Janelle Irwin Taylor
Democrat Alex McDonald is suspending his campaign for Florida House District 64,
McDonald had been running in a two-way primary for the party’s nomination to take on incumbent Republican Jamie Grant.
“Unfortunately, my path to victory in this race was through the amount of contact I could make with my constituents. I didn’t start with a political foothold, nor a previous campaign under my belt,” McDonald wrote on Facebook Wednesday. “I was going to win by knocking more doors and meeting more voters than either of my opponents.”
That path was no longer feasible as COVID-19 social distancing restrictions prevented almost all person-to-person interaction and upended traditional campaigning.
Candidates found themselves shifting from the normal practice of asking for votes to one of outreach and education as voters lack an appetite for politicking as the state crumbles under the weight of a global pandemic.
“The sooner I step down, the sooner my democratic opponent can change her strategy to focus on the incumbent,” McDonald wrote.
That opponent, public school teacher Jessica Harrington, now has a clear path to the nomination and can focus all of her campaign efforts on Grant.
Despite McDonald’s departure from the race, Harrington still has a tough road ahead. Grant has robust name recognition in the district he’s represented since 2010, skirting term limits after a legal challenge to his 2014 reelection and forcing a new election, which reset his term limits.
As an incumbent, Grant also enjoys a sizable campaign finance lead, raising nearly $115,000 compared to Harrington’s $39,000. McDonald had raised less than $7,000.
Still, she remains undeterred, taking frequently to social media to directly criticize Grant and his conservative legislative priorities.
Harrington said little about McDonald’s departure from the race. The two had agreed to run positive campaigns focused on the Republican opponent, not on each other.
“Although we are sad to see such an amazing candidate exit the race here in District 64, we know he will stand alongside us and continue this fight,” Harrington said. “Alex is a man of integrity and honor, and I couldn’t have asked for a better person to be on the campaign trail with. Make sure you keep an eye on Alex McDonald. He has a very bright future ahead of him in changing the world for the better.”
McDonald, for his part, agreed.
“Even though I am stepping out of this race, this does not mean I am stepping down from politics, quite the contrary. My next campaign will have a much greater advantage going into it, and I look forward to serving our community once more,” he said.
3 comments
Paula
April 23, 2020 at 3:36 pm
Do you value you neighborhood? Your neighbors? Your community? If so, let’s hope Jessica Harrington defeats Jamie Grant.
If you are a resident, you should know that Jamie Grant worked diligently to TAKE AWAY your neighborhood’s ability to control short term rentals. He spoke on behalf of the Vacation Rental Management Association, and Grant has proposed bills in previous legislative sessions, such as HB 987, which included language that renting short-term is a “constitutionally protected property right.” This could have allowed short-term rentals everywhere, including within HOAs and areas zoned single-family.
Vote for Jessica Harrington if you want someone who puts the interests of her constituents over that of big business.
Eyeroll
April 24, 2020 at 10:32 am
And by “big business” you mean individuals who rent out their homes for some extra money.
Paula
April 24, 2020 at 8:11 pm
I do not mean an owner who lives in the residence and rents here and there for some extra income.
I mean this:
From ipropertymanagement.com (referring to Airbnb):
Hosts with 10 or more properties generate a quarter of all multi-host revenue
81% of Airbnb’s revenue ($4.6 billion) in 2017 comes from whole-unit rentals where owner is not present during the guest’s stay
We had a house on our street with 11 bedrooms (slept 24) – the owners lived in England. Another person owned 17 rental homes/lots – he lived in St. Louis. This is what people are opposed to, and what Jamie Grant wanted to allow everywhere, saying it’s a constitutional right. (I live in Florida.)
It’s a business. And neighborhoods zoned single-family do not allow them, but the state is trying to take away zoning. Look at the laws proposed by Grant, LaRosa, and the ones proposed this last legislative session. Alarming and disgusting, and residents are finally starting to mobilize against this.
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