DeSantis blocks fundraising on "offensive and disgusting racial insults"

Ron DeSantis governor's campaign stalled a former lawmaker from the state of Miami who left office after using racist slurs and threatened a colleague to co-chair a fundraiser.

DeSantis' decision to block former state representative Ralph Arza underscored the sensitivity of the Republican campaign to racial issues after the Democrats criticized the candidate as "racist." Gillum, the first African-American candidate to govern the Florida Democratic Party.

History continues below

DeSantis denies having racial sentiments and her campaign reinforced this message by detonating Arza on Friday.

"The name of Ralph Arza has been removed because of offensive and disgusting racist remarks that he has used in the past.He is not affiliated with our campaign," said the DeSantis campaign in a statement.

In 2006, Arza was accused of having labeled the first head of the Miami-Dade Black School in Spanish a "black piece of s —". He denied using racist slurs, but a GOP representative filed a complaint against Arza. Angry, Arza was drunk and, along with his cousin, left a series of threatening messages on his colleague's mobile phone, Arza calling him at one point "my n — a".

Arza was later charged with forgery and intimidation of witnesses, but entered into a plea agreement just prior to November 2006, agreeing to withdraw from office and not to stand for re-election. His name appeared on the ballot, but the votes counted for another alternate.

The controversy shook the legislative delegation in Miami and politically threatened Arza's close ally, the then representative, Marco Rubio, who demanded Arza's resignation before his departure. The black caucus had threatened to protest against Rubio's installation as president of the Florida House.

In 2016, the Rubio campaign tried to remove Arza from the candidate because he was considered poisonous. President Donald Trump in a TV Advertising in Florida designated Arza for "instigating racist slurs and being convicted of manipulation by witnesses".

At the time of the initial controversy, Governor Jeb Bush also denounced Arza.

But on Sept. 20, Bush was to chair Coral Gables' fundraiser with other Republicans from the Miami area, and Arza was among the co-presidents of the event. An ally from South Florida's Arza had included him in a list sent to the campaign.

A senior campaigner, aware of Arza's past, has been removed from the list. But before that, the Miami Herald reported fundraising.

Democrats say that Arza's name was removed from office for reasons of political expediency, not of principle.

"Ron DeSantis has a long history of connecting with the most toxic and hateful people in American politics," said Kevin Donohoe, spokesperson for the FDP. "By attending David Horowitz's lectures and organizing fundraisers with Ralph Arza, DeSantis seems happy to associate with the bigots – as long as he does not get caught."