Villagers for Trump, the fast-growing club that’s quickly become the choice among area Republicans hoping to be active in GOP politics, has hired an executive director.
Sid Bowdidge, a veteran campaigner who played a vital role in President Trump’s 2016 election victory, recently took on the newly created role and said he’s looking forward to working with the club’s membership and helping the group continue to grow. The club was formed a little more than a year ago and already boasts more than 1,700 active members who attend monthly rallies, stage flag-waving events and heavily participate in Trump-themed golf cart rallies.
“It’s exciting,” said Bowdidge, who moved to Spruce Creek in late 2018. “It’s a growing group. There’s 140,000 people in The Villages and we need to increase our base exponentially and make even more of an impact in the 2020 election.”
Bowdidge, who came to Central Florida from New Hampshire, joined the 2016 Trump campaign as a volunteer and then was hired to serve as a campaign office manager. From there he was asked to help run the ground campaign in New Hampshire and then was invited to join the campaign strike team that traveled across the country, all the way to California and back.
Bowdidge, the author of “A Rush to Judgement: A Journey with Trump, God and Love,” said those were exciting times and he’s looking forward to even more great experiences in the tri-county area as the 2020 campaign heats up. He said like many area residents, he’s also excited about the president rescheduling the trip to Florida’s Friendliest Hometown that he postponed after the recent mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio.
“Who doesn’t want to see the greatest president that this country has ever had,” he said.
Villagers for Trump Founder and President David Gee said he’s thrilled the club was able to bring Bowdidge aboard in the new leadership role.
“Sid brings a great value in name recognition and a tremendous upside for us for our speakers because of his network,” he said. “One of the things that he believes very, very firmly is that by this time next year, instead of having 2,000 we should have at least 10,000 members. I think with his leadership we’ll get there.”
Gee added that with Bowdidge on board, he can move into a more big-picture role for the club, which he said is needed with the tremendous growth the organization is experiencing.
“I like to be creative in our direction and help plan, with the board’s help,” he said. “So, I can see that within the next year or two, I’ll take on more of a governance role. That’s really what I need to do.”
