Dems look to run someone vs Vance Aloupis in HD115

Dems look to run someone vs Vance Aloupis in HD115
  • Sumo

While there isn’t one yet, we can expect a challenge to State Rep. Vance Aloupis in 2020. Someone is polling voters in House District 115, a very flippable seat that state and local Democrats want badly.

Voters in the district — which stretches from Doral through Westchester, Kendall, Pinecrest and into Palmetto Bay — were polled via text message on Tuesday by someone at Matthews Surveys identifying herself as Mia. The call came from a 414 area code.

“We’re polling FL voters and trying texting instead of calling to reach more people. Will you answer a few quick questions? Para Español, responda ‘2’.”

After providing a gender and age, the first question is about Aloupis.

“I’d like you to rate your feelings toward a public figure. Using a scale of 0 to 100, where 0 represents a very cold, negative feeling, 100 a very warm, positive feeling and 10 is neutral, how would you rate your feelings toward State Representative Vance Aloupis? If you have no opinion or have never heard of State Representative Vance Aloupis, please just say so.”

Then it turned to issues, asking the voter how they would rate Aloupis, using the same 0 to 100 scale on how well he was “making sure that people with existing health conditions don’t lose their coverage” and on “making corporations pay their fair share and reducing taxes for working families.”

The survey they asked how the voter felt about Florida restricting insurance companies from denying coverage or charging more for people with pre-existing conditions and and stopping corporate tax breaks.

“Which approach do you think would be better for Florida’s government: 1) Keeping taxes low for the middle class 2) Investing in schools and transportation infrastructure and expanding access to affordable healthcare 3) Both are equally important.”

Sounds like a Democrat poll, right?

“A few organizations looking to take back the Florida House are doing surveys to identify where voters would support Democrats,” said Florida Democratic Party spokesman Juan Peñalosa.

But it wasn’t them, he told Ladra.

“It’s an incredibly important swing district, and one we’re hoping to flip this cycle,” said Miami-Dade Democratic Party Chairman Steve Simeonidis. “It would bring us one step closer to a majority in the House.”

But it wasn’t them, either, he said.

The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee should be looking for someone. Or it could be some progressive state group like the New Florida Majority or a labor union. Rumor has it Ruth’s List is trying to recruit a female candidate.

Read related: NPAs key in HD115 close call with Doc Solomon vs Vance Aloupis

And it would be a smart thing to do. After all, Aloupis is a generally unknown entity who only beat Jeffrey “Doc” Solomon by a few hundred votes.

Solomon told Ladra that a few people had asked if he would run again. After all, he almost beat Aloupis even though he was outspent more than 4 to 1, coming within a few hundred votes in the 51-49 percent finish. He’s got the name recognition and the heart, staying involved in local politics and running for the seat several times.

But Solomon said he is busy trying to put open primaries on the 2020 ballot (more on that later) and that he would only consider it if he had the financial support Democrats withheld last time.

3 Responses to "Dems look to run someone vs Vance Aloupis in HD115"

  1. Aloupis is “same names” approved! Move on.

    Remember, ‘same names” do not discriminate by political party.

    Look at the names (and remember we’re talking about a Republican state rep):

    Former State Rep and Miami Democrat Party Chair Mike Abrahms (Disgraced, doesn’t practice law and ended his political career with a bang of an FBI corruption investigation https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-1994-06-25-9406250056-story.html)

    Democrat State Rep Nick Duran (Nicky’s got to support his bestie, right?) And as Nancy Lee would say, “Lobbyists win when good people don’t run for office” https://eyeonmiami.blogspot.com/2017/12/why-i-am-running-for-state-office-part.html (Amirite?)

    House Victory leader and Rep Keonne McGhee (who wouldn’t be horse trading this seat for a shot at a later county commission post, right?)

    And then you have “Seth Gordon” responding, which if its really him: lobbyist, the “shadow” in FL Democratic Party, but also a former business party of Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart (and once upon a time murder suspect. https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-2000-08-30-0008300134-story.html)

    You ever wonder why Republicans took over Florida?

    How could voters do worse?

    This is why many people are supporting Open Primaries to weaken the power of lobbyists to manipulate our elections with backroom deals (and improve the chances of anyone else other than same names from running for public office).

  2. It might serve the interests of the Democratic Party to give Aloupus a pass this cycle. Everyone laments the way Legislators vote in lock-step and yield all power to the lobbyist-selected Speaker. So wouldn’t it be a good thing for a rebellious Republican to get re-elected without challenge and thus show others in his party they do not have to be mindless automatons; that there IS hope of (A) being a Republican and (B) deciding for yourself how you will vote. It could start a revolution! What a novel idea. And the Democrats ought to follow suit. As I have told a number of an aspiring Legislative candidate….the system of being forced to cast a vote for leader of your party before you are even elected – or even before you know anything about the person you are being pressured to vote for – is crazy.

  3. By way of my experience I’m not so sure the Dems want the seat? A number of Democrat leaders contributed to, and/or supported Aloupus’s campaign including his boss at the Chidrens Trust ex-Miami Herald publisher David Lawrence (which didn’t hurt his Herald endorsement) , and ex- Miami-Dade DEC Chair Mike Abrahms (who says “Vance is like family) and his son in law Democrat State Representative Nick Duran – one of Aloupus’s very best friends.
    House Victory leader Keonne McGhee and his political director Reggie Cardoza also intentionaly avoided communicating when support was requested for the campaign on multiple occasions. Their lack of response was an obvious response. Not interested.
    I sense the HD 115 race was horse traded in a back room to help Aloupus.
    I believe our campaign did exceptionaly well with our $150K vs over $1Mill of hard and soft dollars. Had only 290 of nearly 63,000 people chose differently the outcome would have been different.
    I have a strong sense the Dems don’t want the seat. I think the poll more likely came from the Republicans checking their strength in the seat. Or, maybe an outside group like Ruth’s list that wants to elect women Dems diligently checking the seats vulnerability.

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