GOP War: Ex-Rep Blasts 'Runaway House' Betraying DeSantis

In a fiery speech that revealed deep fractures within Florida’s Republican Party, former State Rep. Dr. Joel Rudman (R-Navarre) took the stage at Pensacola State College this morning to support Governor Ron DeSantis while delivering blistering criticism of the current Florida House leadership.

“This is DeSantis Country”

Rudman began by welcoming DeSantis to Pensacola, proudly declaring it “DeSantis country” to enthusiastic applause. He reminded the audience of the Governor’s decisive action during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly praising DeSantis for allowing Florida students to return to in-person learning when other states remained locked down.

“Our governor is the reason that our kids were able to go back to school in person, free and without those ridiculous quarantine policies,” Rudman stated, recounting his own battles with the Santa Rosa County School Board.

Rudman, whom DeSantis recently appointed to the PSC Board of Trustees, noted that Pensacola State College represents a vital pathway to career advancement for many citizens. He highlighted the value of the state college system as an affordable alternative to expensive private universities, particularly for military families in this “military bedroom community.”

The former lawmaker praised DeSantis for “rooting out these garbage philosophies of woke, antisemitism, socialism and DEI from our schools,” while acknowledging it wasn’t easy due to opposition from what he characterized as Florida’s version of “the squad” – Democratic representatives Anna Eskamani, Angie Nixon, and Hillary Cassel.

“The Runaway House”: Allegations of Republican Betrayal

In the most explosive portion of his speech, Rudman detailed why he left the Florida House to run for Congress in January, claiming a dramatic shift had occurred within the Republican leadership under new Speaker Danny Perez.

According to Rudman, during a November 19 legislative orientation session following his re-election, House leadership explicitly told Republican members they would no longer follow Governor DeSantis’s lead, allegedly using vulgar language to emphasize the point. Rudman claimed leadership had “welcomed two Democrats” who had “just voted for Kamala Harris” into the Republican Party to “boost their ranks.”

“As the second most conservative member of the Florida House, I couldn’t go along with this agenda,” Rudman said, calling the current chamber a “runaway house” that is “running away from conservative ideals.”

Targeting Andrade: The former lawmaker directed particular criticism toward local Rep. Alex Andrade (R-Pensacola), accusing him of “taking shots at our governor” and having “a history of fighting conservative Republicans.” He alleged Andrade reported a conservative group called “Recall Florida” to the Florida Elections Commission when they asked him to support legislation allowing voters to recall corrupt county officials.

Rudman also mentioned Andrade’s past role as city attorney of Milton, saying, “Alex Andrade used to be city attorney of Milton, where he’d literally sued the mayor.” He noted that “after the 2024 election, the new Milton City Council fired Andrade as city attorney.”

He accused Andrade of supporting Democrat-backed initiatives, claiming that squad member Angie Nixon was “retweeting his tweets because he’s using his committee to enact lawfare on the governor and our wonderful first lady.”

Contrasting Agendas and Priorities: Rudman framed the current political moment as a choice between two visions: standing with “America’s governor” or with what he characterized as Republicans in name only.

On the issue of homeowners insurance, he asked whether voters would support DeSantis, “who has already enacted meaningful reforms,” or Representative Hillary Cassel, described as “a trial lawyer who four months ago voted for Kamala Harris for president and who just filed a bill that directly benefits her very own law practice.”

Similarly, on property taxes, Rudman contrasted DeSantis’s call for immediate tax relief with Andrade’s record, reminding local residents that Andrade had “raised your fire taxes.”

A Call to Stand with DeSantis

Rudman concluded his remarks with an apology to DeSantis for “the appalling behavior of Rep. Andrade and this runaway house,” arguing their tactics and priorities weren’t representative of voter interests and were more aligned with Democratic positions.

“When I was running for Congress, when I left the Florida House to run for Congress, I tried to warn everyone, the only people who could derail the Trump agenda were the people that were Republicans in name only,” Rudman stated, suggesting similar dynamics were now at play in the Florida House.

His final words were both religious and militant in tone: “Governor, it’s time to put on the armor of God because Pensacola, Florida, stands with you.”

1 thought on “Rudman defends DeSantis Against ‘Runaway House,’ blisters Andrade”

These guys feel complete entitlement to NW FL and are furious that members of their own party are demanding results and sanity. They feel that they are losing their grip but can’t admit that they went to far and did it to themselves. DeSantis is fast tracking himself to lame duck status. Ufortunately, he and people like Rudman are going to make the rest of us suffer for their failures.

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Rudman defends DeSantis Against ‘Runaway House,’ blisters Andrade

“This is DeSantis Country”

A Call to Stand with DeSantis

1 thought on “Rudman defends DeSantis Against ‘Runaway House,’ blisters Andrade”

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