PROPOSITION: What the Miami Mayor will do to get into the GOP presidential debate
The mayor of Miami just launched an illegal lottery to raise funds for his Republican presidential primary campaign.
It’s a dangerous maneuver to attempt to get onto the Republican primary debate stage.
And probably illegal, if not criminal.
Posting a tweet to his 145,000 followers, Mayor Francis Suarez announced a lottery contest for his presidential primary donors to win soccer tickets for small dollar donations via a digital money transfer application or free entrants by postcard (tweet embedded at bottom). It reads:
“I’m entering everyone who Venmo’s @ Suarez2024 $1 for a chance to win FRONT ROW tickets to see Lionel Messi’s debut at Inter Miami! #FXS24”
The attached image says, “Paid for by Suarez for President Inc.”
It says a drawing date of July 20th.
Florida Statute 849.09 makes it illegal to accept money for a lottery in a game of chance.
Penalties for violations are first-degree misdemeanors.
Florida Statute 849.0395 forbids games of chance by charities that don’t disclose their rules, where their drawings take place, and other key details of these contests.
A person who offers the raffle for sale can be held liable for a second-degree misdemeanor.
“All non-government sponsored lotteries are illegal,” says former Miami Mayor Thomas Regalado about the fundraising scheme
He is also a member of the Republican party.
“He should know,” concluded the former mayor. “He is an attorney.”
“Sounds pretty desperate like someone trying to buy friends,” says Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried, who knows this kind of law well, both as a lawyer and former Florida Department of Agriculture Commissioner overseeing illegal gambling laws.
“This type of unethical and illegal behavior has plagued Miami politics for far too long,” says Fried. “The people of our great country will reject it as well.”
The mayor has been struggling to break through the 0% mark in national polling, not having reached his first poll at 1% yet. Having three polls at 1% is one of the requirements to make the first Republican primary debate.
According to Democratic pollster Fernand Amandi, he has only 5,000 donations of the 40,000 necessary to make the first primary debate on Fox News.
“Francis better hope it’s not illegal,” says Amandi about the new fundraising scheme, “because it sure looks illegal.”
I'm entering everyone who Venmo's @ Suarez2024 $1 for a chance to win FRONT ROW tickets to see Lionel Messi's debut at Inter Miami!#FXS24 pic.twitter.com/7K9ublMiJS
— Mayor Francis Suarez (@FrancisSuarez) July 13, 2023
