Janelle Irwin Taylor
Tampa activist Al Fox is launching an exploratory committee to consider a possible bid for U.S. Senate against Marco Rubio in 2022.
Fox, a local government relations consultant, is a longtime activist on issues related to Cuba and normalizing relations with the island nation.
A Democrat, Fox has for years hosted members of Congress and other officials on fact-finding missions to Cuba free of charge.
Fox offered input into the Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act of 2000, which allows U.S. corporations to sell agricultural products to Cuba. Locally, he has been a major voice on U.S./Cuba relations for more than 20 years.
He also founded and presides over the Alliance for Responsible Cuba Policy Foundation, a nonprofit that seeks to re-establish trade and diplomatic relations with Cuba.
Fox launched his career in politics as an entry-level Senate aide, eventually rising to a senior congressional staff assistant to the U.S. House and Senate. Later, Fox established his own government relations firm.
Coretta Scott King, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s widow, appointed Fox to the Martin Luther King Jr. Federal Holiday Commission, which established the civil rights icon’s birthday as a national holiday.
Fox also served as an adviser to former South African President and Nobel Peace Prize winner F.W. de Klerk, who freed Nelson Mandela and dismantled the nation’s system of apartheid.
If he runs, Fox plans to focus on immigration reform, military registration, climate change, smart cities, protection of the Everglades and the Gulf of Mexico, LGBTQ+ rights, China’s dominance in the world and health care for all.
Fox will face a tough primary if he joins the race. Former U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson announced Monday he would run after months of exploring his own bid. U.S. Rep. Val Demings is also expected to run and has already been scooping up support, indicating she will likely be the establishment Democratic pick.
