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Baxley’s Pro-Romney Calls Broke Policy, Christian Coalition Says

Posted Jan 25, 2008 by William March

Updated Jan 25, 2008 at 08:13 PM

Former state Rep. Dennis Baxley of Ocala, the incoming state executive director of the Christian Coalition, mentioned his position in recorded phone calls endorsing Mitt Romney for president, angering religious conservatives who back other candidates and violating the coalition’s non-partisan policy.

The board of the coalition has asked Baxley to stop the calls and he has agreed to, said current executive director Bill Stephens.

On a Christian radio talk show Friday afternoon, asked about the subject by a caller, Baxley apologized and said he has halted the calls.

The Christian Coalition is a non-profit charity and says it is non-partisan and doesn’t endorse candidates, which would be a violation of IRS regulations for such groups. Stephens said the Florida coalition also has a policy that its officers don’t make even personal endorsements of candidates.

But the national organization has had to fight lawsuits with the IRS over the issue, in part because of the voter guides it publishes—listings of candidates and their positions on issues. Critics have said the guides are aimed at electing Republicans and smearing Democrats. The coalition says they merely state the candidates’ positions.

Baxley, a champion of social and religious conservative causes when he was in the state Legislature, has been involved with the Romney campaign for more than a year. The coalition hired him recently, setting his start date for Feb. 1, after the Florida primary, so his campaign work wouldn’t conflict with his new job. said current director Bill Stephens.

On Monday, Baxley appeared and spoke representing Romney at a meeting of the Marion County Republican Party. Later in the meeting, he also announced his new position. The recorded Romney campaign calls also identified his coalition job.

A Romney campaign spokeswoman refused to say how long the calling went on, where it was done or how many calls were made. Baxley said he didn’t know how many calls were made and thought they were made for only one day.

On the radio show, Baxley said he’ll start his new job Feb. 1, “If I haven’t bombed this up too bad” by violating the coalition policy.

He said a disclaimer at the end of the calls said the coalition does not endorse candidates and wasn’t endorsing Romney, but some people didn’t stay on the line long enough to hear it.

“I apologize to any of my Christian Coalition friends who were offended,” he said.

In an interview, he said he wasn’t briefed on the no-endorsement policy when he was hired. He said he mentioned his new position in the calls because he wanted to “identify myself as a social conservative Christian leader.”

The calls were a hot subject of emails among Mike Huckabee supporters Friday. Stephens said he thought the organization had received about 65 complaint calls yesterday and about 30 today.

He said he doesn’t think the issue will prevent Baxley from assuming his new job.

“He has personally told me he has learned his lesson,” Stephens said.

Baxley also announced on the radio show that he intends to move the organization’s headquarters to Ocala.