VERO BEACH, Fla. — A recent NBC News poll indicates former President Donald Trump is leading Gov. Ron DeSantis in a hypothetical match-up for the Republican primary nomination in the race for the White House.
"For some reason in the Republican Party, we are choosing sides and we don't really want to do that," Dr. John Vacchiano, the newly elected chairman of the Republican National Committee in Indian River County, said. "We have a good platform. It's what I call an America-first platform. It's based on Judeo-Christian values -- small government and free market trade."
WPTV spoke with Vacchiano at the Coffee House, located in the heart of downtown Vero Beach.
Indian River County is a right-leaning Republican stronghold in Florida.
"Just looking at the last two administrations, you can clearly see a difference in policy with food, with gas with the border, with the economy, and I'm trying to get everyone to look at policy," Vacchiano said. "That's what I'm trying to get people to look at."
Vacchiano is using his voice as Republican National Committee chair, a pastor at a new church called Patriot Church and the host of a podcast in Indian River County to influence voters. Some locals who spoke to WPTV weren't interested in the Republican frontrunners.
"To me, it doesn't matter whether it's a Republican or a Democrat or an independent, as long as they find a decent human being to do the right thing, I'll be very happy," Vero Beach resident Therese Ambrose said.
WPTV asked her about the two Republican frontrunners from Florida.
"I don't like Governor DeSantis. Look at our education and banning of books," Ambrose said. "That's not going forward, that's going backwards."
She was then asked whether she would consider voting for former President Donald Trump.
"Oh God, no," Ambrose said. "No, absolutely not."
It was a similar reaction from Vero Beach resident Celine Cook.
"I am definitely not voting for Trump again," Cook said.
When asked whether she would consider voting for DeSantis, Cook suggested she would be voting for Florida's governor.
"We've seen him as our governor, how he acted during the past hurricane," Cook said. "He seems to be a good guy, and he's been here to Vero Beach several times."
She said also liked that one of his campaign managers is from the area.
"She's our pastor's daughter, so I'm probably going vote for DeSantis," Cook said.
Vacchiano said he has personal plans on who he will support in 2024, but for now is telling all voters to look at the facts.
"We need to be having conversations and saying, 'Here are my values. Here are your values. Let's discuss,'" Vacchiano said. "The First Amendment is under attack. The Second Amendment is under attack. We've got to go back and look policies and ask what's the best thing for America, what's the best thing for our children and what's the best for county and our state?"
