By Justin Lee (Proofreader #2, Copy Editor #1)
The two major candidates in the election for the House of Representatives in District 6 have been decided by their respective political party's primaries. The Republican party voted for their incumbent Republican Rob DeSantis while the Democratic party nominated Democrat William McCullough.
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| Republican Candidate: Rob DeSantis |
The Republican candidate, Rob DeSantis, decided to run to keep his seat in the House of Representatives after Marco Rubio joined the race for Florida’s Senate. However, his campaign to become senator of Florida did not go unnoticed by the people of District 6. DeSantis’ pledge to “continue to stand up to Washington and fight for a better economy, stronger national security and forcing politicians in Congress to live under the same laws as the rest of us" resonated with the voters of Florida while also making his political goals well known to the people of District 6 prior to the election (Harper, 2016). Dropping out of the Senate race did not hinder his campaign for re-election in the House, but rather seemed to bolster it. McCullough was even quoted to be surprised at the margin of DeSantis’ victory in the primaries which gives us the impression that there may be more ear tuned in to what Desantis has to say and what he has offered both as an incumbent and what he had in his campaign for Senator.
Rob DeSantis has made promises to champion pro-growth economic policies whether it’s fighting for a simpler and fairer tax code that will unleash untapped capital or higher education reform, making it easier for Floridians to get good jobs and keep them in an ever-changing and more global economy. As a veteran DeSantis takes offense at the way many of our veterans are treated when they return from the war, and has advocated for them many times such as cosponsoring VA accountability legislation, holding bureaucrats responsible for their mistreatment of veterans and supporting efforts to make the veteran’s choice card work. DeSantis despairs at the fact that the value of a college degree has been declining due to the fact that 40% of students who attend college ultimately take on a job that they could have taken on out of high school. With this problem, DeSantis supports the HERO act, which allows states to establish their own accreditation systems other than a college degree. The HERO act states could choose to accredit a student apprenticeships, specialty schools, professional certifications, and even individual courses allowing for a person to have an array of choices other than committing a great deal of time and money going to college. However what sets him apart is his zealousness on reforming the “ruling class” culture in Washington, saying that he wants an end to congressional pensions, congressional exemption, or special treatment from things such as Obamacare and wants to prohibit members of congress from excusing themselves from laws that apply to the country.
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| Democratic Candidate: William McCullough |
William McCullough plays on the fact that he was born, raised, and plans to retire in District 6 of Florida to show that he is genuinely running for the people as he only seeks to better the community that nurtured him. When he meets with the local residents of District 6 he goes by the name of Bill. He promises voters that with his business and volunteer experience he can find responsible solutions instead of resorting to cutting budgets for education or public “projects for the sake of cutting ideology” (William McCullough Campaign, 2016). He tries to appeal to a variety of voters by supporting economic opportunity and security for all working Americans He says that he will create jobs by employing people to fix the infrastructure including drinking water systems, sewage treatment, electric grid, port, and airport infrastructure. He killing two birds with one stone by addressing how he will create more jobs as well as improve the environment. Another issue that iMcCullough’s campaign emphasizes is educational reform, encompassing the inconsistent quality of teachers and how schools receiving federal funding should have a certain standard which must be reasonably met. The best argument that McCullough uses in his situation involves the election of officials that one can trust. The publicity that DeSantis gained from running for senate may give DeSantis a slight edge, but McCullough finds a clever way to extort that. On his campaign page, he makes sure to remind the voters that DeSantis is only running for the House of Representatives because he dropped out of the race for Senate when Marco Rubio joined the race. He also says that he has lived in Florida, and specifically District 6 for far longer compared to his counterpart, and that he only wants to improve the place where he was brought up.
Although McCullough can continually press on the fact that incumbent Rob DeSantis is only seeking reelection to the House because his venture for a promotion had failed, the polls in District 6 clearly indicate that over the past four years, Florida has become more and more supportive of the Republican party and more importantly its incumbent, Rob DeSantis. In the recent District 6 party primaries, Rob DeSantis was the clear champion of the Republicans, whereas the Democratic party's votes were spread among their different candidates. So in light of these factors, the demographics of Florida’s District 6 and DeSantis receiving far more media attention, District 6 will most likely stay Republican under the watch of Rob DeSantis.
References
(n.d.). Ballotpedia.org. Florida House of Representatives District 6. Retrieved November 3, 2016, from http://ballotpedia.org/Florida_House_of_Representatives_District_6
(n.d.). Ballotpedia.org. Ron DeSantis. Retrieved November 3, 2016, from http://Ballotpedia.org/Ron_DeSantis
(n.d.). Bill McCullough for Florida. Discussion Points — Bill McCullough for Florida. Retrieved November 3, 2016, from http://mcculloughforflorida.com/discussion-points/
Florida's 6th Congressional District Election, 2016. (2016). Retrieved November 3, 2016, from https://ballotpedia.org/Florida's_6th_Congressional_District_election,_2016
Harper, M. (n.d.). Daytona Beach News-Journal Online: Local & World News, Sports & Entertainment in Daytona Beach, FL. Incumbent DeSantis to face Dem challenger McCullough - News - Daytona Beach News-Journal Online - Daytona Beach, FL. Retrieved November 3, 2016, from http://www.news-journalonline.com/news/20160830/incumbent-desantis-to-face-dem-challenger-mccullough
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