Peter Schorsch
As anyone who reads this site (or my tweets) will know, I’m no fan of Democrat state Sen. Gary Farmer.
That’s why I was excited to see Jim Waldman challenge Farmer to a rematch of their 2016 cage fight. But this week was not very good for Team Waldman.
Last Wednesday, at what is the oldest, and probably the largest, gay Democratic club in Florida, Waldman showed up and promptly disqualified himself from consideration for an endorsement — because he failed to fill out the club’s questionnaire. (Stupid rule, maybe, but it’s their club and their rules.)
So what happened?
Waldman attempted to create a diversion by waving around one of Farmer’s mailpieces that noted that Waldman is a former Republican. He showed the evidence that Republican interests funded his last campaign, complete with Sun-Sentinel headlines. To a gay Democratic club?
Rules number one and two: Never remind the crowd of your weaknesses or that your opponent is already defining you before even getting out of the gate.
Then Waldman called for a vote of no confidence for Farmer.
Guess what happened?
The club voted UNANIMOUSLY to endorse Farmer. Ouch!
Now, after the latest campaign finance reports posted, Waldman’s situation gets worse.
In his first reporting period, Waldman raised a mere $150. That’s not a typo. One hundred and fifty dollars.
Jim, you are challenging a sitting senator. $150? At least “loan” yourself five figures to show commitment.
By way of reminder, it is worth noting that Waldman had to move into the district last time just to compete. And in a three-way primary, he came in third.
Farmer’s team is up and running (with four mailpieces already landing) and is about as fully-funded as need be, with almost $900,000 in hard and soft money already raised.
For Waldman to compete in this come-from-behind sprint, he needs to be more than error-free; he just can’t be posting gadfly fundraising numbers.
I know I was not alone in hoping for a more competitive cage match. But after Waldman’s early stumbles, I’m taking my popcorn and moving on to a different event.
