By Mercedes Price-Harry, Lee GOP Chair
Voters of Lee County,
In times of heightened political tension, it is easy for frustration or disappointment with the actions of a few to cast a shadow over an entire movement. I write to you today not to paper over any concerns about the current climate, but to invite a return to first principles, the enduring ideas that have guided the Republican Party and that still offer the strongest foundation for ordered liberty, prosperity, and self-government.
Floridians saw these principles tested most starkly during the COVID years. While many in positions of power expanded emergency authority, restricted movement, closed businesses, and imposed sweeping controls on daily life, Republicans in Congress, in statehouses, and in local offices stood most consistently against prolonged lockdowns and the permanent expansion of bureaucratic power into our private lives. It was never about denying a public-health challenge; it was about insisting that temporary measures must remain temporary, and that the Constitution does not go into hibernation during a crisis.
NEVER FORGET. During COVID, the contrast in approach was real, and it clarified for millions why the principles of limited government matter in practice. While the majority of America was locked out of their schools, jobs, and even family get-togethers, the world watched Florida, and Lee County, open and free, explode with growth. People from all over came to Florida for refuge, keeping our livelihoods and employment stable and our businesses flourishing. We should continue to thank and support local Republicans and of course, America’s Governor, a Republican Governor, Ron DeSantis.
Throughout our history the Republican Party has delivered concrete results rooted in the same ideas: tax reform that left more money in the hands of families and entrepreneurs, regulatory relief that lowered barriers for small businesses, strong national defense, support for the rule of law, and policies that treat education, work, and family as the primary engines of upward mobility. Those achievements were never perfect, and no party is immune to error. Yet the consistent thread has been a preference for individual agency over centralized control.
That preference is most powerful when it is practiced close to home. National headlines will always dominate the news cycle, but the decisions that shape our schools, public safety, property taxes, and local economy are made right here in Lee County. I therefore urge every voter who shares a commitment to limited government, fiscal responsibility, and personal liberty to support Republicans who will appear on the local ballot November 3rd.
Disappointment with any individual or political party is understandable. What must not follow is the abandonment of the Party that has proven, over time, to be the surest guardians of freedom and opportunity. The remedy for imperfect leadership is more informed, more engaged citizenship, not retreat. Let us keep our eyes on the enduring principles, support Republican candidates, and do the practical work of self-government at the local level where it matters most.
Visit www.LeeGOP.org for a current list of Republican candidates and for information on election and candidate events. Be an informed voter. Meet the people seeking your vote. Ask them hard questions.
Vote for Freedom. Vote Republican!
Mercedes Price-Harry, Lee GOP Chair