Hillsborough GOP Chairman Under Fire For E-Mail

The e-mail, written in all capital letters by a volunteer in the party's Temple Terrace office, begins like this:

"Here in Temple Terrace, FL our Republican HQ is one block away from our library, which is an early voting site.

"I see carloads of black Obama supporters coming from the inner city to cast their votes for Obama. This is their chance to get a black president and they seem to care little that he is at minimum, socialist, and probably Marxist in his core beliefs. After all, he is black--no experience or accomplishments--but he is black."

David Storck, chairman of Hillsborough County's Republican Party, forwarded the e-mail written by volunteer Ron Whitley on Wednesday to his executive committee, along with a note asking, "If you think it can help us win this election please pass it on.''

The e-mail reached hundreds of Republicans and beyond. By Thursday afternoon, community leaders from both parties were criticizing Storck's lack of judgment and calling for his resignation.

"Disgusting," said Karen Thurman, chairwoman of the Florida Democratic Party and a former congresswoman.

Storck released a statement late Thursday apologizing for forwarding the e-mail.

"I sent it out after quickly skimming through it and focused only on the part which encouraged people to get out to vote,'' Storck said in the statement. "I can certainly understand how the e-mail could be misunderstood. I should never have forwarded that message and sincerely apologize for sending it and to anyone that my action has offended.''

'Lot Of Emotion'

The apology hasn't stopped people from pushing for him to step down.

"We're not saying David Storck is racist, personally," said Curtis Stokes, president of the Hillsborough County branch of the NAACP and a Republican. "But he showed very poor judgment by sending it out.

"To simply dismiss it as a mistake doesn't cut it," said Stokes, who said he has known Storck for about six years. "He sent it to 400 people. Everyone who I talked to was offended."

That's the last thing Storck wanted to do, he said Thursday.

"I do agree it is racist," he said. "I don't know if the gentleman who wrote it intended it to be, but that's not what I intended it to be."

Whitley, the e-mail's author, is a new volunteer whom Storck said he had met a few times. He said he did not think Whitley intended to make racist remarks. Whitley could not be reached for comment.

"There's a lot of emotion and a lot of passion about this election," Storck said. "I think people get wrapped up in it."

GOP Reached Out To Blacks

Florida Republican Party Chairman Jim Greer said he believes Storck had no "racist or malicious intent" in forwarding the e-mail but said the possibility Storck should resign is "a decision that is left up to him and local party leaders.''

"It is my position that there is zero tolerance for any actions that would in any way be considered racist or do anything to hinder the minority outreach efforts the GOP and myself have worked on for the last two years," Greer said. He said he "doesn't want it believed that any action would ever be condoned by myself that promotes perceptions" of racism within the party.

Perceptions of racism within the party could upset hopes by Greer and Gov. Charlie Crist, who supported Greer for party chairman, to intensify GOP outreach to black voters.

Crist campaigned hard, and more successfully than any Republican statewide candidate on record, for black votes in his 2006 race for governor. Greer has since made high-profile attempts to intensify GOP minority outreach.

Hillsborough County Commissioner Kevin White, a Democrat and the lone black member of the county commission, said he was "deeply disturbed" Storck had forwarded the e-mail.

"It's discouraging that people can still think this way in the times that we live in."

White said Storck's actions come at a time when people are hopeful the future will be different.

"We've come so far, but this still reminds us," he said, "we as a community, as a nation, still have so far to go."