Joe Gruters this week picked up what could be a major endorsement for a race for Chief Financial Officer. Maybe. Well, it could at least will give Gruters a headstart on becoming Sarasota’s first statewide elected official in decades.

Donald Trump, the former president and presumptive 2024 nominee, gave predictive support to the Sarasota Republican.

“I am hearing that America First Patriot Joe Gruters is considering launching his Campaign for Chief Financial Officer of the Great State of Florida. Joe was on the ‘Trump Train’ before it even left the station and, if he decides to run, he will have my Complete and Total Endorsement,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “As a State Senator and Chairman of the Republican Party of Florida, Joe has done more than anyone to help turn Florida RED, and elect Republicans across the State. A decorated CPA, Joe is a ‘ROCKSTAR,’ who will work hard to Grow our Economy, Stop Illegal Immigration, Strongly Support Law Enforcement, and Protect our always under siege Second Amendment. RUN JOE, RUN! This is an Endorsement I would love to make.”

Gruters, who has been closely allied with Trump for more than a decade now, of course embraced the support. “President Trump is the Rockstar and I am so thankful to have his support,” Gruters said. “We are going to win back the White House and bring back America First policies!”

More important in a way, Gruters after the endorsement hinted he will make his own decision whether to run for CFO “soon.” My guess, though, is this endorsement wouldn’t have come if Gruters mind wasn’t pretty much made up. 

So what good will that endorsement be if or when Gruters runs for CFO in 2026? Well, ask me in 10 months. The results of the presidential election will play a role in what capital Trump possesses. Everyone should know by now that predicting the political fortunes of Donald Trump is a fool’s errand. Whether he becomes political kryptonite by year’s end seems an open question. Or maybe he’ll be more popular than ever. Heck, history shows us that even if he wins a return ticket to the White House, his presence in D.C. could yet become toxic to Republicans by the Midterms (ask Margaret Good or James Buchanan about that).

But predicting anything about November 2026, to the extent that’s a worthwhile tarot-reading exercise at all, sort of misses the point. Florida has become an increasingly red state, really over 20 years. It’s hard to imagine a Republican losing the CFO post, of all posts, in the near future (though you can ask Alex Sink about whether those trends can be defied as well).

The real question is whether Gruters in the next two years can make himself the indisputable frontrunner for the Republican nomination for CFO.  Here, Trump’s endorsement seems like the only one that matters right now. Even when Trump’s political fortune overall goes down, his capital within GOP circles remains high. 

The one big wrench may be that Florida’s other big Republican voice, Gov. Ron DeSantis, hasn't showed much love for Gruters lately. Gruters was, after all, the first state lawmaker to endorse Trump over DeSantis for President. But the governor's political capital seems in an inevitable decline unlikely to end soon.

At least for now, Gruters has the golden ticket for the GOP nod. That gives him a headstart on fundraising whenever he throws his hat in the ring. Should he secure the GOP nomination, by no means should he stop fighting, but he should be able to win statewide.

Jacob Ogles is contribution senior editor for SRQ MEDIA. 

Well, it’s “silly season” again. That time once every two years when your mailbox will be filled with shiny brochures, TV ads will be running and, in recent years, you get more and more text messages telling you about the candidates running for office.

Candidates will be vying for your vote and since local government is the one closest to the people, I will focus on local elections— especially since this is also where you have the greatest opportunity to get to know the candidates and become knowledgeable about the issues.

There is nothing wrong with candidates getting information out to voters. This is how you run a race to get elected. I would say it’s the candidate’s job to inform voters regarding the reasons they are running for office, what they plan to accomplish if they are elected to office and even why they are a better choice than their opponent. They can also highlight issues their opponent may have that would affect your opinion and ultimately your vote. As long as they are honest and factual. That’s where things get messy.

Sometimes what a candidate (or Political Committees supporting candidates) may say about their opponent is misleading, taken out of context or even an outright falsehood.

Running for office is not easy and frankly, I think we should be grateful to those that take on this endeavor to represent us in our democracy. But we should also expect that they will handle themselves with integrity and honesty from the onset of the campaign through their time in office. It is easy to say the “campaign consultant” thought something was a good idea or as the candidate I can’t interact with a Political Committee, but the candidate sets the tone and the boundaries and ultimately the buck stops with them. If they want your vote, they owe you the respect to run a dignified campaign.

Let’s face facts. What I describe above is a perfect world scenario. We all know this is not happening all the time, so voters have responsibilities, too. Don’t take everything at face value. Do your research. Just like you read labels at the grocery store rather than falling for flashy marketing, do your research on candidates. The candidates’ consultants have done their research, and they know exactly what words, phrases and images will evoke the desired response from you. Don’ t fall for it.

Most candidates will get out in public and attend forums to speak to groups of voters. Make it a point to attend these forums to hear what the candidates have to say and ask them questions. If you get a piece of mail and you are skeptical, call the candidate or the opponent to factcheck the information. Contact information can be found on paperwork they filed with the Supervisor of Elections. 

Certainly, do not believe every text message you receive about a candidate’s opponent being endorsed by certain groups that cause you to be outraged. I remember this happening in a local race where a text message was sent saying certain national groups had endorsed a candidate and it was blatantly false. Pause for a moment when you receive these messages and ask yourself why this national group would be so interested in this local race? In another race south of us, a text message went out on election day saying the candidate had dropped out of the race. Again, false.

As a voter, please become informed. Please factcheck and please ensure that your precious vote is cast in a manner that is completely in line with what you support and not what you have been manipulated into thinking.

I can promise you that at the Gulf Coast Builders Exchange (GCBX), when we see false or misleading information going out about any of our endorsed candidates, we will do our best to ensure GCBX members receive factual information. That is our responsibility and our commitment to GCBX members.

Mary Dougherty is executive director of the Gulf Coast Builders Exchange. 

Image courtesy Pixabay.