Who Is On The Ballot?
Let me start by saying I am not a chess player. I make decisions from the heart and from my gut. There are people who vote strategically and I completely admire them. They are like the character in Queen’s Gambit who sees all the possible moves–15 or 20 moves ahead.
Not me. I read about candidates, what they say, what others say about them, and who endorses them and let my heart fill in the ovals on my ballot.
That said, let’s look at the statewide Senate candidates on the Democratic primary ballot that will be taking on Rubio.
United States Senator
Since the Citizens United ruling (“The 2010 Supreme Court decision in the Citizens United vs FEC case effectively blocked the ability to enact limits on campaign spending. The Citizens United decision opened the floodgates to the billions of dollars that have since poured into the election system, enabling those with access to concentrated wealth to have vastly more influence over our political system than the average American.” https://americanpromise.net/citizens-united-vs-fec/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwof6WBhD4ARIsAOi65ajjZldOhdcCRb6vbbfYdM7dlEHcwxneocIjClHtK3VF1PzrqFrXT94aAoLZEALw_wcB ) our elections are kind of an auction where the highest bidder wins, usually. It stinks. It is not right. But it is where we are, so including information about who has the money to compete is important. I am using campaign finance information from https://www.opensecrets.org/races/summary?cycle=2022&id=FLS2
Ricardo De La Fuente
His finances are either unavailable or well hidden. This guy ran in both Texas and California primaries in 2020 and now is on our primary ballot. He has not won any general elections. I have a funny feeling about him but do your own research. Maybe he’s your guy.
Val Demings
As of 6/30, Demings had raised $42,464,550 to Rubio’s $34,499,617 (Rubio is the incumbent who the primary winner will run against). She is from Jacksonville, which hopefully means she won’t forget to include North Florida in her work, “She was a social worker, police officer, commander of special operations for the Orlando police department from 2003-2006, and the chief from 2007-2012. She was an unsuccessful candidate for election to the 113th Congress in 2012 before being elected as a Democrat to the 115th Congress (January 3, 2017-present).
So, she has a law enforcement background (do I love this? No. Do I think it makes her more electable? Yes.), and she has political experience as a US House of Representatives member. Some of her ideas are not very progressive, but she is pro-choice and wants better gun laws. Blue Tent, which “reports on the progressive movement and Democratic party”, is lukewarm over her but sees her as having a slim chance of beating Rubio.
Personally, I want strong women in positions of power and this articulate candidate is certainly a powerful person.
Brian Rush
Rush is way behind in fundraising ($38,850) and spending, which means his name is not out there. His website ticks off all of the important boxes, “(I) believe that public education and child nutrition should be a gateway for all children to succeed, and I strongly support clean energy and new energy production to reduce fuel costs. I will also support immigration policies to better manage immigration and better protect America’s borders.” https://www.rushforsenate.com/ .
He’s pro-choice, for gun reform, and wants to transition to green energy. He appears to be fiscally conservative but feels he can make major changes without tax reform. Maybe that’s true, but I don’t see how.
William Sanchez
While I would love for $197,475 to fall into my bank account, unfortunately for Sanchez that’s not an amount that makes him competitive. His work makes him sound like someone I would like to meet, “In the US, he helped establish one of Florida’s largest micro-finance institutions, Partners for Self Employment.” and “William is committed to fighting for the marginalized, the poor, our elders who cannot pay their bills. The children whose parents can’t afford health insurance. Their needs will be his main priority. We must protect the most vulnerable and strengthen the middle class to build a robust future for Florida.” https://sanchezforsenate.com/ , but he was a G.W. Bush appointee, which means he had Republican support at some point. Sanchez may be someone to watch for future elections, but he just doesn’t have the public presence to win this time.
