Democratic congressional candidate Alex Sink shuffled participating in a candidate debate for a fundraiser in Washington D.C., emails between David Jolly’s and Sink’s campaigns and event organizers reveal.
Sink and Jolly had agreed to participate in a February 5th Tiger Bay program. However, nearly three weeks after that date was set, the organization reached out to Jolly to ask that he agree to reschedule the event. Tiger Bay vice president Pat Gerard (a Democratic candidate for County Commission, by the way) wrote to Jolly, “… we have a problem with Tiger Bay on February 5th.”
That problem, Gerard couldn’t/wouldn’t say was that the Tiger Bay debate on February 5th interferes with a fundraising reception for Sink in Washington D.C. (the invite is below.)
Gerard originally emailed both campaigns on December 30th to inform them — she really didn’t ask them if they could participate — of the February 5th program.
“Suncoast Tiger Bay will be hosting another program for District 13 candidates (Alex Sink and the winner of the Republican primary) on February 5th at the St. Petersburg Yacht Club,” wrote Gerard. Jolly’s camp confirmed its participation that day.
It’s not clear if Sink’s campaign ever committed to the February 5th date, but it took Tiger Bay until last week — three weeks after the original debate date was set — for the organization to inform Jolly’s campaign that the February 5th date was no longer viable.
Perhaps the D.C. fundraiser was already on Sink’s calendar. That could be the case.
Or she could be shuffling a Tiger Bay appearance to raise money from D.C. lobbyists so that she can air more television ads attacking Jolly for being a D.C. lobbyist.
