SARASOTA, FLA - When the Florida Press Association invited U.S. Senate candidates to speak to the media at the Ritz-Carlton on Thursday, there was one name absent from the list. Charlie Crist, Republican Marco Rubio, and Democrat Kendrick Meek all made the list. Even long-shot Democrat billionaire Jeff Greene was included.
However, Libertarian U.S. Senate candidate Alex Snitker was not invited.
But that didn't stop him from crashing the event to ask the FPA why he was excluded. After Marco Rubio finished his 15-minutes at the podium, Snitker stepped to the microphone in the aisle and said, “I'd like to make a statement. I think denying a person who served eight years in the United States Marine Corps defending your right to have this today...is an atrocity.”
Snitker admonished the assembled press, saying, “You keep saying that career politicians are the problem, and you're only going to allow career politicians and a billionaire on stage. You want to talk about the tea party candidate? It's not Marco Rubio – it's Alexander Snitker.”
FPA President Dean Ridings told Snitker that he would not be granted the opportunity to speak and called for security. Shortly thereafter, Snitker was politely escorted from the event by security, with a flock of reporters in tow.
Snitker is the first Libertarian ever to appear on the ballot for U.S. Senate in Florida. The Libertarian Party is fully recognized by the State of Florida, and is the third largest political party in the state.
According to Florida Division of Elections procedures, Snitker's name will appear above Charlie Crist on the ballot, because Crist is running with no party affiliation. In a May poll, Snitker received 12% support in among likely voters familiar with him, Rubio, Crist, Meek.
“The mainstream media has intentionally ignored Alex, despite the groundswell of grassroots support, and despite all our efforts to reach out to them,” said Snitker campaign manager Kelly Lobean. “We've made the decision that we can no longer play by the status quo rules of politics.”
The decision appears to have paid off. Within minutes of Snitker's impromptu speech, tweets were flying among media insiders. Several newspapers and 6-o'clock news programs were running the story, and even the Associated Press had weighed in.
“We're just looking for a level playing field, that's all,” said Adrian Wyllie, campaign media director. “We have called press conferences, sent out dozens of press releases, and spoken with countless TV news producers. If they won't report the news, then we are forced to make the news
