Hi Kos-Family! Long time no post. I’ve been busy.
For folks who don’t know me, I’m Gay Valimont, the only Democrat running against Matt Gaetz, and the former head of the gun violence prevention organization Moms Demand Action FL. I’ve dedicated the last 8 months of my life trying to fight for a dream, getting rid of Matt Gaetz, and flipping the panhandle blue!
Things are going well- we hired a field director, opened our field office,
and while Matt Gaetz is traipsing around the country trying to increase his profile so he can run for governor, we are peeling votes away from him in his own district.
Gaetz thinks that only young, thin, pretty girls have standing to object to mounting restrictions on access to reproductive health care. In 2022 he told us that "nobody wants to impregnate you if you look like a thumb." Well, nearly a million of Florida’s thumbs were are up on placing a constitutional amendment on the ballot this year that will protect the freedom of Floridians to access abortion care.
Following the United States Supreme Court’s consequential decision in Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the ruling that overturned Roe v Wade, Floridians Protecting Freedom began collecting signatures for a citizen-led ballot initiative to enshrine the right to abortions in the state constitution. But before the amendment could appear on the ballot, The Florida Supreme Court had to review it and determine that the ballot language clearly articulates the amendment’s legal ramifications. The Court approved the language so it is now in the voters’ hands. The importance of this decision cannot be overstated, considering that the Florida Supreme Court also yesterday approved a 15-week ban on abortions, triggering the even more draconian six-week ban passed by the overwhelmingly Republican legislature in 2023.
This is the dystopian reality in our state. And if Republicans turn out in November, it could be the same across the nation. Gaetz’s best pal Trump says he supports a national ban on abortions at 15-weeks, which he characterized as “very reasonable.” Without Democrats in Congress, Trump and Gaetz’ vision of America may become our reality. So while Matt Gaetz is busy body shaming teenage activists, I’m fighting for the rights of nearly 100,000 women each year who have to make the difficult decision to terminate their pregnancies.
And that starts with awareness and conversations. Sometimes difficult ones. But all the numbers say it’s possible that every seat in FL could be in play in 2024. Dems are flipping seats right and left across the country as folks click unsubscribe on the MAGA movement.
We are hard at work rebuilding, and tapping into existing Democratic infrastructure in FL’s panhandle.
Anything is possible with people power. Want to help? Click here to Pitch in $5, or share this article with your friends in the panhandle or otherwise!
Thank you for all your support as always,
Gay Valimont
Candidate for Congress FL-1
#GetGaetzGone
#JustSayGay