Jeff Greene wants to know: Will Kendrick Meek support whoever the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate is during the general election? The two are currently battling it out in the primary; the state and national Democratic parties have officially endorsed Meek.
Greene announced he would unequivocally support Meek should he win while addressing a crowd at the Democrats’ Jefferson-Jackson Dinner in Hollywood, Saturday. After admitting that “I haven’t spent my life in party politics,” Greene went on to say:
I pledge to you tonight that I will support whoever the nominee is, and I will do whatever it takes to help the Democratic ticket win from top to bottom. Because there is nothing more important to me than making sure that neither Marco Rubio nor Charlie Crist win this seat.
“That is something Kendrick Meek has not done,” Greene spokesman Luis Vizcaino mentioned after the dinner. “He has not pledged to support whoever the Democratic nominee is.” Vizcaino said that the Greene campaign intends to work around the lack of party support by continuing to travel throughout the state to talk directly to Democratic voters.
Greene, a billionaire, bought the most tables at the dinner — at least eight, at $5,000 per table. But he was met with thin applause when he took the podium.
What Meek lacked in tables, he made up for in noise. As he entered the dining room at the Westin Diplomat, a choreographed group of supporters followed him up the escalator chanting his name and holding signs. When it was Meek’s turn to take the stage (he was introduced by Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz as the “next U.S. Senator”), the room erupted in applause. (As of yet, Meek staffers have not answered Greene’s question.)
Other notes from the dinner: Scott Maddox, the Democratic candidate for Agriculture Commissioner, got the most yucks at the dinner during a fiery speech in which he used the refrain “Bring it on!”
Mentioning the litany of state Republican officials in trouble past and present, including indicted former Republican chair Jim Greer, and indicted former House Speaker Ray Sansom, Maddox said: “Sounds more like a lineup than a statewide slate.” Then, he added, “Republican Party of Florida. RPOF: It even spells ‘Rip Off!’”
