The Senate seat in District 40 isn’t the only special election seat on the summer ballot. Voters in House District 116 will also pick a replacement for State Rep. Jose Felix “Pepi” Diaz, who resigned last seek to run for Senate to replace Frank Artiles, his BFF and roommate, who resigned last month after a racist and sexist tirade about and with colleagues.
On the Republican side, Jose Mallea and Daniel Anthony Perez both started raising money in March. Perez has a respectable $49,790. Mallea, a onetime Marco Rubio campaign worker, raised more than that in the first month and $89,560 so far. And it looks like he has already hit the street, sharing photos of last Saturday’s canvassing on Facebook.
But don’t think it’s a given Republican district, because it’s not. It’s certainly a little more red than the Senate Distict, but the blue team could still gain a seat. Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton won the district in November with just over 51 percent of the vote. What’s more, Donald Trump only got 45 percent. And there’s no Gary Johnson in this race. Not yet anyway.
On Monday, Ross Hancock electronically filed to run for the Democrat spot in the race. “There being no sign that the Dems can scramble anyone for it, I want to stand up for it,” he told Ladra, who hopes he uses the same signs with the Everglades in it.
But he might not be the only one. This has to be an attractive seat for the Dems, who might want to back someone in the special election now that their pick for Senate 40, State Rep. Daisy Baez, bowed out last week after getting caught living outside her district. Ladra can’t imagine that they wouldn’t find someone — or back Hancock.
Speaking of residency, Hancock ran in District 115 last August and in 114 twice. So has he moved?
There is still time. The governor set the election for the same date as the senate race, July 26. But Secretary of State Ken Detzner hasn’t set the qualifying dates for 116 yet. The deadline for the senate race is Tuesday, so it might be by the end of next week.
But it’s not like the Democrats have a fat bench. Not here anyway. The Dems can’t go west of Miami. Notice how many they have waiting in the wings to run to replace Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, who is retiring next year, and they have nobody yet to run against Congressman Carlos Curbelo.
Unless Annette Taddeo tries again after losing the Senate 40 primary to Ana Rivas Logan. And that’s like having nobody.
[…] Read related story: Few hopefuls line up to replace Jose Felix Diaz in 116 […]
There is very little chance this seat will go Democrat. In 2014, turnout was 52% GOP and 26% Democrat. Plus, in a special election ground game favors Republicans in the district.
Also, he won’t win with that argument regarding his residency. He should realize whomever is advising him, should not be trusted. He/she is clearly not a friend.
Yeah, I ran before in a district I didn’t live in. There’s no way to put lipstick on that. I’ll have to move long before the election.
Ross
Jose Felix Diaz? Dude is a lobbyist for billboard companies, right? Dumb.
Any other suggestions for democratic candidates that live in the district?
Every time i call mr.handcock he is always too busy to take a call.
Marc,
I am skeptical about that.
Ross
Marc,
If anything, Ross probably opens his mouth too much. He would do better to stay quiet. Sometimes, less is more. He should also not be jumping all over. He needs to establish his voter base, then build it. He shouldn’t jump around like a House of Pain concert. He can’t leave the party then come back expecting them to truly back him beyond whatever facade they put up.
He would do well to have an image counsultant. He probably would say that his image is au naturel. He probably thinks there are voters who want a “regular guy”, but I am telling you even the politicians who you think are granola, have cosmetic work and make overs.
He needs to learn how to relate to real love people outside of the Audubon society.
He is a smart, nice guy and speaks well in familiar settings. He has proven to be able to carry some votes, but those were people against establishment politicians. He needs to be able to message and swing non party affiliates and offer something to try to tempt moderate republicans.
We might think environmentalist are simple, common people, but there are really powerful special interests in the eco-arena. Ross needs to demand their support in order to establish the monetary base to win. He also needs to diversify his liberal activism to be able to tap a broader network to build his support.
The good thing is that he is a good guy. If he didn’t respond to your call, you probably dialed the wrong number. Try meeting him out and about or sending him an email.
Hancock also needs to wise up and realize his “friends” are all playing a game called politics. He would do well to realize he needs to start doing the same whether campaigning or not….
Good analysis, Victor. I can’t really disagree with any of it.
Ross
@marc, See. He is very responsive. He really is a good guy. He would be a top notch servant and practice fair politics. His political friends will tell you the same, but they will also say he isn’t electable like Nan Rich. Right for the people…
Unfortunately , the people don’t like to eat their vitamins. This is Miami where we like sex, drugs, and political scandals… errr, I mean political favors… Look at all of the politicians who have been actually removed from office for fraud and criminal behavior, yet only to be re-elected by their constituency. If you are going to play this sport, you need to understand the various reasons why…
When playing in the fish tank, constituents want a shark. They do not want an angel fish. Constituents do not want someone who is honest, kind, and trustworthy. They want someone who will get the job done at all costs by any means necessary as long as it benefits the personal interests of the constituents. We elect representatives to do our bidding work. We elect them to break laws in order to better our quality of life, so we don’t have to spend our own time and money doing so. This is why we send them to Washington, Tallahassee or County Hall.
There is nothing more disappointing than a politician without any influence. No one enjoys impotence. People want to call up their rep’s and ask them for personal attention to better their business or escape regulations or advance private interests.
The good guy who looks out for everyone else is not going to do well in Miami-Dade. In Miami-Dade, we do not care about our neighbors. We believe it is survival of the fittest or rather survival of the best connected. Hurricane Andrew taught us that in a pile of rubbish, we must grab our stuff and trample over our neighbors to seek refuge.
In this sport, we only care about the end result. We do not care how many people we knock down to get to the finish line. Unfortunately, we do not test our elected guys for performance enhancing drugs. If we did, people would be surprised how many come back positive. Those of us who have been to parties and offered a “bump” from public officials, would not be surprised at all. The rest of the story is that the elected officials who tout their ethics and finger-point, are just as corrupt. In fact, they are even more corrupt for they misrepresent themselves to us. The self-righteous ones who try to brand themselves as being the most honest and fair are just as guilty. They just have become smarter in their corrupt practices. Usually, you can find groups of corrupted political operatives, consultants, or activists close to these ones. Their social media is filled with fluff which makes people feel good, and they make sure to attend every party to introduce themselves with a fake smile and selfie. Instead of doing the dirty work outright, they find ways to pay others to do their work. These Boy Scouts and Girls Scouts also work on the honor system which means they will reward each other with favors one way or another…
Anyways, that’s life in the big city… (which is about to get bigger when Miami-Dade County pushes back the UDB to Oklahoma)….
There is not really a Victor. I am just writing these things about myself.
Ross
@Marc, I told you he was responsive… and apparently funny too..
The law states that people of a district may elect the person best suited to represent their needs, regardless of where the candidate lives in the county. People in District 116 are in sore need of strong representation. They are the hardworking people who are sliding into economic despair due to Republican policies. Upon election, it is required that the candidate reside in the district, and of course I will abide. Because I haven’t lived in District 116 since I moved from Westchester years ago, it is my special obligation to immerse myself in the community as a representative—living, worshipping, working there with the constituents in a district that extends from Killian into Doral.
Ladra,
Did you see my post under Frank FERNANDEZ article?
Ana Rivas Logan, where are you? Come out, come out, wherever you are?