Wow, a non Presidential Primary diary here at Kos! Who would believe it?! Snark aside, living in FL-09 I've been paying attention to the potential challengers of Gus Bilirakis this coming November. The Democratic primary field is already crowded with Bill Michell, former Plant City Mayor John Dicks, and Michael Van Hoek.
yet as I said, another name has come to light. I only foudn out about thsi through a fundraising invitation email sent out by another candidate (Jack Killingsworth who is running for Supervisor of Elections in Pinellas County, Florida).
Just who is this person and what are their credentials? Join me below the fold to find out.
It's not a big name to me... Maybe Florida party activists and those more entrenched in Florida (or New York?) politics would know it more than I but the new challenger is Anita De Palma. Those viewing her site will not be impressed with the temporary layout... It's the credentials that had gotten my interest:
At 21 she became an activist for civil rights, for the rights of women and the empowerment of Hispanics. Anita became actively involved in Hispanic matters when she became a volunteer member of the Independent Citizens for Kennedy Campaign, and she became the official speech maker in the ethnic neighborhoods of New York, as well as the official hostess for Adlai Stevenson and then Gov. Lehman.
Her continued concern for the plight of Hispanics followed her to Florida, where she became the ONLY woman appointed as a Permanent Member of the BI-RACIAL Coalition Committee appointed by Gov. Bob Graham. In recent years she became Chair of Sen. Bill Nelson’s Military Academy Appointment Committee. A speaker on Latino affairs throughout Florida, she was the only Hispanic called to testify before the US Senate Committee on Medicare and the medical insurance problems of Hispanics.
She is proud to have been the first Hispanic to have won the New York State Oratorical Championship, and also recently won the Golden Image award for journalism. In 2002 she was named to LULAC Women’s Hall of Fame, served four years as LULAC Florida State Director, and is now the Commissioner of the LULAC (League Of United Latin American Citizens) National Housing Commission.
That's just politics. She's a world class pianist as well.
She will be opening her campaign office in Clearwater, Florida this Sunday. Here's the body of the message that was sent my way:
DATE: Sunday February 10th 2008
TIME: 2:00PM until 7:00PM
PLACE: 1903 Hercules Ave Clearwater, FL
Be our guest for food, beverage, music, petition signing, discussions, speeches, etc.
Bring a friend or two - It's a fund raiser for Anita de Palma for Congress.
The Clearwater office is the first of three campaign offices to be opened. Another office in North Tampa will open soon with an office in Pasco county to follow.
Four declared Dems in a deeply Republican district. It may be an uphill fight, but at least FL-09 is indeed putting up a fight compared with other, more moderate districts.