A flock of attendees showed up to a Republican gathering Thursday evening at the Savannah Center in hopes of hearing speeches by U.S. and Florida Senate candidates. It was a joint meeting of The Villages Republican Club and The Villages of Marion County.
However, a handful of guests left the event confused as only one U.S. Senate candidate’s campaign manager spoke to the audience on his behalf.
Notable guests were District 11 Congressional candidate Justin Grabelle and District 12 state senate candidates David Gee and state Rep. Marlene O’Toole.
The club’s president David Lausman moderated the evening program and touched on topics including shovel ready projects and taking back people’s inalienable rights.
He especially talked about the importance of being an informed voter and knowing who the candidates are.
For the Republicans, Lausman pointed out, this year’s federal and state races for Senate positions brought out a great group of candidates.
Speaking on behalf of U.S. Senate candidate Todd Wilcox was campaign representative Sam Mascaro, who shared background information regarding the former CIA officer.
After Mascaro’s rallying speech, Lausman took the floor and ended the program with the 50/50 raffle causing a member in the crowd to ask about the state candidates’ turn to speak.
The club’s president dismissed the man and called him “son,” which elicited a reaction by the guest who said he was older than Lausman. The guest was then told to “get out” and left the event.
Lausman insisted that audience members who wanted to know the candidates better should head to the back of the room where they could meet and speak to them.
While some left in disappointment, others stayed to speak with candidates not only running for state senate but also for school superintendent.
