Republican congressional candidate pulls out of race, says opponents 'sabotaged' campaign

Andrew Caplan, The Gainesville Sun
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A Republican candidate vying for Florida's congressional District 3 seat has withdrawn from the race after submitting a letter to the state on the eve of the primary election where he says his opponents illegally worked together and "sabotaged" his campaign.

Manuel Asensio told the Florida Department of State on his notice of irrevocable and definitive withdrawal form that the party has "silenced and cancelled" him while spreading "injurious and slanderous lies" about him.

He also said he is a victim of a racketeering conspiracy, in which he accuses his primary opponents, incumbent Kat Cammack and Justin Waters, of teaming up to remove him from the ballot.

Manuel Asensio, a candidate for Florida's third congressional district.
Manuel Asensio, a candidate for Florida's third congressional district.

"I entered the primary for the congressional nomination by the Republican Party of the Third Congressional District (RPOTD) based on information and belief that political corruption in both parties is destroying America," he wrote to the state. "My internal polling confirmed that corruption was the primary issue of concern to voters in the Third District, even more than hyper-inflation.

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"I believed that the RPOTD shared the principles and beliefs of the conservative voters in the Third District. The party leaders proved me wrong," he later added.

Florida's third congressional district includes Alachua, Marion, Levy, Bradford, Gilchrist and Union counties, among others.

The front runner, Cammack, who was unavailable for comment Tuesday, has been endorsed by former President Donald Trump, as well as a number of key party members. The seat was previously held by Ted Yoho, who Cammack served as the chief of staff for during his tenure.

Congresswoman Kat Cammack smiles as she delivers comments during an anti-vaccine mandate rally held at Clark Plantation in Newberry, Fla. Sept. 13, 2021. Gov. Ron DeSantis was in town during the morning to congratulate the University of Florida for reaching Top 5 status, and then spoke to a couple of hundred supporters about vaccine mandates and lambasted the cityof Gainesville for threatening to fire city employees who did not get the Covid-19 vaccine.

Manuel Asensio sued Kat Cammack earlier in the month

Earlier this month, Asensio also filed a lawsuit against Cammack, calling it a "declaration of treason." In his letter, however, he accuses Waters of acting on behalf of Cammack to file a lawsuit against him.

"This burden cost me hundreds of hours of my strict attention and substantial resources at the most crucial time of my campaign," he said. " Waters and Cammack worked together to sap my campaign funds, time and energy, and ruin the effectiveness of my campaign.

Asensio trailed Cammack significantly in campaign contributions and polling during the election. Data from the Federal Election Commission shows Cammack has raised more than $1.8 million, while Asensio has raised about $100,000. Waters has raised about $15,000.

Cammack, who spent much of Tuesday morning campaigning around rural parts of her north central Florida district, also holds a strong lead over Democrats hoping to unseat her.

Danielle Hawk has raised about $32,000, while Tom Wells has about $27,500. Wells, however, loaned himself all but $1,200 for his campaign and spent nearly all of it during his primary run.

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Manuel Asensio drops out of congressional race against Kat Cammack