Monday, May 01, 2017

The Big Seat: U.S. Congressional District 27th, Frenzy to Fill it. By Geniusofdespair

Ileana Ros-Lehtinen is retiring leaving a golden opportunity for Democrats to get another seat in the House of Representatives. This is the biggest up-coming election we have and it effects the entire country. The Miami Herald mused on who will run, so I will too:

Well I am told by insiders Scott Fuhrman (who?) doesn't have a chance.

Others I think could win, Daniella Levine Cava but she is in a bind. She is running for reelection. Daniella, the County Commission is a lost cause.

I believe that the seat needs a candidate able to speak Spanish. Ballotpedia says this district is a majority Hispanic, yet it went to Hillary by 58% in the Presidential election.

I didn't know that Matt Haggman's wife was Cuban which has helped his Spanish quite a bit. He is certainly smart enough and qualified to run and, thanks to his job at the helm of the Knight Foundation, has good name recognition and connections. I knew him when he was a reporter for the Miami Herald. I don't think he is fluent in Spanish, but neither is Carlos Gimenez.

Sorry Raquel Regalado, Marc Sarnoff, Carlos Lopez Cantera: WE NEED THIS TO BE A DEMOCRATIC SEAT.

No David Richardson and Ken Russell. Not your turn.

Jose Javier Rodriguez I think has a great chance but I would hate to lose his Senate seat in the State House.

I am sure others will surface too. This is the most important thing for Democrats to work on, getting the right candidate in this seat.  Well shit, I just realized I live in this district.

THE MIAMI HERALD'S UPDATED LIST:

(I took out the Republicans...) I see polling for this one...they all can't run.

▪ Scott Fuhrman, a Democrat who ran against Ros-Lehtinen in November after District 27 was redrawn to lean Democratic and lost 45-55. Furhman has said he will run for the seat again in 2018.

▪ Kristen Rosen Gonzalez: A Miami Beach commissioner and Miami Dade College professor finishing her PhD on leadership in higher education administration at Barry University. A Democrat, she filed campaign papers this month.

▪ Michael A. Hepburn: A senior academic adviser for the School of Business at the University of Miami who lost a primary campaign against Daphne Campbell for the state House in 2014. He is a Democrat, and serves on the Allapattah Neighborhood Association and the Miami Dade Democratic Executive Committee.

▪ Mark Anthony Person, a Democrat, has filed to run with the state Division of Elections.
MAYBE

▪ Danielle Levine Cava: The Democratic Miami-Dade County Commissioner says “I am totally committed to our community and serving in the role where I can have the biggest impact. I rule nothing out.” (She’s currently running for reelection to her county seat.)

▪ Matt Haggman: A Democrat, former Miami Herald reporter and current Miami program director for the Knight Foundation, Haggman said Sunday that he’s considering a run for District 27. “It’s something I’ve been actively thinking about for a while now,” he said.

▪ Cindy Lerner: The former mayor of Pinecrest reached term limits last year and served one term in the Florida house. She said she will decide within two weeks. “It's something I always said if Ileana retired I would do it in a heartbeat.”

▪ Jimmy Morales: Miami Beach’s Democratic city manager says he’s “still processing. I am sure there will be many people on both sides looking at the seat.” (No kidding.)

▪ Raquel Regalado: The Republican former Miami-Dade School Board member says she’s strongly considering a run after her phone blew up Sunday.

▪ David Richardson: The Democratic state representative from Miami Beach says he’s definitely thinking about a run. “Over the next few days I’ll be talking with constituents, friends and supporters on how I can continue to best serve and represent my community.”

▪ José Javier Rodríguez: The junior state senator and Democrat from Miami said in a text that he will give a campaign a “hard look” after the legislative session is over.

▪ Ken Russell: The Democratic Miami District 2 commissioner didn’t rule out a run when asked Sunday if he’s considering a campaign for Congress. “I have received calls urging me to run for Congress. I can only say that up to now I had not considered it, and that we should use this time to thank Ileana for her many years of service to her constituents.”

▪ Marc Sarnoff: A Democrat and former Miami city commissioner, Sarnoff said he’s “looking carefully” at Ros-Lehtinen’s seat and will consult with his family.

▪ Xavier Suarez: The Miami-Dade County commissioner and former Miami mayor who is an independent said he will consider a bid but may not decide for awhile. “There is definitely room or someone who is independent.”

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

Good news is Iliana is a gonna

Unknown said...

hmm love the idea of Matt - is he interested?

Anonymous said...

I like Jimmy Morales.

Anonymous said...

Russell has never even voted in a mid-term election.

Anonymous said...

It would be cute if Sarnoff's "wife" ran again.

Anonymous said...

Lerner we are begging you to run.

DMD said...

Why not Dan Gelber ???

Geniusofdespair said...

He is running for Mayor of Miami Beach

Anonymous said...

Daniella's got this one. Hands down.

Anonymous said...

I would vote for hugo chavez's ghost before I'd ever vote for a gop'er

Anonymous said...

Daniela is in a bind not because of her re-election. She could care less about the county commission seat. Her re-election campaign is just going through the motions. Daniela had a deal with Ileana, but Ileana had reneged on her promise not to get involved in Daniela's 2014 campaign. Ileana offered an eleventh hour endorsement for Bell...

Daniela has always been focused on higher office. If you pay attention to her policy work, she spends more time than anyone else trying to control the state legislature through urgings and reports. She isn't staying in her county commission seat very long. Just follow her social media, she never stays anywhere very long. She is competitive and will always move forward and leave people in the dust...

Frank Artiles and Ileana did a great job of giving Daniela some indigestion, I am sure. I bet she is awake at night trying to figure out how she can run for all three seats at once. She is good at getting what she wants, just ask anyone at the county...

Anonymous said...

Richardson set his eyes on this seat over three years ago. You can see where he started popping up at events in Homestead and lending canvassing support to campaigns far from his district. He gets aroused just from the notion. He believes he is superior than any of the other democrat prospects because he used to be republican. His background in accounting allows him to connect with fiscal conservatives. He couldn't be a republican in South Florid because our republicans were too crazy to have gays when he transferred residency here. This isn't suggesting he is a DINO. He represents progressive platforms well. He also does a great job fraternizing with the other side. On paper he looks good.... In person, he just gives me the creeps... I wonder what will happen when his political allies run against him?

Anonymous said...

It's a dem district.... We just need to get ourselves united... We can't have our democrat leadership keep operating the same way, or we will definitely screw this up. It would be a shame to see it go republican.

Unknown said...

Barreiro was a surprise. He has been doing a good job at showing up to a broader base for various events over the past couple years. He has been seen at socially progressive events with SAVE and Log Cabin Republicans...

Do you think his wife will drop out of the city commission race? Do they have enough resources to both successfully run campaigns simultaneously?

Anonymous said...

Kristen seems crazy, young, and foolish. I feel bad for her because I think they are offering her up in the democratic party as a sacrificial lamb.

Anonymous said...

Any. New news?