BY MARK J. CRAWFORD
Telegraph Editor
Republican Kat Cammack has challengers for her Congressional seat.
Congressional District 3’s coverage area includes Bradford, Clay and Union counties, among others.
Cammack is a first-time incumbent, having won the seat following the retirement of her former boss, Rep. Ted Yoho. She was his chief of staff. Her agricultural past helped place her on the Committee on Agriculture. She opposes gun control and advocates for more restrictions on abortion. She wants the government to do more to support renewable energy.
Challengers among the Republicans include Manual Asensio of Gainesville, a childhood emigrant from communist Cuba who went on to found a company with a mission to expose stock fraud. A conservative Christian, he wants to preserve gun rights, end communism and secure America’s borders.
The final Republican running is juvenile law attorney Justin Waters. A “constitutional conservative,” he supports the Second Amendment and wants to lower taxes and protect the borders.
Gainesville Democrat Tom Wells is running again for the Congressional seat. He supports Medicaid for all and Green New Deal legislation to fight global warming. Wells says the minimum wage should be increased and public schools better funded.
Danielle Hawk, another Democrat, works in higher education where she has advocated for workplace safety and equitable distribution of scholarship funding. She organized a recent march for reproductive freedom, and wants to expand health care and reduce gun violence.
Linda Brooks is running as an independent, but describes herself as conservative and a Trump supporter. She studied at Santa Fe College and Florida Atlantic University, and has invested in residential property for 30 years. She wants to end Medicare, protect gun rights and limit abortions.
The Republican and Democrat nominees for the seat will be decided during the Aug. 23 primary.
U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio was unopposed on the Republican ticket, as was challenger Dennis Misigoy, who is running as a Libertarian. Four Democrats qualified to run: Ricardo De La Fuente, Val Demings, Brian Rush and William Sanchez. Other nonaffiliated and write-in candidates are on the list. The Democrat nominee will also be chosen during the primary.
In the Florida Legislature, both Sen. Jennifer Bradley (R) and Rep. Chuck Brannan — who now represents Bradford and Union as a part of the new House District 10 — were unopposed. They will retain their offices.
Voters are more familiar with Bradley and her husband, who held the Senate seat prior to her. Brannan is a former law enforcement officer who joined the House in 2018. According to his website, he has spent a lifetime involved in agriculture and education, and describes himself as “pro-life, pro-gun and anti-tax.”
Florida District 6’s Sen. Bradley has a background in law and real estate. She is a small business owner and manager, and is a board member for the PACE Center for Girls in Clay County.
