Ryan Ray
Shelley Vana, the mayor of Florida’s third-largest county, gave the nod on Monday to Melissa McKinlay, a Palm Beach commissioner seeking to replace U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy in Congress.
The move is a coup for McKinlay locally: Vana’s endorsement comes as other Democrats, including fellow sitting commissioner Priscilla Taylor, are also seeking to assume the 18th Congressional District seat which Murphy is leaving to run for the U.S. Senate.
In a news release, Vana pointed to the strength of her ties to the community.
“The constituents she represents now feel like they have a voice, and she has spent a lot of time fostering those relationships,” Vana said. “I know when she gets to Congress, she won’t forget them. Melissa will use her role in Washington to help all of Palm Beach County.”
Those ties include, notably, longtime friend and political ally Sen. Jeff Clemens of Lake Worth, who took a pass on running for the seat to remain in the state Senate, saying “I have a tremendous amount of confidence that we’ll have a fantastic candidate who will keep that seat in Democratic hands.”
Vana, formerly a state representative leader of the Palm Beach County Classroom Teachers Association, said McKinlay’s past service indicates she is up to the task of navigating the gridlock and partisan rancor prevailing in contemporary Washington.
“Melissa served her community long before she ran for office,” Vana said in a prepared statement. “She knows how to get things done, and she understands the process. Having a member of Congress who can hit the ground running is Washington will be a tremendous asset to the entire region.”
At least six Republicans are also competing to take the slightly GOP-leaning seat first held by legendary Florida liberal Claude Pepper.
Retired financial planner Paul Spain; Afghanistan veteran Brian Mast; Rebecca Negron, a Martin County school board member and wife of state Sen. Joe Negron; St. Lucie Commissioner Tod Mowery; and lawyer Rick Kozell have all officially announced their intentions to put the seat back into the “R” column.
