FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 27, 2026
Lee County Republican Executive Committee Chair Calls on Voters and Candidates to Reject Attack Ads and Smear Campaigns
Chair Mercedes Price-Harry, urges Republicans to focus local campaigns on qualifications, records, policies and solutions
FORT MYERS, Fla. — As Chair of the Lee County Republican Executive Committee, I am issuing a clear statement against the growing use of attack ads, negative mailers and online smear tactics in our local elections.
These practices have become increasingly common in Lee County elections over the last decade. They run directly counter to the core objectives of the Republican Party and undermine the kind of political process all Lee County voters deserve.
The Lee County Republican Executive Committee exists to advance seven specific objectives, which can be found at LeeGOP.org. Political attack ads work against every one of them. Three are especially harmed:
Fostering loyalty to the Republican Party
Party loyalty is built on shared principles, mutual respect and a commitment to advancing Republican values. Misleading mailers, social media smear campaigns and PAC-driven attacks fracture the Party, create distrust and turn neighbors against one another instead of uniting us around common values and goals.
Promoting an informed electorate
Voters deserve accurate information about candidates’ qualifications, public records, ideas and policy positions. Distorted or highly selective attacks do the opposite. They confuse voters, bury substance beneath personal accusations and substitute emotion for informed judgment.
Seeking qualified Republicans to represent us
This objective is especially damaged by the culture of political attacks.
Many capable, community-minded citizens who would make strong public servants refuse to run for office. They see the personal attacks, reputational harm and coordinated smear campaigns directed at candidates and decide the cost is too high for their families and professional lives.
When qualified people stay on the sidelines, our entire community loses.
Political smear campaigns do not represent the kind of culture voters expect from their leaders. For the future of Lee County, I am asking two things.
First, I ask the electorate to reject these tactics.
Do not reward attack ads. Look beyond glossy negative mailers and inflammatory social media posts. Research the candidates at LeeGOP.org/candidates, view livestreams from various candidate forums, review campaign finance reports and judge candidates by their ideas, records, qualifications and character rather than by the worst claims made against them by third parties with an agenda.
Second, I ask every candidate to refuse to engage in or benefit from these practices.
Leadership requires candidates to publicly reject character assassination, misleading attacks and personal smears, even when those attacks are directed at their opponents or appear to benefit their own campaigns.
Lee County is one of the fastest-growing counties in the country. We need serious, qualified and solutions-oriented Republicans who are willing to step forward and lead.
As a community, we suffer when we fail to raise the standard of our campaigns.
The Lee County Republican Executive Committee created the Ethical Campaign and Accountability Initiative, known as ECAI, for exactly this reason. ECAI calls on Republican candidates in Lee County to conduct their campaigns with integrity, transparency, respect, accountability and substance.
Participating candidates voluntarily complete a questionnaire and sign a written commitment to ethical campaign standards.
Information about ECAI and participating candidates is available at LeeGOP.org/ECAI.
The choice is ours.
We can continue down a path that maligns the character and reputation of neighbors who are bold enough to step forward, deters qualified people from running, leaves voters cynical and creates divisions that may be difficult to repair.
Or we can restore honor to our political process, protect the Republican Party’s objectives and elect leaders based on the strength of their qualifications, records, ideas and policy positions.
I urge every Republican in Lee County to choose the better path.
Mercedes Price-Harry
Chair
Lee County Republican Executive Committee
About the Lee County Republican Executive Committee
The Lee County Republican Executive Committee works to promote Republican principles, strengthen voter participation, support qualified Republican candidates and advance the objectives of the Republican Party throughout Lee County. Learn more at LeeGOP.org.
Media Contact:
Mercedes Price-Harry
Lee GOP Chair
[email protected]
239.936.8779
