To get out the vote, we need to get out the candidates--and we're making headway
News and commentary from the sultry tropics
David Silverberg may serve as the poster child for the progress Project 140 is making in its drive to ensure that every Florida House and Senate race this fall has a Democrat on the ballot.
Only a month ago, there were 11 State Senate and 47 State House races with no Democratic candidates—meaning automatic wins for Republicans—and worse, depressed turnout among Democrats whose votes are needed for critical statewide races such as those for the governorship and U.S. Senate.
In the past month, that number of empty spots on the ballot has been whittled by about a dozen as candidates have stepped up.
Here’s the thing: Data show that when there are no blank spots on the ballots, turnout is higher. And the midterm elections will turn on turnout.
Just a week ago, for example, there was no Democrat running for the seat being vacated by former Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, a Republican from Naples.
It’s a ruby red district, and any Dem running in that area for either the House or the Senate is in for an uphill battle. Some may think it’s hopeless, but you have to see the big picture:
When candidates step up for tough fights like this, they bring along supporters, fund-raisers, and door-knockers who otherwise might sit the election out. This stimulates overall voter turnout. Even if those candidates ultimately can’t beat the overwhelming local odds, the extra voters they bring to the polls—who also cast ballots in statewide races—may make the difference in important close elections.
As I wrote a month ago, every vote counts:
Consider the year 2000, when Florida was the epicenter of national controversy. The election between Vice President Al Gore and Gov. George W. Bush of Texas was so close that it ended up in the Supreme Court. By the time the court stopped the recount of ballots, Bush was ahead by only 537 votes. There were numerous uncontested legislative seats during that election giving Republicans easy wins. What if more Democrats had volunteered to run? Would those few extra votes have made a difference? It’s certainly possible.
Also: This will be an unusual midterm election. Republicans are reeling from an avalanche of bad news, and President Donald Trump’s collapsing popularity may depress the Republican turnout and votes — not only among G.O.P. members but also among right-leaning independents who overwhelmingly are disillusioned with Trump’s behavior.
Witness the recent State House victory of Emily Gregory, a Democrat and political newcomer, who beat her Trump-endorsed Republican opponent in Palm Beach County’s special election—in a Republican district that includes Trump’s Mar-a-Lago.
Silverberg sees the opportunity.
His decision to jump into the fray was encouraged by a chance meeting with Margie Stein at a rally for U.S. Senate candidate Alex Vindman in Naples. Stein is the leader of Project 140, the independent candidate-recruitment initiative I wrote about a few weeks ago.
Bemoaning the paucity of Democrats on the ballot, Stein asked Silverberg: Why don’t you run?
Until then, Silverberg had busied himself as editor of The Paradise Progressive, a popular newsletter commenting “on news affecting the Paradise Coast of Southwest Florida that is overlooked, ignored or avoided by local traditional media.”
After talking to Stein, he decided to change roles, from observer and commentator to candidate.
“It finally got to the point where I couldn’t sit on the sidelines anymore,” he said. “I was urging other people to get involved, and the time came where I had to do it myself. The stakes are so high and the dangers so great that we all have to get out of our comfort zones or there won’t be any comfort left. I was very comfortable in my zone, but sometimes you just have to take to the barricades.”
Although Silverberg has been involved in other candidates’ campaigns in the past, this is his first time in the ring, himself. “Well, since high school.”
He says one of the key points of his campaign will be the closure of Alligator Alcatraz, which is in the Senate district he’s running for.
“Alligator Alcatraz is a moral stain, it’s a financial drain and it cannot remain,” he says in one of his online messages to supporters. “Real Americans don’t build concentration camps—real Americans liberate concentration camps. Make no mistake, Alligator Alcatraz is a concentration camp.
“Spending a million dollars a day on this monstrosity when everyday Floridians are suffering is unacceptable.”
But what about the odds? I asked him.
“If ever there was a year or election cycle when things could change, this is it,” he said. “People are fed up, they're waking up and they just might do something new and surprising inside the voting booth.”
When Stein started Project 140’s candidate drive for this election, there were 58 legislative races with no Democratic candidates out of a total of 140 legislative races, hence the project’s name.
That number has been reduced, but there’s more work to do.
How is that going?
“I think there’s a lot of enthusiasm,” she says. “A lot of people are stepping forward.”
Related:
Every vote counts: It’s why Florida Democrats are scrambling to find legislative candidates
J.C. Bruce is the founder of Tropic Press, a Florida online news service dedicated to sharing news and commentary relevant to Florida readers, whether it originates in the Sunshine State or elsewhere. Bruce is an award-winning former newspaper editor, journalist and author living in Florida, his native state.
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Ok, Jeff. I love your work on the tropical Press, but why don’t you consider David’s example. With your following, you’d make a great candidate?