Tom Leek’s Florida House challenger Alex Newman owns right-wing media company, motivated by gun rights

A freelance journalist challenging state Rep. Tom Leek — a powerful Republican endorsed by Gov. Ron DeSantis — is acknowledging mistakes in raising money and campaigning prior to becoming an official candidate, as well as youthful brushes with the law.

Alex Newman, who as CEO of Liberty Sentinel Media Inc. is a contributor to the Epoch Times media company and lives in Ormond Beach, is challenging Leek in the Republican primary for the new House District 28. John Navarra, a Democrat, has also filed for the seat, which runs along the Atlantic coastline from Ormond Beach to Daytona Beach Shores and includes Daytona Beach.

In an interview Wednesday, Newman told The News-Journal he was disappointed in the way Leek voted on some matters before the Legislature, including his support for a 2018 public safety bill that, among other provisions, imposed a three-day waiting period and raised the age from 18 to 21 to purchase rifles following a mass shooting that killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland. Newman called that law "the most vicious attack on gun rights in Florida’s history" and vowed to expose Leek's campaign donors, such as Disney, who he says are unpopular with Republican primary voters.

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Newman has received the endorsements of Volusia County Chair Jeff Brower and state Rep. Anthony Sabatini of Lake County, in addition to the Republican Conservatives Ormond Beach Assembly, a club that split with the Volusia County Republican Executive Committee last year. He embraces an outside-the-establishment identity and says he has "no doubt these attacks on me ... were inspired by my opponent and his friends in the establishment."

Did Newman violate election laws?

A complaint with the Florida Board of Elections first reported by the Florida Politics website states Newman filed to become a candidate on May 5, but he violated state election laws by campaigning prior to that date.

Campaign finance records show Newman received his first campaign donations on March 18 and that he collected 24 checks before May 5.

On April 27, Newman tweeted that he had established his campaign website. The following day Newman announced he'd received the endorsement of former presidential candidate Ron Paul.

Anthony Oliva of Ormond Beach, who filed the complaint, noted Newman sought petitions from voters prior to his official candidacy, which also entails establishing a campaign depository and appointing a campaign treasurer. Oliva also alleged Newman had run advertisements and sent text messages without proper disclaimers.

Through the end of May, Newman had raised $10,610.

Leek, who's completing his third two-year term, had collected $169,000 plus has access to more than $1 million in his Living Life With Purpose political committee.

Both in the interview and in a subsequent written statement he released to The News-Journal on Wednesday, Newman blamed Leek "and his surrogates" for attempting "to smear my name and reputation," saying voters will see through the tactic. He called the Florida Politics article "an attack piece" that failed to include his side of the story.

"As a first-time candidate for public office without political experience or big checks from special interests to hire consultants and lawyers, we are doing our very best to navigate the incredibly complex Florida statutes governing elections," Newman's statement reads. "Unfortunately, we seem to have innocently, unknowingly, and accidentally made a few mistakes. We are working hard right now to fix them and make sure nothing similar ever happens again."

Leek said he did not have a comment on Newman's potential violations.

Mallory Morgan, press secretary for the Department of State, did not answer whether the Florida Elections Commission had taken action on the complaint.

Past legal entanglements surface

Newman, 36, faced criminal charges in Miami-Dade County when he was 19, and again at age 24.

Newman pleaded not guilty to charges of felony cocaine possession and misdemeanor cannabis possession in 2010, county criminal records show. Prosecutors took no action on the charges, which were later dropped.

In the 2005 case, Newman faced allegations of misdemeanor cannabis possession and violating a county parks ordinance. Both charges were abandoned by the State Attorney's Office when he entered a pretrial diversion program, records show.

In his statement, Newman explained: "Separately, somebody using a fake name and email account has been dredging up issues from my childhood and college years in an effort to get the media to attack me and get grassroots GOP leaders in my district to withdraw their support for my campaign. It’s not going to succeed."

Newman said he did some things he wishes he hadn't done "before I was a Christian ... before I had a family."

A bio on his website states: "After being indoctrinated by liberals and globalists in international schools, he was sucked into drug abuse, nihilism, and never even graduated high school. However, he managed to turn that around, getting multiple college degrees, founding a family, and pursuing a highly successful career. He credits his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for the transformation.”

Embraces false election claims

In addition to being a speaker at conservative gatherings and hosting a show on Frank Speech, a video platform associated with MyPillow entrepreneur Mike Lindell, Newman is a contributor to the Epoch Times. That media organization is described by fact-checking website Snopes as a "pro-Trump digital network laden with misinformation that was banned as of August 2019 from buying ads on Facebook."

Despite the fact that the 2020 presidential election was won by President Joe Biden, Newman argued on a recent show the defeat of Donald Trump was "a fraud" and rigged.

“If you believe that Joe Biden got 80 million votes, more than any other American president in all of American history, I’ve got this really nice beachfront property in Nebraska I advertise sometimes on this show. Call me up, shoot me an email, I'll get you a really good price on the beachfront property. Folks, it’s simply ludicrous to believe that Sleepy Joe Biden got 10 million more votes, 12 million more votes than Obama. Give me a break. It’s preposterous.”

Some of his other takes:

• Newman downplayed the riot that interrupted the certification of Biden's Electoral College victory at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. He said the only insurrection was committed by those who he claims rigged the election. “Yes, I’m looking at you, Detroit and Philadelphia,” Newman said.

• He attacked the Associated Press as “lying propogandists” for describing the “mistreatment of January 6 prisoners” as a “conspiracy theory.”

• He proposed “actual conservatives” establish sanctuary states for unborn babies. “Anybody who murders unborn babies is going straight to prison if they’re lucky."

Brower's effusive praise

Brower, the county chair who's working to elect a slate of candidates to gain control of the County Council, did not mince words in his support for Newman, calling him "the best candidate I have ever seen run for office."

Brower said too many politicians have failed to show fidelity to the constitutions they swore to uphold, compromising American principles.

"Alex Newman is that rare man God appoints to stand in the gap when we need him the most. I know Alex and his family. He will stand like a rock on the morals, principles, and values we so desperately need in Tallahassee," Brower said in the endorsement.

Leek, though, is touting his own endorsements.

In addition to DeSantis' support, Leek has the backing of Rep. Paul Renner, R-Palm Coast, who's in line to become House Speaker after the November election.

"We need principled conservatives like (Leek) in Tallahassee," Renner tweeted last month. "Tom is the leader we need in the Florida House to fight alongside the governor and advance our conservative agenda."

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This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Florida House gun rights Republican candidate backed by Sabatini