Vennia Francois, a former policy advisor to U.S. Senators Mel Martinez and George LeMieux, recently filed to run in the GOP primary in Florida’s 7th congressional district.
By Jacob Engels
A Buddy Dyer appointee-turned-neocon policy advisor is the 4th candidate to enter the GOP primary to take on freshmen Democrat Stephanie Murphy in 2018.
Vennia Francois, who has not voted in local elections since 2008, lives full-time in Arlington, VA and has been in D.C. politics since the mid-2000’s. A lawyer by trade, Francois also held advisory roles within the Mitt Romney campaign for president in 2012 and the doomed Jeb Bush effort of 2016.
According to her resume, the congressional candidate bills herself as a self-starter who has experience coordinating with special interest groups and corporate executives. She worked for Mel Martinez from 2008 to 2009, providing policy advice and recommendations.
In 2009, Ms. Francois went to work for former Charlie Crist Chief of Staff and newly appointed US Senator George LeMieux, where she continued her policy work. He ran for the US Senate in 2012, but ultimately dropped out and endorsed Congressman Connie Mack.
LeMieux would famously claim in October of 2016 that Donald Trump was unelectable and should be replaced as the nominee, after working with #NeverTrump establishment forces at the RNC to rob President Trump of the GOP nomination.
Francois’ last known activity in the 2016 election cycle was serving on the National Steering Committee for Jeb Bush. It is unclear if she worked in concert with her former boss LeMieux to undermine the Trump campaign.
However, the biggest question voters should ask themselves before supporting Francois’ candidacy… is a DC policy advisor who promoted endless foreign wars, erosion of civil liberties, and runaway spending really the person to put CD7 back in the GOP column in 2018?
Furthermore, how can she explain not voting in local elections since 2008 and maintaining a primary residence in Arlington, VA? Why is she not running for Congress up north? Does she even have a grasp on local issues, or is this her way to get back into the swamp?
Her recent employment at Lockheed Martin should also concern GOP primary voters who are wary of the deep state/military industrial complex movements against the Trump agenda.
According to her campaign website, Francois worked as a contract attorney for the defense company with globalist ties, where she was assigned to the SEC (Securities & Exchanges Commission) before leaving that post in 2017.
Though her campaign promotional material regularly draws upon her connection to former US Senator Mel Martinez, Francois’ opponent Mike Miller has received his endorsement in the GOP primary.
Francois will face businessman Scott Sturgill, State Representative Mike Miller, and Mark Busch this August.
Jacob Engels is an Orlando based journalist whose work has been featured and republished in news outlets around the globe including Politico, InfoWars, MSNBC, Orlando Sentinel, New York Times, Daily Mail UK, Associated Press, People Magazine, ABC, and Fox News to name a few. Mr. Engels focuses on stories that other news outlets neglect or willingly hide to curry favor among the political and business special interests in the state of Florida.
