2017 Special Election Elected 51 – 47
2018 General Elected 53 – 47
In Florida, September 26 is just around the corner
Special elections give us an opportunity to anticipate the upcoming general elections. We still don’t know how to assess the close special Congressional election Democratic losses this summer. Should we be disappointed or should we appreciate how close we came? How pleased should we be about state level special election victories? What are the implications nationally and, for this Note, what are the implications for Florida?
Can Democrats make Florida a more Democratic state? Electing a Democratic Governor would make a difference. Changing the House of Representatives from it current 78-31 Republican majority would make a difference. Changing the Senate from its current 24-15 Republican majority is a real goal. Especially in the 40 seat Senate, every election counts for a lot. Elections in the Miami area are particularly important. Democrats often carry Miami in national or state-wide election while electing Republicans to the state legislature.
The special election on September 26 is a twofer. A state representative, known for his support for Donald Trump and his past experience on Trump’s Apprentice program is running for the state Senate to replace a Republican state Senator who was forced to resign after using racist slurs. Democrat Annette Taddeohttp://www.annettetaddeo.com/campaign is running to win that Republican Senate seat.
Can Annette Taddeo win? She is an interesting and popular candidate, Butshe has not been successful so far. She was the Lt. Governor nominee in Charlie Crist’s losing Democratic candidacy for Governor in 2014. She lost a campaign for a Congressional seat in 2016. Both losses were extremely close. Still, they were losses. She persists and is running for the state Senate.
Annette Taddeo was born on an American military base in Colombia. She is the daughter of an American World War II and Korean War fighter pilot and a Colombian mother. Her mother’s family’s place was large enough so that it has been described as a ranch. Annette Taddeo sold oranges to neighbors. Was she a budding entrepreneur? Or just a kid?
Just a kid. At age seventeen, Annette Taddeo immigrated to the US on her own. She put herself through college on her own. She married psychologist Eric Goldstein, converted to Judaism, and has a family of his two children and one child of theirs.
A budding entrepreneur. Annette Taddeo’s immigration to the US turned out well for her. Annette Taddeo founded LanguageSpeak, a language services company that offers translations in over 240 languages. Diversity Business describes LanguageSpeak as one of the top 100 small businesses in Florida and one of the top 500 Hispanic owned businesses in the United States.
Annette Taddeohas fit into the community. She chaired the Women’s Chamber of Commerce of Miami-Dade County and the Coalition of Dade-County Chambers of Commerce. She has been a member of the Executive Board of Women Impacting Public Policy as well as several other county and regional entities.
Annette Taddeo has been a power in the Democratic Party — both locally and nationally. Chair of the Miami Democrats, she helped create Hispanic Democratic Clubs and initiated candidate recruitment in south Florida toward the goal of gaining seats in the Florida legislature. In 2013, the Democratic National Committee appointed her to three leadership positions: Member of the Executive Committee, Chair of the Hispanic Caucus for the southern region, and Vice-Chair of the Small Business Council.
In running for the state Senate, Annette Taddeois following her own advice. She wants to replace the embarrassed Republican. To win, she needs to defeat a Trump acolyte. Are her political positions too cautious?
- Fix traffic problems in Miami-Dade with funding for better roads, lower tolls, and mass transit. Not cautious. Remember that commuting difficulties are a major problem associated with poverty.
- Preserve threatened drinking water by banning fracking. Not cautious. Consider how serious drinking water problems are elsewhere in the country. Consider the interests that favor fracking.
- Strengthen public schools and Florida’s health system. Not cautious. This is a state that has embraced punitive testing and charter schools and has not embraced expanding Medicaid.
The Daily Kos describes SD 40 as Florida’s bluest Republican held seat. Help Annette Taddeo http://www.annettetaddeo.com/campaign make SD 40 a Democratic seat. Help her now. September 26 is just around the corner.
You might also think about helping Gabriela Mayaudon http://gabrielamayaudon.com/, the Democrat who is running for HD 116, the House seat that Taddeo’s opponent vacated. Mayaudon moved to South Florida seven years ago from Venezuela where she was a Congresswoman. It tells us a lot about both Venezuela and the United States that a Venezuelan asylum seeker escaping a left-wing tyranny would be a Democrat in the US.
Mayaudon had a distinguished career in Venezuela. She has a Law degree and a Masters in Law from Venezuela University. She was an activist in Doral and nationally. She was the founding volunteer of the Foundation of Children with Cancer (FUNDANICA), a volunteer for the Foundation for the Conservation of the National Park Morrocoy, and founder of the “NGO Prociudadano” dedicated to prepare youth to be community and political leaders. She can be a leader in the US.
You can make this a twofer by also helping Gabriela Mayaudon http://gabrielamayaudon.com/ begin a promising political career in the United States. The election for HD 116 is also on September 26. Help her now. Helping both of these women get elected is a big deal.
Some other special legislative elections are worth noting, On September 11, Michael Brooks flipped Oklahoma Senate 44 from R to D with 53% of the vote. On July 25, youth coach Kevin Cavanaugh retained the frequently close New Hampshre Senate District 16 by 10 points. On August 7, in a campaign that attacked Democratic veterinarian and school board member Phil Miller for his position regarding transgender students, Miller retained Iowa HD 82 by 10%, a district Trump won by 20.
Not everything goes our way. On August 7, the Democratic candidate for Missouri Senate District 28 lost 68-32. The Democratic candidate for Missouri House District 50 lost 52-48. Even these losses represent progress. Democrats did not field a candidate for either office in 2016 or for the House District in 2014. For the Senate District, the Democrat lost 84-16 in 2014. Putting up candidates is something. A thirty point gain is something else.
