Politicssteve southerlandPoliticsFlorida

GOP Congressman Held A Male-Only Fundraiser That's Straight Out Of 'Mad Men'

GOP Congressman Held A Male-Only Fundraiser That's Straight Out Of 'Mad Men'
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By 

Staff Reporter, The Huffington Post

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COMMERCIAL IMAGE - In this photograph taken by AP Images for Environmental Defense Fund, U.S. Representative Steve Southerland, II with the 2nd District of Florida. speaks during the Committee on Natural Resources Hearing at the Holley Academic Center Florida State University- Panama City in Panama City, Fla., Saturday, Aug. 25, 2012. Attending was House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings. (Michael Spooneybarger/ AP Images for Environmental Defense Fund)

The “small group of concerned men" invited to a Republican congressman's fundraiser were instructed to "tell the Misses not to wait up" so they could enjoy "after dinner whiskey and cigars" without any women present.

BuzzFeed reported Thursday on an invitation sent by Rep. Steve Southerland's (R-Fla.) campaign in March.

“Good men sitting around discussing & solving political & social problems over fine food & drink date back to the 12th Century with King Arthur’s Round Table,” the invitation said, before going on to detail the five-course menu.

The campaign of Gwen Graham, Southerland's Democratic challenger, called the fundraiser "offensive" in a statement emailed to The Huffington Post.

"Now that we've learned we have a 'leave the misses at home' Congressman, it's time for us to be 'send the Congressman home' voters," Graham Campaign Manager Julia Gill Woodward wrote. "Congressman Southerland is dismissing this offensive fundraiser as 'a private event,' and that's the problem: Congressman Southerland tells us one thing in public, while doing the opposite in private. That, without question, is The Washington Way of doing business, and it's wrong for North Florida."

Southerland campaign manager Luke Strickland told BuzzFeed that bringing attention to the private event was “laughable."

The representative has previously said he voted to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act in a television ad without mentioning that he voted for a weaker version that wasn't ultimately passed out of Congress.

Graham, who has outraised Southerland, is the daughter of Bob Graham, Florida's popular former governor and senator.

Read the entire invitation at BuzzFeed.

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Before You Go

113th Congress Facts
The Numbers(01 of07)
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The House has 233 Republicans and 200 Democrats. Each party should pick up one more seat when two vacancies are filled. Going into the election, the GOP edge was 242-193. Senate Democrats will have a caucus of 55, including two independents, Angus King of Maine and Bernie Sanders of Vermont. Republicans have 45. That's a pickup of two seats for Democrats.(Text via the Associated Press) (credit:Getty Images)
Women(02 of07)
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The House will have 79 women, including 60 Democrats. At the end of the last session, there were 50 Democratic women and 24 Republican women. The new Senate will have 20 women members, an increase of three. That consists of 16 Democrats and four Republicans. The last Senate had 12 Democratic women and five Republicans.(Text via the Associated Press) (credit:AP)
Freshmen(03 of07)
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With two vacancies to be filled, the House has 82 freshmen; 47 Democrats and 35 Republicans. As of the end of the last session, 87 of 103 freshmen were Republicans. The Senate will include 14 new faces, with nine Democrats and the independent King. Five are women. New senators include Brian Schatz, who was sworn in on Dec. 27 to fill the seat of the late Hawaii Democrat Daniel Inouye.(Text via the Associated Press)(Pictured at left: Incoming House freshmen of the 113th Congress pose for a group photo on the East steps of the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Nov. 15, 2012. AP Photo/Susan Walsh) (credit:AP)
African Americans(04 of07)
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The House will have 40 African-Americans, all Democrats. The number of Democrats is unchanged, although two Republicans will be gone: Allen West, R-Fla., lost his re-election bid, and Tim Scott, R-S.C., was appointed to fill the Senate seat of Jim DeMint, R-S.C., who is retiring. Scott will be the first black lawmaker in the Senate since Roland Burris, who retired in 2010 after filling the Illinois Senate seat of Barack Obama for almost two years.(Text via the Associated Press)(Pictured at left: Rep. Tim Scott, R-S.C., who was appointed by South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley to replace outgoing Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., walks out of the Republican policy luncheon on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2012. AP Photo/Susan Walsh) (credit:AP)
Hispanics(05 of07)
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The new House will have 33 Hispanics, with 25 Democrats and eight Republicans. That's up slightly from last year. The Senate will have three Hispanics: Democrat Robert Menendez of New Jersey, Republican Marco Rubio of Florida and Republican freshman Ted Cruz of Texas.(Text via the Associated Press)(Pictured at left: Rep.-elect Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, speaks with members of the media after a news conference with newly elected Democratic House members on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2012. AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais) (credit:AP)
Other Minorities(06 of07)
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The new House will have nine Asian Americans, all Democrats. There are two American Indians: Tom Cole, R-Okla., and Ben Lujan, D-N.M.(Text via the Associated Press)(Pictured at left: Sen.-elect, current Rep. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, and her husband, Leighton Oshima ride the Senate Subway on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2012. AP Photo/Harry Hamburg) (credit:AP)
Other Facts(07 of07)
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According to CQ Roll Call newspaper, the average age of House members in the 113th Congress is 57; the average age of senators is 62. It estimates that the House will include some 277 Protestants and Catholics, 22 Jews, two Muslims and two Buddhists. The Senate will have 80 Protestants and Catholics and 10 Jews. The House will have its first Hindu, Rep.Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii. Senate freshman Mazie Hirono, also of Hawaii, will be the Senate's only Buddhist and its first Asian American woman. Also for the first time, white men will be a minority among House Democrats.(Text via the Associated Press)Pictured at left: Rep.-elect Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii is seen on stage during a news conference with newly elected Democratic House members, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2012. AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais) (credit:AP)
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