Candidate News

Local HD50 Candidate Shelly Leonard attends kick off for the Milk Party...

"Shelly Leonard at MIlk Party kick-off  By Martine Powers, Times Staff Writer
CLEARWATER - Shelly Leonard, 37, came to the launch of the "Milk Party" campaign Monday afternoon to find out one thing. What will the Children's Movement of Florida do to help local children with special needs? Leonard, a Clearwater resident, has two sons with muscular disabilities. She couldn't find adequate...

The purpose of the "Milk Party," DavidLawrence (leader of the movement & former Miami Herald publisher)said, is to encourage business leaders and politicians to push for issues such as quality children's health care and parent education.

Kendrick Meek releases tax returns

In Print: Tuesday, May 18, 2010  (St. Pete Times)

..."Kendrick has filed his Senate Financial Disclosure Report, but he has gone even further by releasing the last seven years of his tax returns. Today, we are challenging all senate candidates in the name of transparency and accountability to do the same and release their taxes too....

read more

Bob Hackworth Qualifies for November Ballot by Petition (with video)

From his April 28th Press Release:

Just eight weeks after announcing his candidacy for Pinellas County Commission, Bob Hackworth's campaign collected the required 1684 signatures needed to qualify for the November ballot. Hackworth personally collected over 1100 signatures by knocking on doors and attending community events; dedicated campaign volunteers were staged throughout the county and collected the remaining petitions needed to reach this goal.... Bob Hackworth is a Democrat running for Pinellas County Commission, District 4, against ten-year incumbent, Susan Latvala. Hackworth is a small business owner and resides in Dunedin with his wife and two children. Hackworth was elected Mayor of Dunedin in 2006 and was elected twice before that to the Dunedin City Commission.

Charlie Justice qualifies for ballot by turning in petitions

Creative Loafing, March 29 by Mitch Perry:

Pinellas County Democratic Congressional hopeful Charlie Justice is officially on the ballot in Florida’s 10th Congressional District election, as his campaign manager Mitch Kates today announced that he had qualified by petition by gathering more than 6,500 signatures (he was required to turn in 4,443) to the Supervisor of Elections office

March 29th Press Release from Justice's campaign:

“I am very proud of the many volunteers who gave hundreds of hours towards the campaign’s efforts in our petition drive,” stated Charlie Justice. “While my opponent ‘mailed in’ his effort to collect petitions, our supporters went out and talked directly to voters throughout the Congressional district asking for their support. All their hard work paid off because not only were we successful in collecting petitions but we also had the opportunity to talk to voters about the race and my candidacy.” “We plan on continuing our grass-roots campaign by going door-to-door throughout the Congressional District talking to voters about this race and the need for new leadership in Washington,” stated Justice. “The incumbent continues to show how out of touch he is with the district, first by holding a ‘Town Hall Meeting’ by mail and then following that up by ‘mailing in’ his petition drive.”

Kendrick Meek’s Drive To Qualify For U.S. Senate Ballot By Petition Enters Final Stage

The Weekly Challenger (3/13/2010) reports that:

U.S. Senate Candidate Kendrick Meek is entering the final stage of his history-making petition drive as his campaign nears the 112,476 signature threshold to qualify for the ballot. While most candidates simply write a check to get on the ballot, he will be the first statewide Florida candidate to qualify for the ballot by petition. “Our petition drive is all about hard work and not taking the easy route. During these trying times, I am meeting with Floridians in their homes, at our neighborhood community centers and places of business. Everywhere I go, people are rejecting status quo politicians who cater to the powerful and have never rolled up their sleeves and worked a little harder to get things done. This petition effort has taken me throughout this state, and as we work hard to collect petitions from every Florida county, we will continue reaching out to everyday Floridians who have real concerns about their future,” said Meek... ...[The] Campaign is fast approaching the 112,476 petition threshold to qualify for the ballot. The Meek campaign has collected petitions in each of Florida’s 67 counties with field staff stationed across the state.

Read the entire article at The Weekly Challenger

The Gaggle: Don't You Forget About Meek

The March 10, 2010 blog post on The Gaggle, Newsweek Magazines' online political blog, focused on the FLorida Senate race.   Titled "Don't You Forget About Meek", the article focused on the Crist-Rubio primary, but it doesn't forget about Kendrick Meek, either!

As the pollsters note though, the large number of undecided Democrats (20 percent) means that come Election Day, that gap could disappear. It's pretty hard to imagine Democrats voting for Rubio in droves. It's less difficult to imagine them coming out to vote for Meek out of fear that the ultraconservative Rubio might actually win. Meek also leads among independents, a factor that could prove critical, especially in relatively moderate Florida.

The article quotes PublicPolicyPolling for March 10 showing Meek only 5 points behind Rubio in a general election (without Crist).

There's still time to gather petitions for Kendrick!  Email Rich at President@largodemocrats.com to get details on dates/times/locations.

Last Push!!! Petition Gathering Opporutnities for Charlie Justice - March 2010

Hackworth and Harris Carry the Democratic Banner in County Commission Races

Bob Hackworth, former Mayor of Dunedin and candidate for Congress in 2008, announced his candidacy for the County Commission in District 4 Saturday night at the PCDEC’s Kennedy-King Dinner.  To date, he is the only Democrat running in the race in this district (which extends from Clearwater Beach and Safety Harbor north).  The incumbent, Susan Latvala, has several Republican challengers in the August 24 primary, and has scored poorly in a recent survey of voters, conducted by Schroth, Eldon & Associates. 

 

In his announcement, Hackworth promised to be “a citizen legislator beholden to no one.  That’s why I will limit contributions to my campaign to $100 and only from individuals, not developers, corporations or those with business before the County Commission.” 

 

Though most of our club members reside south of the boundaries of District 4, some are registered voters in this district.  Even those who live in other districts are encouraged to assist in Bob Hackworth’s campaign. 

 

In the other County Commission race in 2010, Democrat Calvin Harris is seeking re-election to an at-large seat, representing all of Pinellas County.  At present, he is opposed by Republican Norm Roche (a former Democrat who switched parties recently).  Harris’s campaign also welcomes our support. 

 

Shown are Bob Hackworth (right) with Kathleen Jamison and St. Petersburg Councilmember Steve Kornell.