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Politics

Florida Electors' Inboxes Flooded With Hate Mail Over Trump Election

December 15, 2016 - 5:15pm
Donald Trump
Donald Trump

Joe Gruters’ email notifications won’t stop ringing. 

Since Donald Trump was elected president, the Florida for Trump co-chairman and state elector has received 50,000 emails. Apart from the sheer magnitude of emails, the subject of some of them teeters between offensive and obscene. 

Some emails tell Gruters to “seek professional help.” Others are littered with four-letter expletives about Trump and Gruters himself.

Then there are a few that hit close to home. 

“You're what's wrong with this country,” reads one email. “May Donald Trump one day rape your children too. Let's hope.”

Gruters says he isn’t angry with the people who send him these emails.

“I would be doing everything I could if [the election] had the opposite results,” he told Sunshine State News Thursday. “I don’t blame these guys ... I understand what their goal is, but my guess is, like many of the other electors, we are pretty solid in where we are at.”

Not only has Gruters’ inbox been blowing up, but he’s also receiving piles and piles of snail mail asking him to change his electoral vote to Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump. 

He’s not the only one who has been bombarded by letters and emails.

Florida elector and Florida Veterans for Trump Chair Kat Gates-Skipper says she, too, has been overwhelmed by people reaching out to her. 

Gates-Skipper says she’s received everything from letters to postcards, attorney correspondence and even Christmas cards from people who want her to change her mind -- and her vote. 

“It’s one thing to bother me and to overload my mailbox but then to send me Christmas cards, it’s like bribery without sending me the money,” she said. 

A wide variety of people have contacted Gates-Skipper -- and they’re not just the ones who are involved in politics.

“I get people from all walks of life. Doctors, lawyers, it’s so varied,” she told SSN. “Believe it or not, I read each of these.” 

Gates-Skipper said most people thank her for her service as a Marine and then rattle off electoral college rules of why Trump shouldn’t be president. She said she didn't understand why people were choosing to reach out angrily.

“Four and eight years ago we were upset [about the election] but we didn’t do such things,” she told SSN. “We just took our results and kept on going.”

Their pleas, she said, aren’t going to change her mind.

“I’m very honored to be an elector but as a Marine I have an oath and honor that I would vote for whomever the Republican candidate was who won on Nov. 8. I’m going to carry out my oath and honor because that’s who I am,” she said.

Yet, Gates-Skipper says she, too, has received hate mail that’s crept under her skin.

“They’re telling me that I’m not a hero unless I change my vote,” she recalled of a letter that came from California. “[Another email asked] ‘how can you do this to your children and your grandchildren?’ They’re going to hate you because you didn’t protect [their] future.”

The experience seems to be common for Florida Republican electors, who will cast their ballots for Trump next week.

“For the most part most of [the emails] are respectful but there are many of them that are just belligerent,” Republican Party of Florida Chair and elector Blaise Ingoglia said. 

Ingoglia receives 4,000 emails a day. He doesn’t read many emails, but he does read some, which he says tend to be combative.

“It’s how they’re asking you to change their vote,” he said. “[They say] ‘You’re probably too stupid to realize the electoral college was set up for this. Vote for Hillary Clinton.’ A lot of them are very belligerent against President-elect Trump. They ask us to vote for the popular-vote winner, which obviously our country is not set up to do.”

In spite of the criticisms, Florida electors say they aren’t going anywhere.

“Our country is so divided, people are just on both sides, thinking that the country is going to fall off the cliff because Trump won,” Gruters said. “In a couple years, I hope they send emails back over thanking me for helping send Donald Trump to D.C. to drain the swamp.”

 

 

 

Reach reporter Allison Nielsen by email at allison@sunshinestatenews.com or follow her on Twitter: @AllisonNielsen.

 
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Comments

My views on Trump he is already loathed by many.The reasons for Trump being loathed are real and not made up.This election is not about red team/ blue team but goes deeper than that. Trump offered change in a fashion that most people do not agree with a fury of hate and lies .Trumps promises to the ones who voted for him were also lies. We have just a few days left and many of the electorates will vote party line but they can choose otherwise. This is the last chance they can use 20/20 vision and stop Trump from damaging our country. It looks as if they will not. Trump will have a difficult time not becoming impeached while in office if he gets in. Sad to see Comey and Russia involved in swaying the election and it has become rigged in that sense...If Trump survives the electorates and becomes Commander in Chief then I would hope he rises to the occasion. Alligators do not drain swamps and electorates should not vote without seeing the consequence of that vote for our nation and the world. In a couple of days passing the buck may be just what happens into infamy.

The SOROS puppets of the Left are a total joke....yeah, the party of the "JV team", Hillary, Pelosi, schummer, Pocohonus and Reed are still peddling their BS. Mo free stuff............

America has survived despite it's presidents, not because of them. This country survived 8 years of Obama, it will survive 4-8 years of Trump.

Hey Trump fans - Remember who tanked the economy last time. Yea - the Right Slanted Liberal Media made sure we don't remember GWB - Hope it doesn't happen, but if the Don and his cronies do tanks the economy I will be able to look at myself in the mirror knowing I was not Conned.

These left handed nut jobs still refusing the Trump Victory and still shedding tears because they can't believe hillary clinton lost. They want demonstrations across the country, that didn't work. Then the let's get behind the Jill Stein voter recount........ that turned out even worse for them. Now it the Blame the Russians for hacking voter machines.... even Obama is convinced the Russians hacked the voting machines and he's planning retaliations against Russia and Trump! Get over it Lefties, you lost and that's that. Trump is not going to step aside and give the Presidency to that sick old crooked woman, hillary clinton!

I love it! Even more evidence (as if we didn't know) of the continued desperate thuggery by the Clinton Crime Family.

Now we see the reality of characterizing the informed comments of many decent people as "hate mail". Yes, we have chosen sides.

Democratic sore losers are just die hard Alinsky followers. Just throw the bucket of vitriol back at them.

This shows how unhinged liberals really are. They are why America is in such bad shape! It's time to fix their mess!

Speaking of the loser mob mentality, had Hillary been selected, I strongly doubt that I, and other Trump supporters would now be behaving so childish and ignorant. GO TRUMP!!

I guess it does snow(flake) down here in TRUMP Country Hate is a strong emotion when the candidate was so weak.

Well organized attempt to subvert the people's voice. Ask one of these aholes why they hate Trump. They regurgitate the same old crap we've heard over and over. Get over it. She lost.

Drain the swamp! Do these people follow the news Billionaire CEO cabinet and Generals that is like a Junta the swamp is 10 x larger with this demagogue forming Russian style Oligarchy disgusting

ProgLibs showing their true colors.....

How low will the Liberals Go? Just shows how stupid and obstinate they are.. And they accuse Trump of being a divider..? Of course Obama doesn't help any.. he encourages it - then calls Trump a Divider? This is prime example of why the people voted for Trump.. Get rid of the ignorance and racism that Obama is promoting. President Trump... God Bless you..

Might just be these good folks are tying to save this country from a dystopian future. The Electors are the last repository of public wisdom and common sense, when the mob attempts to takeover civil government.

you mean like the mob insulting them?

Good for her for standing firm and using logic -- as opposed replying in the same vernacular that the nut balls are hurling !

Blind slavish obedience is NOT using logic. It is cowardness to not fufill the purpose of the Electorial College and prevent the acendency of a person unfit for the office of the Presidency. Over 2.8 million more American people voted against Trump than voted for him. Democracy is being subverted by a stooge for Vladimir Putin.

I agree!

The Electoral College gives every State a voice, not just the big ones on the east and west coasts, thanks to the brilliance of the authors of the Constitution.

Comments are now closed.

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