Demonstrators raise their fists in support of gun reform outside the House chamber during a special session of the state legislature on public safety Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2023, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
In my story on Sunday, Thank you Brainwrap . . . , I asked for your support for Jackie Gross-Kellogg, who is running for HD-113 in the Florida House. I noted that her opponent, incumbent Republican Trump and DeSantis supporter Vicki Lopez, has unaccountably been endorsed by the Democratic Chairman of the Miami-Dade County Commission and the South Florida AFL-CIO.
And she had not yet been endorsed by the Miami-Dade Democratic Party. So I asked for your help to fund her campaign (and that of the candidate for HD 119, Marcos Reyes) and you did! She raised as much as $2,000 from here and other sources in the last few days. Here’s her ActBlue page.
And Monday, the Miami Dade Democratic Party issued a press release:
Miami-Dade Democratic Party backs Jackie Gross-Kellogg as ‘the type of leader we need’ in HD 113
The nod comes months after the Democratic Chair of the Miami-Dade Commission endorsed the Republican incumbent.
Citing her support for progressive ideals like reproductive rights and gun restrictions, the Miami-Dade Democratic Party says it is backing Jackie Gross-Kellogg’s bid for House District 113.
Gross-Kellogg, a first-time candidate, is running to unseat Republican Rep. Vicki Lopez, who won the HD 113 seat in 2022 by less than a 2-percentage-point margin.
A Miami-Dade Democratic Party press note said Chair Shevrin Jones, a Senator from Miami Gardens, “has been aggressively fundraising to ensure Jackie and other Democratic candidates on the ballot have the support they need to be successful in November.”
Jones said in an accompanying statement that Gross-Kellogg is “the type of leader we need in Tallahassee — someone who will fight for the rights of our constituents, from reproductive freedom to gun safety and educational improvements.”
“Ensuring that we protect and win Democratic-leaning seats like District 113 is essential to advancing our goals for the county (and we) are committed to giving her the necessary support to secure a win in this competitive race,” he said.”
“Winning back this seat is crucial, and with the support of our community and the dedication of volunteers and grassroots efforts, we believe Jackie will deliver the change that District 113 deserves.”
Coincidence? Perhaps. But the timing is certainly telling.
Note also that the press release says HD-113 is a D + 4 district, but in reliance on the Dave’s Redistricting Website, I wrote it is D + 17, and the FL Democratic Party lists it as D + 12., which is the margin by which Biden won the District in 2020. I don’t know why they wrote D + 4.
In any event, this shows to power of the Daily Kos — both in funding candidates and influencing parties and groups, You came through just as you did in May, when the Daily Kos community contributed $23,000 to help fund candidates for every seat in the Florida Legislature.
Here is Jackie’s ActBlue page again, and Brainwrap’s Florida “First to Flip” page for six candidate, including Jackie.
Thank you again!
