Ruth’s List Florida endorses Jackie Gross-Kellogg, Debra Tendrich for House

Images via the candidates.

Add Ruth’s List Florida to the list of organizations supporting Jackie Gross-Kellogg’s campaign to flip House District 113 back to blue and Debra Tendrich’s bid to keep a Democrat in the House District 89 seat.

The organization, which backs women running for office who support abortion rights, announced new endorsements of Gross-Kellogg and Tendrich.

Gross-Kellogg is running to unseat freshman Republican state Rep. Vicki Lopez in Miami-Dade County. Tendrich hopes to succeed term-limited Democratic state Rep. David Silvers in Palm Beach County.

Ruth’s List also endorsed Kissimmee state Rep. Kristen Arrington, who is running to succeed state Sen. Vic Torres, a fellow Democrat, in Senate District 35.

“As we face challenges and attempts by Ron DeSantis and Republican extremists to deceive and intimidate supporters of (the abortion rights ballot measure for) Amendment 4,” the group said, “it’s never been more clear how important our work is to elected more Democratic pro-choice women at all levels of elected office in Florida.”

Gross-Kellogg, a longtime HD 113 resident and elected Central Regional Coordinator of a Miami-Dade PTSA panel, is the lone Democrat running in HD 113 that spans a center-east portion of Miami-Dade covering all of Key Biscayne and parts of Coral Gables and Miami.

She filed in May, shortly after Democrat Jenny Lee Molina entered and exited the race within mere hours, prompting some to suggest she was pressured to pull out by her then-boss, Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava and her campaign adviser, Christian Ulvert.

Molina has since left Levine Cava’s office and relocated to Delaware for a job with Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign.

Ruth’s List said Gross-Kellogg will bring a “stronger voice (to) Tallahassee for education, health care, women’s reproductive freedom, community, environment, boosting our economy, and common-sense gun reform.”

“Jackie is dedicated to bringing a powerful, unifying voice to Tallahassee that focuses on addressing the genuine challenges faced by our residents, rather than on divisive rhetoric,” the group said in a statement. “Together, we can secure a flourishing future for everyone in District 113 and bring back balance to Tallahassee.”

Other groups backing Gross-Kellogg include Planned Parenthood, the Democratic Environmental Caucus, Florida Democratic Caucus for Disabilities, Florida Jewish Democrats, Democratic Public Education Caucus of Florida, Moms Demand Action and Florida Rising.

Tendrich, meanwhile, defeated one Democratic Primary opponent last month to earn her spot on the General Election ballot against Republican Daniel Zapata, a local private school administrator who came within 5 percentage points of unseating Silvers in 2022.

She carries other endorsements from Torres, U.S. Rep. Lois Frankel, Boca Raton state Sen. Tina Polsky, Orlando state Rep. Anna Eskamani, Wellington state Rep. Katherine Waldron, multiple first responder unions and several other organizations.

HD 89 covers a large inland portion of Palm Beach County stretching east from Greenacres to Lake Worth Beach, north from Atlantis to Cloud Lake and containing Lake Clarke Shores and Palm Springs.

The Ruth’s List endorsement takes on added significance as voters will decide whether to codify abortion protections in the state constitution through Amendment 4. If approved by at least 60% of voters, the measure would guarantee access to abortion until fetal viability or when necessary to protect the mother’s health.

It’s additionally noteworthy, said physician, politician and political activist William “Fergie” Reid, because Ruth’s List only voices support for candidates the group believes will win.

Reid founded a group called 90 for 90 to support voter registration efforts and Democratic candidates across the country. The group backed Molina and, after she withdrew, recruited Gross-Kellogg to run.

Joe Biden won HD 89 in 2020 by a 20-percentage-point margin, according to Matt Isbell of MCI Maps. The district swung far rightward two years later as Gov. Ron DeSantis narrowly won there.

Lopez, a former Lee County Commissioner, won HD 113 in 2022 with 51% of the vote. The Miami-Dade Democratic Party, which also endorsed Gross-Kellogg this week, said the district remains a D+4 seat, “providing a significant opportunity for Democrats.”

Isbell also believes the district flippable, noting that Biden won there by 12 points in 2020 and DeSantis won it by just 2 points two years later.

The General Election is on Nov. 5.