The Saint Petersburg Democratic Club is a political organization in St. Petersburg, Florida, which supports the Florida Democratic Party. In April 2004, it attracted massive negative national attention after placing an advertisement in a Gulfport, Florida weekly The Gabbermildly suggesting the killing of United States Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. The language used in the ad parodied that used by Rumsfeld referring to the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
The advertisement generated short-lived but high-profile attention in the national news media as a result of its hyperbolic tone, and was condemned by leaders of both major political parties.
As a result, the President of the club - Kenneth Stenke - who had previously been removed as a member of the Pinellas County Democratic Executive Committee - offered to resign and allow his vice-president to take over. When she was quoted in the local daily newspaper (St. Petersburg Times) as supporting Ken 100% the die was cast. The Board of Directors of the Executive Committee of the Pinellas Democratic Party, under strong pressure from the Florida Democratic Party, voted to withdraw the Charter of the St. Petersburg Democratic Club. The Club dug in its heels,organizing itself under the corporate protection of the State of Florida, and continued to operate as an independent organization supporting Democratic candidates.
In 2007, Mr.Stenke passed on and Jim Donelon was elected President. Mr. Donelon had been a Board member when the vote was taken to withdraw the Charter and had voted in the affirmative. He later came before the membership of the Club and admitted that the vote was a mistake on his part. A vote of the membership was taken in late 2007 and it was agreed to re-apply for the Charter from the Florida Democratic Party which required the support of the Chair of the Pinellas County Democratic Executive Committee, Toni Molenari. After extensive negotiations and a number of delays the Charter was approved and presented to Mr. Donelon by the Chair at a meeting of the St. Petersburg Democratic Club. Donelon, serving the unexpired term of Mr. Stenke, declined to stand for re-election in 2009 and retired from politics.