to Fant, denying his request.
“All Republicans running for statewide office are welcome to attend RPOF meetings. We will not, and should not, interject ourselves in the middle of primaries. Nor, should the RPOF become the arbiter of a candidates conservative credentials. If Rep. Fant thinks this will resonate with the electorate, then take it directly to the primary voters.”–Blaise Ingoglia
As of now, Moody is enjoying widespread support from some of the biggest players in Florida state politics, including that of Trump confidant Brian Ballard, who is one of her fundraising chairs.Fant has recently poured $750,000 of his own dollars into his campaign, as has Frank White (loaned himself $1.5 million), the other candidate, while Moody has already raised well over $1 million.
All three candidates are boasting about their endorsing t. Moody has the upper hand as far as endorsements with the support of current Florida AG Pam Bondi, followed closely by Fant who has a slew of state representative endorsements, and then Frank White, who has managed to garner a few congressional nods of support.
