Come on, seriously? April Freeman? If she thinks she's going to get traction from me being busted by cocaine, she's crazy. I got elected with 62% of the votes so not even a cocaine bust or angry liberals can stop me. I love hip-hop too so that shows I've got crossover appeal.
Judging from the following poll back in November 2013, Rep. Trey Radel's credibility in Florida's 19th Congressional District has taken a nose dive.
http://www.news-press.com/...
Should Congressman Trey Radel announce his resignation tonight?
Yes, it's the right thing to do. (81%)
No, give him a second chance. (14%)
Too early to tell. (3%)
While Radel works to try to "win" over the residents of FL-19, Democratic Candidate running for his seat, April Freeman, is continuing on with her campaign to unseat him.
On Tuesday, January 21st, April Freeman will be appearing alongside FL-17 Democratic candidate, Will Bronson (who ran in 2012 against Rep. Tom Rooney and is going for a rematch) at a town hall in Lehigh Acres, FL at 7 pm (EST). Details below in case any of you are interested in attending:
http://www.lehighacrescitizen.com/...
The public is invited to a Town Hall session to meet two Democrat candidates who are running for Congress, each representing in Lehigh Acres. The community is split into with two districts, the 17th and the 19th Congressional Districts, which each having its own member serving in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The special event will be held at 7 p.m. on January 21 at Veterans Park in the main meeting room.
Joan Patterson of Lehigh, a leader in county Democrat circles, has planned the event, along with others.
The two candidates will each talk about their reasons for entering the races for the two districts and the audience will be given an opportunity to ask each of the candidates questions.
The two guest candidates are Will Bronson, seeking a seat in the 17th Congressional District, and April Freeman, who is seeking the seat in the 19th Congressional District.
Full address of Veterans Park:
55 Homestead Rd S
Lehigh Acres, FL 33936
Some people here have been skeptical of April Freeman's chances of unseating Trey Radel, scandal-plagued or not, given FL-19 is a very red district with a PVI of R+12 per the Cook Political Report.
On the other hand, Freeman's background isn't exactly that of a typical Democrat. In fact, she was a long time Republican who had a history of being active in the GOP, being involved in the campaigns for Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, and George W. Bush, as well as being recognized by the Republican Congressional Campaign Committee as Businesswoman of the Year.
http://www.lehighacrescitizen.com/...
She said that for nearly 30 years, she was a loyal Republican.
"Like most Americans, I accepted the politics I grew up with," she said. Freeman was active in the Republican Party, campaigning for Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush, working local neighborhood precincts and making calls for state and congressional candidates.
In 2005, her business and political activities were recognized when she was named Businesswoman of the Year by the Republican Congressional Campaign committee.
However, it was during Dubya's presidency that Freeman started having doubts in staying in the Republican Party and was disllusioned with the Iraq War and the financial crisis that she registered in the Democratic Party.
She's also been very critical of the Republican Party during the recent government shutdown back in last October.
http://www.lehighacrescitizen.com/...
But she said she became disillusioned with the GOP during the presidency of George W. Bush and that disillusionment began with her conviction that the American people had been deceived about Iraqi weapons of mass destruction as a pretext for war. But she said it was when the financial crisis hit that Freeman lost faith in Republican policies.
She said that the Tea party extremists, through their hold on the Republican Party, have taken the country in a direction that has been hurtful, harmful and extreme.
"They shut down the government, putting our seniors at risk and costing the country $24 billion, which damaged the economy, business and labor. They tried to drive the country into default by holding the debt ceiling hostage and as a result, the U.S. lost its sterling credit rating and its standing in the world.
"They utterly wasted the public's time and trust on meaningless, empty votes to repeal a law that was already passed and in effect," she said.
For someone who had a long history with the Republican Party, Freeman's platform is pretty progressive:
http://www.aprilfreeman.com/...
Economy
I will diligently work across the aisle to create a balanced budget that will lower our deficit without raising taxes unless absolutely necessary. While doing everything in my power to maintain the full faith and credit of the United States.
I support all efforts to bring new businesses and jobs with a living wage and benefits to Southwest Florida.
I support access to affordable healthcare for all American citizens because I believe healthcare should be a right and not a privilege.
Environment
Southwest Florida is uniquely dependent on the health of its natural ecosystem. I will always work to ensure that our ecosystem is clean and healthy, and for that reason I oppose oil drilling and fracking in Southwest Florida along with any gulf drilling off our shores.
Equality
I fully support equality - Equal rights are human rights! I also plan to push the Equal Rights Amendment and I believe in success based on merit. Everyone should have an equal chance in business, education and life based on their own abilities.
A woman’s right to choice, should remain legal, safe and rare. Ultimately, this is a private family issue to be made between a woman and her doctor.
We need to have a strong, robust and effective education system that supports our teachers. They deserve a living wage and regular merit-based increases. I support monitored funding of education and the “common core curriculum” program.
Here's an interview with April Freeman on Fox 4 Now discussing her campaign and the controversy surrounding Rep. Trey Radel:
If you are looking to support Freeman for Congress, here are the necessary links:
April Freeman for Congress: http://www.aprilfreeman.com/
Donate: https://secure.actblue.com/...
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/...
Twitter: https://twitter.com/...