Michael McKenna is running for Congress in Florida's District 10. It's a Central Florida district that slices a section out of the Southwest side of Orlando, loops to the South and then goes West to a "block that runs from Winter Haven in the South to what looks like the middle of Lady Lake, part of Leesburg and part of Mount Dora. This district is said to be a swing district that leans Republican. The changing demographics of the area is changing the district to be bluer every day. The Villiages, where the Republicans out number the Democrats 2 to 1 are in district 11. District 10 is an opportunity for a hard working Democrat to win.
Michael McKenna decided to run a grassroots campaign and is treating District 10 like it's in Iowa. Get out there and talk and listen to your voters. Michael McKenna knocked on 57,000 doors by the end of August.
Impressive.
Michael McKenna is up against Daniel Webster who beat Alan Grayson in 2010 in what is now District 9. Rather than face Alan Grayson again in 2012 in District 9, Daniel Webster filed for District 10 in 2012. Michael McKenna left the Navy last spring and went straight into campaigning for a Congressional seat.
McKenna is a candidate with nearly fourteen years of Naval experience. District 10 includes parts of Orlando and a great deal of the fast shrinking open spaces of Florida's farm land. McKenna's a better fit for Florida District 10 than Daniel Webster.
This is his first election. He's largely being ignored by the Democratic Party (probably due to his lack of public office experience, but that appeals to many in this district). McKenna supports the Democratic Party Platform. He believes in a pathway to citizenship for people here without documentation. He believes in LGBTQ rights and he's Pro-Choice. McKenna supports pay check fairness, the ACA and promotes mandated benefits for mental health care. McKenna wants to lower interest rates on student loans, higher education standards and supports special education. McKenna is pro-wind and solar energy.
McKenna is head and shoulders above Daniel Webster.
Daniel Webster is a forced birther who would support personhood legislation that would likely outlaw the birth control pill and the IUD. He's against embryonic stem cell research, but surprisingly, he voted for the Violence Against Women Act. He wants to repeal the ACA despite his constituent's support of the ACA. Daniel Webster wants to strengthen penalties for illegal immigration and no pathway to citizenship. Webster wants looser rules for selling guns across state lines. And, Boy! oh Boy! Does he love drilling for oil and Hate the EPA. Webster rounds out his policy positions with being a member of the "but, but, but Benghazi!" brigrade.
The choice Central Florida has to make is if they want to be saddled for another 2 years with an out of touch, far right conservative, career politician, who doesn't believe in abortion in cases of rape or incest and would vote for legislation that would repeal the ACA for the gazillionth time or vote for a man with 14 years military experience who is new to federal politics, but not new to making things work.
Michael McKenna listens to people. The fact that he went to 57,000 doors proves that. Here's a link to his volunteer page and a place to contribute to his campaign if you are so inclined.
Here's Michaeal McKenna in his own words:
I live in Davenport, Florida with my beautiful wife and three children. I am employed at Walt Disney World and a member of Local Union 603. I am a graduate of Trident University in Business Administration and a graduate of the Harvard University Business Mentor Program. I am a voter and a American and I know we can do better when electing our officials for Washington to represent us. I know we can have genuine leadership that puts our thoughts, needs and concerns first. I know that change will come in 2014 and that this District will one day thrive again and our people will feel that self worth and sense of accomplish like I did when I began working as a teenager.
Together we can get our American dream back on track.