Florida’s first congressional district is a weird place, politically. You get this:
...interspersed with this:
Ok, so. What do the two images above have to do with congressional politics in a very red district? I’ll give you an example. In Florida’s first congressional district, the demographics are rapidly changing, especially south of I-10 in Escambia (Pensacola) and Okaloosa (Destin) counties. There is a huge military presence, veterans (90,000 in the district including myself), and retirees. And a whole lot of LGBT voters.
After 8 GOP candidates slug it out for the open FL CD1 seat in the August 30th primary (the leading contenders are Greg “AR-15” Evers, and Matt “Shady PAC” Gaetz), there’s likely to be only one veteran remaining in the hunt for this winnable House seat: Democratic Party candidate and Afghanistan war vet Steven Specht, who is unopposed in the primary.
In 2016, there's a churning political dynamic that can't be ignored. Steve’s campaign staff has crunched the numbers repeatedly using advanced analytics tools from the DNC, and there is a clear path to victory in November. In cloning Wellstone Action’s playbook, the Specht campaign team has developed a strategy that can actually win FL CD1, and the team is laser focused on that path.
His staff (and yes, he actually has a professional campaign team) is coordinating on the ground with the Clinton campaign and Florida Democratic Party, both of which have a significant presence in the district this cycle.
This kind of coordination has not happened in decades. It also tells you something: the Clinton team and FDP believe that the NW Florida Panhandle is in play, or at least superbly relevant to the overall Florida outcome.
And that’s where a candidate like congressional candidate Steven Specht comes into play.
The core of his message is that he has a compelling personal story that is resonating with all voters in FL CD1. He’s an Air Force veteran who served in Afghanistan, graduated from FSU College of Law, and has the requisite skills necessary to win this House seat. He and his team are working this campaign full time — it’s his “day job” until November 8th. Click here for Steve’s bio.
Regardless of who wins the GOP primary, Steve is going to be running against a well funded opponent. So, here’s the big ask:
Please click this link to Steve’s Act Blue Page, (or directly on Steven’s website, as ActBlue appears to be a bit balky morning) and kick in whatever you can. A dollar or two, if that’s all you can spare. There is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to flip FL-01 from red to blue. This isn’t pie in the sky stuff. It’s seriously doable. If Steven gets a thousand $1 donations, that buys a lot of media in the market.
And, if you’re in the district, join Steven for a meet-and-greet fundraiser at Harbor Docks in Destin this coming Tuesday. This is where the FREE BEER comes into play.
- DATE: Tuesday, 8/16/2016
- TIME: 5:00PM to 6:30
- WHERE: Harbor Docks Restaurant, 538 Harbor Blvd, Destin, FL 32541, USA
You can RSVP to the campaign either on the event page on Facebook, www.facebook.com/..., or by emailing josh@stevenspecht.com.
(Republishing from Friday’s diary for the weekend DKos crew)