In my first race for public office the learning curve has been steep and constant, which I imagine is what all first-time candidates face. I hope they also find running for office as elevating as I’ve found it to be. Despite days when I know I could’ve done better, entering into and then sticking with the ups and downs of a campaign builds confidence. Like an athlete in training, you get into a rhythm and you learn your strengths. But unlike an athlete, you’re not doing it for yourself.
If you’re doing it right, you’re doing it so the people win.
Still, there are times when the daily onslaught of depressing news weighs you down and you wonder if all of the corporate criminals and corrupt elected officials can be beat. You ask yourself if it’s all worth it. It is, and last week I learned this for sure. It was June 6th and I was at Arlington National Cemetery on the 50th anniversary of the death of Robert Kennedy. I walked into the Amphitheater just as Bill Clinton began sharing his story of how RFK (like JFK before him) inspired him to be a public servant. Although I had missed John Lewis, minutes later I had the good fortune to bump into him. I shook his hand which I impulsively followed with a hug tagged with a whisper that it was an honor to meet him. Each of these men came from as nearly nothing as you can get, and each chose to devote their life to making this a more perfect union.
As a first-time candidate, reflecting on their accomplishments found me feeling like a middle school quarterback on the sidelines of an NFL game. But it was also gratifying to recognize I was, in some small degree, their peer. Someone who wants to give back to my country by contributing my time and whatever talents I have. And I also had to recognize that at one point they, too, were first-time candidates whose direction had been guided in part by RFK and JFK and Martin Luther King, Jr. who, of course, had been motivated by myriad influences, both known and unknown. It reminded me that history shapes history. And never before in my life have I been more convinced that Democrats are on the right side of history. It’s a thread that began centuries ago and now finds me in the arena, proudly carrying the banner as a Democratic candidate for Florida State Senate.
(If you’d like to learn more about my populist grassroots race, visit www.Gary2018.com. And if you’d like to contribute and help Flip Florida, visit my secure site at ActBlue.)