The 250 members of the Florida Republican Party’s Executive Committee who arrived in Tallahassee last month to remove the party chair and elect a new one were greeted by the then-vice chair with a handshake and a smile.
Evan Power stood in the doorway of the Tallahassee Conference Center, just off the interstate, next to a Cracker Barrel and minutes away from securing a long-sought goal – to be named leader of the Florida Republican Party.
The 41-year-old Chattanooga, Tennessee, native was in his third attempt to be state chair. He had worked nearly 20 years for the opportunity that came when Christian Ziegler’s term as chair was derailed by allegations of rape and video voyeurism. Ziegler is still under investigation for the latter but police decided not to charge him with sexual battery.
Power greeted committee members by name as they lined up for voting credentials and posed for pictures. He introduced his wife Melissa and their newborn, then chaperoned U.S. Rep. Neal Dunn, walking with a cane, through the crowded hallway and into the meeting room.