Did Peggy Gossett-Seidman’s Son Try to Infiltrate Jay Sooster’s Campaign?

There is speculation as to whether the son of Rep. Peggy Gossett-Seidman tried to infiltrate the Democratic opponent From Jay Shooter campaign as a volunteer.

The Democratic House candidate’s campaign was linked last month to a potential volunteer who identified himself as “Max.” But after an odd and overly exuberant text about some specific Liberal issues raised suspicions, campaign officials investigated and said the messages came from a phone number for Austin Gossett Seidmanthe adult son of the Republican lawmaker.

But Austin Gossett-Seidman denies sending a text message to Sooster’s campaign under a fake name.

Yet texts provided by the campaign show that a person identifying himself as “Max” first reached out as a volunteer People power for Floridaa progressive get-out-the-vote effort led by Democratic Rep. Anna Eskamani. “Max” initially registered to attend a “dorm storm,” a voter registration drive, scheduled for August 7 at Florida Atlantic University, but did not show up.

In September, he contacted the group again and said he wanted to help the Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris and to boost Shooster, a candidate in Florida’s House District 91 hottest House campaigns.

On September 13, a People Power employee connected “Max” to Shooster Campaign Manager Sebastian Leon. That day, ‘Max’ sent a text message to Leon that raised suspicions. He said he wanted to attend a recruiting event that weekend, but then went into a personal story that touched on several political issues. A screenshot of the message was provided to Florida Politics.

“I have had a difficult time coming out as gay and have been dealing with my own struggles with mental health. It has driven me to advocate for a world where people can love openly and safely, without the fear of violence – especially from military-style assault weapons. I’m really looking forward to meeting you and the team.”

He also claimed that he had volunteered for the Democrats Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign.

Then the campaign got curious and started delving into ‘Max’. The top Google search on the phone number goes to a Boca Chamber of Commerce list, which lists the number as a contact for Austin Gossett-Seidman in his capacity as Political Correspondence Assistant to Representative Gossett-Seidman.

When called by Florida Politics and asked about the messages, Austin Gossett-Seidman denied sending the message and, in response to the message stating he was gay, said he was engaged. He declined to comment.

Officials behind Shooster’s campaign don’t believe that answer and criticized Austin Gossett-Seidman for the dishonest message.

“These underhanded tactics by the Gossett-Seidman campaign are disappointing at best and deeply disturbing at worst,” read a statement from Leon.

Austin Gossett-Seidman helped his mother’s campaign in countless ways. Posts on social media indicate that he did campaigned with her from door to door. This month, he made several social media posts encouraging residents to register to vote.

His Facebook page lists him as a “congressional campaign contact” for his mother, and a campaign sign promoting her candidacy serves as a banner on his personal page. An online biography shows that he studied political science at the University of Central Florida.

He has also frequently posted in support of gun rights. On October 14, he shared an e-vite for a workshop on constitutional carry and self-defense organized by the United States Concealed Carry Association. And instead of expressing his fear of “military-style assault weapons,” he posted several images of himself at gun ranges, including one with the message, “Because every American patriot should own an AR-15 rifle.”

He has also regularly posted images promoting his mother’s campaign, and one criticizing the Shooster chairman Future Leaders Florida for a mailer attacking her voting record on abortion. “If you know my mother, you would find it hilarious to call her extreme – she is literally a bipartisan reporter and candidate who listens to all sides,” the now-unseen post said. “Her voting record is public and it shows that she voted against the controversial six-week abortion ban last year. She has spent her career advocating for women’s rights, health and safety.”

Florida Politics reached out to Rep. Gossett-Seidman and her campaign for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

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