Former Trump adviser Sebastian Gorka with Karen Giorno in a picture from Giorno’s website for her campaign for Republican national committeewoman.
The Sebastian Gorka primary is over in the race for Florida’s vacant Republican national committeewoman post.
Gorka, the frequent Fox News guest and former adviser to President Donald Trump, is endorsing West Palm Beach resident and former Trump Florida campaign director Karen Giorno for the committeewoman post.
The committeewoman post, one of three Florida representatives to the Republican National Committee, has been vacant since Trump tapped former Committeewoman Sharon Day of Fort Lauderdale to be ambassador to Costa Rica. Republican Party of Florida officials will choose a committeewoman in November before a January vote by more than 200 GOP activists to fill the remainder of Day’s term through 2020.
Gorka, an outspoken hardliner on Islamic terrorism, left the Trump administration in August, when he declared that “forces that do not support the MAGA promise are – for now – ascendant within the White House” and said he could best help Trump from outside the administration. Others said Gorka was forced out by Chief of Staff John Kelly and others.
Regardless, Gorka is a popular figure with much of Trump’s anti-establishment “Make America Great Again” base. Giorno is stressing her Trump loyalty in her bid for committeewoman.
Gorka’s endorsement statement says Giorno is “the only candidate for Florida National Committeewoman who worked on the campaign to elect Donald Trump the 45th President of the United States and the only one who truly understands that the MAGA agenda is the people’s agenda. Karen as your National Committeewoman puts the Republican Party of Florida in the best position to win majorities and elections in 2018 and beyond. As someone committed to the ultimate success of the President’s MAGA agenda, I support Karen Giorno.”
Other potential candidates for Florida committeewoman include Manatee County GOP Chairwoman Kathleen King, former RPOF Chairwoman Carole Jean Jordan and Brevard County Republican State Committeewoman Cheryl Lankes.
