Editorial: All Republicans are not conservatives

Historic City News readers are concerned, given the current political climate, about the risk of relying on their own “gut feelings” to decide which Republican candidates represent their values.  We have learned that all “Republicans” are NOT conservatives, so it has become essential for voters to do more research before selecting which candidate will earn their vote on Election Day.

Some of the sources that we rely on for candidate research include Tea Party Patriots Action, the county voter’s guide published by Florida Votes Values, and a true benchmark of information for people of faith residing in the state of Florida, the iVoter Guide.

“I unashamedly stand by my strong Judeo-Christian conservative principles,” candidate Kim Kendall wrote in a response to Historic City News this week concerning findings, and the lack thereof from her opponent, Nick Primrose.  “These recent polls and surveys from iVoter Guide contain very simple, direct questions on our beliefs on topics such as God, marriage, and abortion.  The fact that my opponent chose not to answer several of these questions tells you everything you need to know about him.”

We were interested in some validation of our own Editorial Board decision to endorse Kendall in her present campaign for State Representative in House District 18.  As we investigated the depth of responses from Primrose, our results were disappointing, especially his apparent unwillingness to confirm his true conservative positions.

We come away from this research asking why.  Our Board and readers want to know WHY Primrose doesn’t strongly agree, as Kendall did, that marriage is a God-ordained, sacred and legal union of one man and one woman?  Why is he refusing to confirm what honest Conservatives believe — no government has the authority to alter this definition?

Additional findings published in the iVoter Guide revealed:

WHY doesn’t Primrose make a public commitment, as a prospective candidate for a seat in our state legislature, about the specific circumstances under which an “elective abortion” should be allowed?  From our own canvass of St Johns County super-voters who identify as making “faith-based” decisions at the ballot box, we find clear support for those conditions offered by Kendall — when the life of the mother is at risk, or in the case where the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest.

And, this fee-free survey in the iVoter Guide is worthy of more than a “one-word answer” when asked to describe the importance of the United States’ relationship with Israel.  It is clear, in this example, the answer from Kendall was responsive to the question and well thought out.

As the Executive Secretary of Ladies Memorial Association of St Augustine Inc, the 501(c)3 non-profit organization publishing Historic City News, myself a Jew, I appreciate Kendall’s acknowledgement of God’s word saying that those who bless Israel will be blessed.  Those who curse Israel will be cursed.  God promises to protect and bless those nations that protect Israel, and given the news from today’s world, we need all the blessings and protection God has to offer.

From my own personal experience with Kim Kendall going back more than 20-years, I find that we share a vision of the American Dream – where individual liberty is cherished and maximized, where the Constitution is revered and upheld, and where Americans are free.