Robert Sutton resigned as Republican Party Chairman after months of turmoil, internal fighting and poor fundraising.
We Don’t Need him hurting the Republican Party again as State Committeeman.
..as Reported in the SUN SENTINEL<1> 
Robert Sutton & Dem. Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz
“Bob Sutton, the beleaguered chairman of the Broward Republican Party, resigned on Saturday, ending a tumultuous tenure during which his leadership came under scrutiny locally and by the state GOP.
The party wasn’t even tending to basic tasks, [party Secretary Dolly] Rump said, such as maintaining membership rolls, making sure the party website is functioning, and raising money.”
Sutton placed on Probation before he was forced to resign
“In November, [Republican Party of Florida Chairman Blaise] Ingoglia put Sutton on six months’ probation and told him to improve the way he was running the county party. “Broward is important to state-wide elections, and this ridiculous infighting needs to stop!
In the past week, many Broward Republican activists complained to the state party about the way Sutton was operating, especially over the plans to pick a new state committeewoman.”
Sutton tried to move the location and date of the State Committeewoman election to benefit one candidate over another
“In 4 p.m. email on New Year’s Eve, committeemen and committeewomen — the people from across the county who make up the party apparatus — learned Sutton had set the election for Jan. 15, the federal holiday for Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday. He also changed the location to Pembroke Pines in far southwestern Broward, where one of the two candidates for the party post lives. For years, the county party’s meetings have been held in Plantation, in the geographic center of the county.”
After Sutton was forced to resign, his attempts to remove people as voting members of the Broward Republican Executive Committee were stopped
“…the state party’s Executive Board ordered that the committeewoman election — and a contest to replace Sutton — be held on Jan. 22 at the usual meeting place in Plantation. And, the board ordered a halt to attempts to remove people who had been appointed as committeemen and committeewomen in recent months. Anyone who was on the membership rolls at the end of August will be allowed to vote.”
Even Sutton himself agreed it was best for the party for him to resign<2>
“Sutton’s resignation was announced Saturday by state party Chairman Blaise Ingoglia at a meeting of the state Republicans’ Executive Board in Orlando.
“After much thought, prayer, and discussion with my family; I have decided that it is in the best interest of the Republican Party of Broward County to resign as its chairman.”
This was all part of a long period of turmoil and infighting during Sutton’s reign
…turmoil again engulfs Broward Republicans<3>
Party secretary resigns as turmoil again
engulfs Broward Republicans
Dolly Trevino Rump, the Broward County Chair for the 2016 Trump campaign, as quoted in the Sun Sentinel:
“The BREC Treasury is at an all-time low, and instead of focusing on important things like raising money and Lincoln Day, time is spent on filing false police reports and making false and disgusting accusations against myself, my family and fellow BREC Board members. I will not continue to subject myself and my family to these continued vile attacks and slanderous accusations.”
“party was consumed by internal fighting … fundraising lagged”<4>
SunSentinel commenting on Bob Sutton’s reign 2/2/18:
“As the party was consumed by internal fighting from the 2016 elections through 2017, fundraising lagged. Broward Republicans never even held their big, annual Lincoln Day fundraising dinner, and the party took in far less than in comparable recent non-election years.”
According to financial reports filed with the Broward Supervisor of Elections Office:
- Broward Republicans took in just $22,618 in cash contributions last year. In the previous year after a presidential election, 2013, the Broward Republican Party raised $96,117.
- Broward Democrats brought in $206,952 last year; in 2013, the Democrats raised $68,218.
…Broward Republicans in turmoil<5>
“In the past month, the executive board voted no confidence in party Chairman Bob Sutton, ….…
The county party also is desperate for cash. Reports filed with the Supervisor of Elections Office show the party raised $7,378 in the first six months of 2017, with more than two-thirds of that the value of donated office space. The annual Lincoln Day fundraising dinner wasn’t held this year. In the previous four non-election years, Broward Republicans average $105,800 in income. The lack of money could hinder the party as it attempts to organize for the 2018 elections.”
History of Inappropriate Comments about Women
“Sutton faced criticism …after he made an oral sex reference…”<6>
“Sutton faced criticism in April after he made an oral sex reference to Hillary Clinton.
“I think when Donald Trump debates Hillary Clinton she’s going to go down like Monica Lewinsky,” he said in an article about campaign gender wars.
Sutton’s quote set off a flurry of phone calls and emails between Broward Republican activists who felt his comments were in poor taste.
“I’m getting a lot of phone calls right now. A lot of women are very offended,” said Dolly T. Rump, an activist and Trump supporter who lives in Coral Springs. “It’s very distasteful to a lot of women.”
He also put some women off in 2015, when he formed a business called “Red Hot Republican Women.”<7>
“While Sutton was vice chair, he brought some of the women — wearing bikinis and high heels — to the Broward GOP’s regular monthly business meeting.
Sutton wanted to hold a fundraiser with a fashion show, and brought the women as a teaser.
But so many Republicans spoke out against the idea that the fundraiser/fashion show never materialized.
“To their credit, when Republican women spoke up and said that is probably not the best idea, the idea was nixed,” Cooley said. “And there were several Republican committeemen who got up and left. They thought it was inappropriate.”
“Did he use his position in the Republican party to make a sexist remark that hurts all women, all Republicans, and the entire nation?” <8>
“Is Bob Sutton sexist? The South Florida Republican Party leader told the Washington Post, “I think when Donald Trump debates Hillary Clinton she’s going to go down like Monica Lewinsky.” Did he use his position in the Republican party to make a sexist remark that hurts all women, all Republicans, and the entire nation?”
Sutton later apologized<9>
“I think when Donald Trump debates Hillary Clinton she’s going to go down like Monica Lewinsky,” he said in an article about campaign gender wars. “In an effort to show my enthusiasm for defeating Hillary Clinton this November I made a statement that was both unnecessary and inappropriate. I sincerely apologize for anyone that I may have offended. I look forward to returning to talking about the issues facing our nation.” Several members of the Broward Republican Executive Committee said Sutton’s comments were offensive.”
Sutton also has a History of Strange Lawsuits:
In a lawsuit they filed against the Broward School board, Robert W. Sutton and his spouse filed a “loss of consortium” document.
What is a loss of consortium claim?
In Gates v. Foley 247 So. 2d 40 (1971), the Florida Supreme Court defined “consortium” as the companionship and fellowship of husband and wife. The Court noted that a claim for loss of consortium is the right of each spouse to the company, cooperation, and aid of the other; including the sexual relationship, affection, solace, comfort, companionship, conjugal life, fellowship, society, and assistance necessary to a successful marriage. Florida law denotes the spouse that was engaged in the accident as the “impaired spouse.” The spouse asserting the loss of consortium claim is referred to as the “deprived spouse.”
Your taxpayer dollars went to defending against this claim and the appeal that Robert Sutton filed after losing in the Broward court. The judges decided that workers compensation was enough for Robert Sutton.
