Don’t tell the Westchase Republican Club that the Florida primary didn’t matter. Group members recently were tapped by Republican campaigns for suggestions for sites for poll visits by presidential candidates on the morning of the Florida primary. At their suggestion, Republican candidate Mike Huckabee paid a visit to precinct 527, more commonly known to residents as the Westchase Swim and Tennis Center on Jan. 29. “As President of the Westchase Republican Club, I suggested that Precinct 527 would be a tremendous location at which to greet voters on Election Day,” explained Greens resident Todd Marks. “What do you know! The campaign agreed with me.”

Marks also credited fellow club member Eric Rathburn for persuading the former Arkansas governor to visit Westchase.

Club members weren’t through with their campaign activities, however. Marks had the opportunity to meet another Republican candidate, Arizona Senator John McCain, the day before at the Tampa Club on Jan. 28. Working with McCain’s advance team, he later traveled to Phoenix on Super Tuesday, Feb. 5, to help out there.

Marks wasn’t the only Floridian in Arizona. Once at the Biltmore hotel, the Westchase resident had the opportunity to chat and shake hands with another Tampa Bay resident – Governor Charlie Crist, widely discussed as being on McCain’s list of possible vice presidents.