It may be time that Republican County Chair Evan Power publicly declare Leon County Democratic Chair Ryan Ray as their Most Valuable Republican Secret Agent.
What facts suggest such a possibility?
For the first time going back to the 1980 Presidential elections (this is as far back as I have voter registration records), Democrats have suffered a net loss in voter registration during the first six months of a Presidential election year of -4,806. This mighty achievement by Chair Ray is exceeded only by the loss of another -6,715 voters during his first full year as County Chair in 2023. Since Ray became Chair, in eighteen short months, there has been a net loss of -11,521 Democratic registered voters.
Adding the two years before Ray took office when his strong ally Erik Davis was Chair of the local Democratic Party, we have for the first time ever on record a net loss in Democratic registration for four years in a row. Democratic Party registration dropped from 114 thousand at the end of 2020 to 94 thousand in June 2024 for a net loss of nearly 20,000 Democratic voters.
Somehow Ray blames new voter registration restrictions for the loss of 20,000 already registered Democratic voters. When I was County Chair for twenty years the Party stationary had the words “Accountability” on the top and “Credibility” on the bottom. Ray refuses “accountability” and thus his “credibility” is low. Makes one wonder if local Republican Party Chair Power somehow placed Ray in as the Chair of the Leon County Democratic Party.
Ray, a Tallahassee public employee serving as an aide to Jeremy Matlow, has helped foster a negative viewpoint towards Leon County. He even nods in approval when a political commentator said on air that Leon County is corrupt. The direct quote, which you can view on the Facebook link provided, shows a commentator saying “this town [Tallahassee] pound for pound, Leon County is as corrupt as New Orleans or Miami.” In the upper right hand corner, the Leon County Democratic Party Chair Ryan Ray is nodding in agreement that Leon County and Tallahassee are corrupt. https://www.facebook.com/1106010168/videos/326227490206004/
Under Davis the Leon County Democratic Party censured Democratic elected officials, an appointed public official, and the Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce. I wrote when that happened “I can assure the local Party, and other personages and community organizations, that when you attack another without inviting them to talk to you, that the message you are delivering is one of exclusivity. Exclusivity breeds resentment and division.”
Is that exclusivity continuing?
Ryan Ray, a city employee working directly under Jeremy Matlow, as Party Chair he has done nothing to heal the 3-2 division among an all Democratic City Commission. In fact, he openly supports a challenger to one City Commissioner, Curtis Richardson. Before qualifying even opened and all the candidates were known, he donated to $700 to the Jacqueline Porter campaign and $50 to the Dorothy Inman-Johnson campaign. If you know a reason for the disparity between the amounts you are welcome to comment below.
Poor voter registration record, promoting divisions with the all Democratic City Commission, makes one wonder did Power actually make a move, yes? If Power gives Ray a trophy he should invite the public to the presentation.
Jon M. Ausman is the longest serving Chair of the Leon County Democratic Party in Leon County’s history (April 1980 to January 2000). He can be reached at 850-321-7799 or at ausman@embarqmail.com
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Why Jon Ausmun chose Steve Stewart’s yellow journalistic Tallahassee Rag for this opinion piece is bewildering. Moreover, his blaming the decline in registered Democrats on Mr. Ray is naive. A little thoughtful reflection might have considered broader contextual issues. Another person posted that both parties have lost registered voters, although Democrats have lost more than Republicans. I suggest two ongoing dynamics that may partially explain the declining numbers of Democrats in Leon County.
First, although I haven’t researched the numbers with the Supervisor of Elections, it may be that voters have left both parties to become unaffiliated. I am one who did that. I was a registered Democrat until the early 2000s. Word began to circulate that my employer was studying the party affiliations of professional employees like myself. Not wishing to have my employing organization snooping around my political views, I changed my registration to unaffiliated. I continue to vote primarily for Democratic candidates. I assume others register as independents for a variety of reasons.
Second, I suspect there is an aging out of conservative Democrats. My recently deceased next door neighbor is an example. He and his wife were registered Democrats, but when my wife brought home two African American women friends, he later told my wife that, “we’re segregationists, and we don’t bring Black people into our house.” I suggest there is a slow aging out in which conservative older Democrats are being lost and replaced in some cases by Republican and unaffiliated registrants. My neighbors on the other side, now in their 70s, are also registered Democrats, but when I put up a “Veterans for Kerry” sign in 2004, they promptly responded with a Bush for President sign. This couple reflect the historic transition in which the Democratic party in the South moved away from its more conservative roots, and the Republican party moved to the political right.
My actions and those of my neighbors are admittedly anecdotal, but they invite us to consider broader dynamics that are outside the control of an individual like Ryan Ray. I suggest that Mr. Ausmun needs to reflect more thoughtfully about these dynamics before posting kneejerk ideas in a journalistic outlet with strongly Republican views.
Thanks for taking the time to comment on “Steve Stewart’s yellow journalistic Tallahassee Rag.” I would be interested in you sharing TR articles that you believe exhibit strong “Republican views.”
Sincerely,
Steve Stewart
The reasons for the disparity are clearly, black and white…
This is truly hilarious. Ray, Matlow, Porter, et al have done Republicans, let alone conservatives, a huge favor. Now, after all the posturing the current poster girl for the local progressives, Travelin’ Jacqueline Porter, has herself an ethics complaint which has legs. Tallahassee is one vote away on the City Commission from a total catastrophe. Look deeper folks, progressives want control. Sometimes the enemy of an enemy IS a friend.
We need candidates who will oppose at-large voting, and move us towards single-member districts.
If we can’t get that, then it’s time to move ahead with deannexation.
The northside has suffered taxation without representation for too long.
This is funny. TR (Tallahassee Republican) moderates the comments but allow a hit piece full of half truths. The truth is the conservative republicans that keep the D next to their name in elections is what is causing all the confusion. Republicans pretending to be democrats so they get a piece of the action. Do better TR. Looking more a political mouthpiece than a investigative reporting outfit.
Hi Tony, Can you identify any of those “republicans that keep the D next to their name”? Thanks for taking the time to comment. Steve S.
I’m with Frank on this… the evidence of destruction brought about by Democrats and their policies – particularly the two Pro-Hamas Progressives on the City Commission – is abundantly clear. Thankfully, more and more people are waking up to the reality of their destructive agenda.
And remember… these are the folks that accuse everyone else of corruption and threatening our Democracy.
Like I always say; No matter how you arrange the letters D E M O C R A T… it will always spell HYPOCRITE.
Whatever the reason for loss of democrat voters…keep it moving.
In Leon county since the 2020 election to today Republicans have gone from 57K to 52K, but Democrats have gone from 116K to 94K. Where are all the democrats gone?
Personally, I think Biden has more to do with the Loss than Ray. That’s just my opinion though.
Evan Power and the Leon Democrats both endorsed a Democrat in the last elections. The one Evan endorsed raised our property taxes!!
Goth kink Sado-Mashochistic Tik Tok maker Jon Ausman @granddaddybat has no credibility himself. He probably supports Curtis Richardson because of their mutual interest in sexual immorality
Ray is only part of the reason Democrats are losing voters. Add in the Pro-Hamas Progressives, unfettered Antisemitism throughout the Democrat Party, a destructive mentality of “hate without cause”, a wide-open border aiding and abetting the invasion of our sovereign land, and extremely damaging economic policy coming from the Dementia Patient Resident in the White House.
Ray – and his conflicting position with Matlow – is only one of the local problems of a greater self-destruction.