Grassroots Organizer Overcomes Local GOP Lack Of Action

Terry Capsay, a dedicated Republican from Collier County, Florida, found herself at odds with the local Republican Executive Committee’s reported lack of enthusiasm for supporting President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign in 2020. Frustrated by the committee’s inaction, Terry took matters into her own hands and formed a Super PAC called “Concerned Americans for America” to organize volunteers and raise funds to reach out to voters in support of Trump’s reelection.

“After Trump won the Presidential Preference Primary in March, we expected that the Collier Republicans would immediately start working to make sure he was reelected in November of 2020. Well, “no,” Terry was told. “We aren’t going to work for Trump right now. There’s COVID. The snowbirds are going back up north. No, we aren’t going to do anything until September, after Collier’s local primaries,” Terry recounted.

Undeterred by the committee’s lack of urgency, Terry and her friend Debbie Blaine set up a table with a tip jar at the Alamo gun store in Naples, Florida, to raise money and recruit volunteers for Donald Trump. It was a huge success, with donors literally lining up to chip in. 

“We raised over $20,000, recruited over 200 volunteers and we put them to work door hanging and addressing postcards,” Terry recalled.

The Super PAC targeted independent or “no party affiliation” voters, Hispanic voters and Black voters in Collier County with pro-Trump messaging. “We messaged more than 100,000 registered voters that year,” Terry explained, emphasizing the importance of increasing Trump’s victory margin in the county.

The organization’s hard work paid off, as Trump’s victory margin in Collier County increased from 44,338 in 2016 to 51,329 in 2020. “Collier County delivered for Trump with the help of Concerned Americans for America leading the charge in getting out the message to those potentially persuadable voters,” Terry proudly recounted.

In 2022, Terry and her team were confident that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) would easily win reelection. Rather than spending valuable volunteer time and money in Collier County and Florida, they shifted their focus to Wisconsin, where Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) was in a heated battle to win reelection. 

Concerned Americans For America delivered pro-Johnson messages on billboards and door hangers seen by more than 300,000 people between Labor Day and Election Day, helping Sen. Johnson win reelection over Mandela Barnes by 26,718 votes out of more than 2.6 million votes cast.

In 2024, because Florida has become a conservative stronghold since 2020 when Trump won by 3.4% over then-candidate Joe Biden, Terry says that Concerned Americans For America is returning to the critical battleground state of Wisconsin. Their 2024 Mission is to deliver Victory and 10 Electoral Votes from Wisconsin to Donald Trump. 

Terry and other activists strongly believe that “Trump’s road back to the White House goes through Wisconsin.”

Terry and her team are now targeting Wisconsin to ensure Trump wins the state, already  committing to putting up at least 50 billboards across the state with pro-Trump and anti-Biden messages between Labor Day and Election Day.  Those 50 billboards will potentially be seen by more than 2.5 million people per week leading up to the November 5 election. 

“While failure is not an option, we urgently need financial help from other Concerned Americans For America,” Terry stated. “We have always had a “no grifter” policy and promise that 100% of contributions made on www.concernedamericansforamerica.org are spent on messaging.”

Terry’s story serves as an inspiring example of how individuals with a go-getter attitude and a true belief in America and conservative principles can make a significant impact in the political landscape, even when faced with inaction from within their own party.

People getting out and filling in the gaps where they can will be an important part of this upcoming election where federal policies and lawfare battles are already in action to make 2024 an uphill battle for conservatives.