(Orlando, Florida) A former campaign aide to a Florida congressman and two other men were found dead in a home in an apparent double-murder and suicide, authorities and relatives said.

Authorities have not determined a motive for the deaths of Ralph Gonzalez, 39, his roommate, David Abrami, 36, and a friend, Robert Drake, 30.

Investigators found weapons and signs of a struggle in the house, but they did not say what the weapons were or which man they believe was the killer. The men are believed to have died several days before the bodies were discovered Thursday.

Gonzalez was executive director of the Georgia Republican Party from 2001-2002. He managed U.S. Rep. Tom Feeney's 2002 campaign and was president of Strategum Group, an Orlando-based political consulting firm that represents Republican candidates.

"He was a born political consultant. He had bravado, he was intense, and he lived and breathed tactics and strategy," Feeney said. "He was an adviser and strategist for me and became a very good friend."

Abrami, an attorney, was active in Republican politics as well.

The South is not solidly Republican because of the abortion issue nor because of its stand against homosexual marriage, the Southern whites are solidly Republican now because of their racism, fear and hatred of blacks just as they used to be solidly Democratic for the same reasons until Kennedy-Johnson precipitated a switch. Strom Thurmond converted from Democrat to Republican in 1964; Jesse Helms switched parties in 1972.. R.I.N.O. (Republican In Name Only). Most Southern white Democrats never re-registered as Republicans. They just voted that way and maintained their registration as Democratic. Abortion and homosexual marriage were not even issues in 1964 or 1972. Race was an issue and still is. Few news commentators, even black ones, have the courage to call it what it is - RACISM. They instead euphemize the South's solidarity with the Republican Party as "religious" opposition to "gay" marriage and "partial birth abortion". Euphemism at its most insidious.

...Southern whites are solidly Republican now because of their racism, fear and hatred of blacks just as they used to be solidly Democratic for the same reasons until Kennedy-Johnson precipitated a switch

The story has been sparingly updated since Friday. Wonkette published a portion of an email that Ralph Gonzalez was discreetly gay.

http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&ned=us&q=%22Ralph+Gonzalez%22+&btnG=Search+News