Former State Senator Nan Rich, the only declared Democratic candidate for Governor, is in Central Florida meeting with Democrats and building her campaign against Rick Scott in the critical I-4 corridor. After speaking to the Solivita Democratic Club in Poinciana last night, Rich swung through Orlando for the day before heading to address the Seminole County Democratic Party tonight.
“You have to do what you think is right and I’m not afraid to do just that,” said Rich, a Broward Democrat. “That’s not just what I believe, but that’s also what the people want.”
Rich is known by many Democrats as one of the most passionate and dedicated elected officials during her 12 years in the Florida legislature. She is an unapologetic progressive and is widely recognized as one of Florida’s leading champions of children’s and social justice issues. But Rich is also known for her ability to reach across the aisle to work with Republicans and her no-nonsense approach appeals to many Floridians.
Just spending a little time with Nan Rich makes it obvious she is both principled and inspiring. She also has no problem speaking about core Democratic issues and hot-button issues. “I’m going to talk about them because they are core values to me,” she said. Despite no longer being in the legislature, Rich continued to send out weekly legislative updates and was out-spoken on major issues, including blasting Republicans over the failed Medicaid expansion.
“I am disappointed the Republican-controlled Legislature took the low road by rejecting Medicaid expansion and the accompanying federal dollars that would have provided healthcare to one million more Floridians. Florida did not have far to go in a ‘race to the bottom’ in healthcare,” Rich wrote in a Miami Herald Op-Ed back on March 15. She expects this to be one of the top issues in 2014.
During her time in Orlando, Rich met with Democratic leaders and activists and also visited the Wells’ Built Museum downtown near the Amway Center. Prior to touring the museum, Rich sat down with State Senator Geraldine Thompson for an informal discussion on local African-American history and culture.
She also understands the importance of the grassroots and is busy building a network across the state. Outside of her political career, Rich’s community experience includes years of advocacy and activism.
Rich was term-limited out of the Florida Senate in 2012, and served as the Democratic leader from 2010-2012. She was well-known for closing on bills – delivering the final remarks on legislation from the Democratic perspective. People could count on Nan Rich to stand up for what she believed on every bill. And there was something noticeably missing during this year’s legislative session in Tallahassee. What was missing was that “closing voice” offering the loyal opposition and taking it to the Republicans the way Nan Rich did. There needs to be that strong voice again.
Florida Democrats have a big choice to make in 2014: who will they nominate to challenge Rick Scott? Speculation of a Charlie Crist run has generated much attention, gaining headlines every time he flip-flops on previous stances he held as a Republican. It’s more of a personality contest with Crist than a serious discussion on the issues.
Nan Rich seems to be the complete opposite. She’s a proven Democratic champion who has not waivered on key issues. Also, her campaign is more than a “larger-than-life” personality. She’s the only one talking about the real issues facing Florida. And that could be exactly what Democrats – and the state of Florida – need in 2014.
