Trump calls for Republican to challenge Rep. Laurel Lee in Polk County district

Rep. Laurel Lee seemed to be cruising toward likely re-election to a second term in U.S. House District 15.

And then former President Donald Trump stepped in.

In a post late Sunday on his Truth Social platform, Trump called for a Republican to challenge Lee in this year’s primary.

“Any great MAGA Republicans looking to run against Laurel Lee in Florida’s 15th Congressional District? IF SO, PLEASE STEP FORWARD!” Trump wrote.

Trump’s reason: Lee was the only member of Florida's U.S. House delegation who initially endorsed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in the presidential race, rather than Trump. Lee, who served as Secretary of State in DeSantis’ administration before running for Congress, pledged support for him in April 2023, before DeSantis officially entered the presidential race. Trump is now the presumptive nominee and remains the dominant figure in the Republican Party.

Lee, a Brandon resident, switched her endorsement to Trump in late January, after DeSantis suspended his campaign.

“Our country needs a conservative leader in the White House,” Lee posted on X, formerly Twitter. “While I was proud to support my former boss, Ron DeSantis, in his campaign, I have great faith in the leadership and proven track records of President Trump. He is the candidate who can unite Republicans, reverse the horrendous open border policy of Joe Biden, and take back the country for conservatives. President Trump has my endorsement and my full support.”

Evidently, that was not enough to satisfy Trump. A spokeswoman for Lee said Tuesday that her campaign had no comment.

As of Tuesday, no Republican had filed to run in District 15, which covers northwest Polk County, including much of Lakeland, as well as parts of Hillsborough and Pasco counties. The only other candidates are Kris Fitzgerald, a Democrat, and Alexander Peterson, an independent who does not meet the minimum age requirement.

By contrast, U.S. Rep. Daniel Webster, R-Clermont, endured a scare in 2022 from Republican challenger Laura Loomer and is facing a primary challenge in District 11 this year from Anthony Sabatini, a former state legislator who has often criticized fellow Republicans. That district covers northern Polk County.

Accusation of bullying

At least two House Republicans came to Lee’s defense following Trump’s post.

“This is unhelpful and unwarranted,” Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Kentucky, wrote on social media, as The Hill reported. “@RepLaurelLee is a conservative thoughtful member of the judiciary committee. She endorsed DeSantis for President but then endorsed Trump when DeSantis got out of the race.”

He added: “More of my colleagues should call out these ridiculous bullying tactics.”

Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, responded to Massie’s post with the comment, “Co-sponsor.” Roy also supported DeSantis in the Republican presidential primary.

A spokesperson for U.S. Rep. Scott Franklin, R-Lakeland, said he could not be reached Tuesday afternoon. Webster’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Lake Wales Mayor Jack Hilligoss, a pastor, turns his church into a political force

Lee won the Republican primary in 2022 for the newly redrawn District 15 with 41.5% of the vote, defeating former state legislator Kelli Stargel of Lakeland and three other candidates. Lee then handily defeated Democrat Alan Cohn in the general election. Stargel could not be reached Tuesday.

Former state legislator Jackie Toledo, who finished third in the 2022 primary, posted Monday on social media, saying she was a “Great MAGA Republican answering the call and ready to serve.”

The deadline to file for the race is June 14.

Jim Powers, chair of the Polk County Republican Executive Committee, said he was unaware of Trump’s post but that his position requires him to remain neutral in all Republican primary elections.

Lee, who holds a law degree from the University of Florida, gained appointment from former Gov. Rick Scott as a judge in Florida’s 13th Judicial Circuit in 2013. DeSantis chose her as Secretary of State in 2019, replacing Mike Ertel, who resigned after the emergence of photos showing him wearing blackface, Politico reported.

Republicans have held District 15 for well over a decade, amid changing boundaries, though the district is not as solidly red as two others that include parts of Polk County.

Analyst: Lee is popular

Lee has generally voted with Republican majorities on major legislation since taking office in January 2023. She has been highly critical of President Biden’s border policies, calling for the impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

Lee has differed from more conservative Republicans on some votes. She voted in February and March for spending bills to avert a possible government shutdown, in contrast to Franklin and Webster. She also voted against the expulsion of Rep. George Santos in December.

Susan MacManus, a distinguished professor emerita at the University of South Florida, said that it is too soon to say whether Lee might be in danger.

“It will be interesting to see who does go ahead and decides to run because right now I don't think we know if anybody’s going to bite or not,” said MacManus, a close observer of politics in Florida. “On the other hand, she is pretty popular in that district, and so is her husband..”

Lee’s husband, Tom Lee, served in the Florida Legislature for 18 years.

MacManus said that Trump’s call for a primary challenger to Lee typifies divisions riling both major political parties. She pointed to the recent suspensions of three Democratic county chairs in Florida, followed by a state committee's vote to reinstate one of the chairs, a rebuke to Nikki Fried, the state party chair.

MacManus said she heard fretting about the internal conflicts as she spoke to local partisan groups in the past week.

“What everybody is talking about, each party is worried that these splinters are not coming together,” MacManus said. “In fact, and the fighting is intensifying in both parties. You saw what happened with the Florida Democrats and, and people are very distraught by it. They just want people to come together in their party and try to work to win the election instead of going after each other, which is counterproductive.”

R. Bruce Anderson, a political science professor at Florida Southern College in Lakeland, said that Lee had become “collateral damage” in Trump’s feud with DeSantis. The governor strongly criticized Trump during the campaign before offering an endorsement after leaving the race.

"This is the kind of politics of revenge that we’ve come to expect from Mr. Trump," said Anderson, who is registered as a Democrat. "A revolution that cannot co-opt the figures that make up its rank and file, I think is a revolution that will fail. And they're going to run out of people. He's driven so many Republicans out of the party.”

As of Tuesday, Lee had reported nearly $582,000 in campaign contributions and had $438,000 in cash on hand, with about $125,000 in debts owed. Fitzgerald, a former Lake Wales City Commissioner, reported about $17,000 in contributions and less than $1,000 in available cash.

Gary White can be reached at gary.white@theledger.com or 863-802-7518. Follow on X @garywhite13.

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Trump calls for Republican to take on Lee in Polk U.S. House district