Republican congressional candidate Kat Cammack has become one of the top tier candidates to replace Congressman Ted Yoho, her former boss.
But questions surrounding her employment, including her credibility with the man she’s looking to replace, have been raised by her opponents in the CD 3 Republican primary race.
“Cammack’s running ads that act like she ran everything for Congressman Yoho when the reality was she got demoted from the office for lack of integrity,” a campaign staffer for primary opponent Judson Sapp told Florida Daily.
Cammack’s website shows her experience includes being a “former Deputy Chief of Staff.”
In June of this year, Congressman Yoho’s son Tyler. who has endorsed opponent Clay County Commissioner Gavin Rollins, said it was Cammack’s integrity that led to his father demoting her.
“When your ambition starts, you know overriding your integrity,” said Tyler Yoho. “That’s kind of a deal-breaker for me.”
Tyler Yoho also said Cammack was fired as Chief of Staff, telling the media she was “fired or replaced or reassigned, or whatever the heck you want to call it.” When Rep. Yoho’s office was asked for clarification, the team politely stated it was “for reasons not to be disclosed.”
Another area where Cammack’s credibility has been called into question is about the campaign’s relationship with Congressman Yoho.
Throughout the campaign, some of her challengers have told Florida Daily that Cammack has been telling donors privately that Rep. Yoho endorsed her campaign.
But Rep. Yoho has publicly said he hasn’t endorsed Cammack, or anyone else, and her mentioning his name did not constitute an endorsement.
In her radio ads and mailers Cammack routinely highlights of her work for Congressman Yoho.Her website is painted with his name, her stump speeches drop his name every other sentence, and she’s quick to remind anyone who’s willing to listen of her work for Rep. Yoho. Yet Tyler Yoho says the two “couldn’t be more different.”
One of the other front runners is Dr. James St. George. His campaign has been running TV and radio ads saying that Cammack has lived off the taxpayers dime for the last several years.
“She’s part of the swamp,” says the St. George Campaign.
Reach Ed Dean at ed.dean@floridadaily.com.