News Service of Florida Has: Five Questions for Blaise Ingoglia
 

By BRANDON LARRABEE
THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA

THE CAPITAL, TALLAHASSEE, March 2, 2015..........Blaise Ingoglia has had a busy few months. The Spring Hill Republican was elected in November to his first term in the Florida House, then followed that up in January by beating Gov. Rick Scott's pick to chair the Republican Party of Florida.

Ingoglia, who had served as vice chairman of the party since 2011, ousted former RPOF Chairwoman Leslie Dougher on the second ballot in what was initially a four-candidate race. It was believed to be the first time that governor's favored candidate to lead the RPOF was rejected by the party's executive committee. It also shook the establishment of the party; legislative leaders had also supported Dougher in her bid for a full two-year term after she succeeded Lenny Curry in May.

Now, Ingoglia and the party turn their attention to 2016. Democrats have won three of the past five presidential elections in the state and nearly won Florida and the presidency in 2000. Meanwhile, two of the state's highest-profile Republicans are setting the groundwork for their own bid for the White House.

The News Service of Florida has five questions for Blaise Ingoglia.

Q: You've been chairman of the Republican Party of Florida for about a month now. So what changes have you put in place, and what changes are you still looking at?

INGOGLIA: We have made a lot of changes, and not all of them have been announced yet, but I will tell you that we are very excited about those changes and what's on the horizon for the party. While we're not ready to release all the changes now, what I can share with you is that we are focusing on re-energizing our party and our brand, and we will be creating new engagement committees that will speak to all of the members of our great party, sending a message that we are welcoming new Republicans who may have not been active in the past and reconnecting to Republicans that we may not have connected to in election cycles in the past. We plan to unveil some new, innovative technologies that will seek to streamline and connect all Republicans and local supporters, from Pensacola down to the Keys. From Day 1, when I've been elected, our team has been tasked with thinking outside the box and taking our ground game, our digital and our engagement plans to the next level, and I cannot wait to unveil all of them over the next few months.

(I know that there are several people you kind of hired on an interim basis. Do you know when you're going to have the party fully staffed up at this point?) There is no timeline for fully staffing the party, but I will tell you that we value the people coming on and the people serving as volunteers, and that gives us ample time to hire the correct person with the correct skills that we need to deliver the state of Florida for the presidential nominee.

Q: Right before you were elected, Senate Republicans pulled a lot of their campaign money out of the party, and Gov. Scott at a press conference declined to say whether or not he trusted you. But you recently had lunch with the governor. How bad were the divisions after your election, and how would you characterize your relationship with the governor and legislative leaders now?

INGOGLIA: I will tell you that everyone is on the same page --- literally on same page. As you know, we have a big fundraiser coming up ... Monday and the governor is headlining the event, along with former Gov. Jeb Bush, Sen. Marco Rubio, the entire Florida Cabinet, the speaker and the Senate president. Look, the past is the past. What we have to do is focus on continuing to come together for the benefit of the party faithful, the donors and the future. When the governor and I met, I will tell you that the first thing I said to him was, "Governor, what can the party do to help you?" We are committed to working together for the good of our state, our party and this nation.

Q: Republicans have done well in midterm elections in Florida. But they've also lost the last two presidential elections, with Democrats making gains in the Legislature and Congress in presidential years. So what does the RPOF need to do to avoid a repeat in 2016?

INGOGLIA: First, it's obviously hard to predict how Florida will perform in any election, and there are a bunch of factors and variables to take into consideration with elections. But I will tell you that we are hyper-focused on delivering the 29 electoral votes to our Republican nominee. We will continue to seek counsel and advice from the very best that our state has to offer. We will be engaging on a grass-roots level a lot more, doing a lot more peer-to-peer contact, a lot of more boots-on-the-ground, retail politics --- shaking hands and kissing babies. We're going to rely on our advocates and our community leaders in every county. We are going to do a better job of digital outreach, more specifically with technology and social media. And, at the end of the day, I think the best thing that we can do as a party is to maintain our focus on those 29 electoral votes in Florida, and re-electing all Republicans in Congress --- everyone in the same boat, rowing in the same direction, for the same common cause.

Q: Some lawmakers have talked about pushing back the state's presidential primary by two weeks to allow the winner to get all the delegates. As party chairman, do you think it's better for Florida to go early or late?

INGOGLIA: I personally believe that Florida should be a winner-take-all state. We have moved up before, and it cost the party delegates at the national convention. And I believe the party should be allotted its full complement of delegates. Look, Florida is the largest, most diverse swing state, and it should be the most important state. But I will say that the party and I will work with whatever's decided by the Legislature. We're working with our state legislative leadership in determining our best path forward to do just that.

(So we're getting out of the business in this state of breaking party rules on primaries. Is that your assumption at this point?) The true assumption is that we want to make sure that Florida is center stage. Because we are the prize. We are the largest, most diverse state. Our 29 electoral votes make us very, very important. We need to highlight Florida. And RNC rules have the possibility of changing, but our thought process, at least my thought process is the same, that we should have a --- that, again, that I believe that we should be a winner-take-all state, we should have a full complement of delegates.

Q: Former Gov. Jeb Bush has already announced that he's exploring a run for the presidency. U.S. Marco Rubio is thinking of making a bid. How do you think it would benefit the party and/or the state to have a so-called "favorite son" in the presidency?

INGOGLIA: Look, it's not about what's best for Florida. This election is (about what's) best for our country. And I think electing a strong Republican, whose focus is on reducing (the) tax burden on hard-working Floridians and middle-class families, whose focus is on getting government out of our homes and businesses and letting the entrepreneurial spirit thrive, and a person who believes that less government intrusion and overreach will help our country thrive and will benefit our entire country. Sure, we would love to see one of our favorite sons become president. But only because we've seen what their commitment and dedication to public service can do for just one state, this state of Florida. Just imagine what they could do if they were elected the next president of the United States.