So who is the Florida Republican Party turning to? Carrie Prejean, the California model and fired Miss California USA who generated a massive amount of publicity with her opposition to same-sex marriage during the 2009 Miss USA pageant.
Given that analysts of all stripes see the gay marriage debate as largely generational – large numbers of younger voters, regardless of party, are fine with gay marriage while many older voters in both parties don’t like the idea – it’s a question whether Prejean is the right person to attract younger voters to the Republican fold.
“It doesn’t seem like the smart thing to do. She’s in the right age bracket, certainly, but they’re going to turn off some of the young people who are moderates,” said Sandy Steen, a Broward Republican committeewoman. “That is not how you reach out to young people. She’s got every right to her opinions, but she can’t be the spokesperson for all the young people.”
Steen, a former Wilton Manors mayor, is 69, straight and president of the Log Cabin Republicans. Steen aside, Log Cabin is a national Republican organization for gay and lesbian republicans.
Using Prejean at a big August gathering of under 35-year-old voters to discuss the future of the party isn’t a bad idea, said Anna Alexopoulos, 24, president of the Broward Young Republicans and secretary of the Florida Federation of Young Republicans.
