From the Primaries on to Midterms- the Blue Wave is Coming<\/p>\n
It was rainy outside, but on primary night, many of us watched results roll in live, watched the livestreams or attended watch parties, and heard directly from candidates, and celebrated the wins that came across the screen.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ll be honest \u2013 primaries always give me pause. I always catch my breath a little bit, because once the votes start coming in, we begin to really see our final fight cards lining up and the fire that is our collective hope and outrage, political activism or engagement spreads like wildfire. It\u2019s also where we see who begins-or continues- to stand up, speak out, and fight.<\/p>\n
I know what political courage looks like because of my own race, and how challenging it can be to maintain. What fortitude demands. What resilience takes. Ordinary people stepping into extraordinary arenas can change the conversation \u2013 and sometimes, change the outcome.\u00a0<\/p>\n
This year, more than most, I looked at the primaries with appreciative eyes and that determined fire in my belly. Every person who steps forward expands the conversation for all of us.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And this primary tested many of us. That\u2019s the nature of primaries: they stretch us, they challenge us, they remind us that democracy is not a spectator sport.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Some of the people we rooted for didn\u2019t make it across the finish line. Many did. Some races were agonizingly close. Some revealed openings; others tightened margins. But this primary, in particular, felt pivotal: who will we elect to fight for us in one of the biggest elections \u2013 and biggest opportunities \u2013 we\u2019ve had to take our state and country back?<\/p>\n
We need leaders who refuse to dim their light. Leaders who stand tall like the lighthouse that has become a symbol in my own work. A lighthouse doesn\u2019t choose who it guides. It simply remains \u2013 steady, bright, resilient \u2013 so others can find their way to shore.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s what our communities deserve: a system that values humanity over hierarchy. A system where people don\u2019t have to choose between electricity and medication. A system where groceries and rent don\u2019t swallow entire paychecks. A system that trusts local governments to govern based on their own needs. A system that invests in public education so teachers want to teach and parents want to enroll their kids.<\/p>\n
And Florida delivered some heavy momentum.\u00a0<\/p>\n
We got our top-of-the-ticket fight card: Nixon. Jolly. Javier Rodriguez. Taddeo. Atkins.<\/p>\n
Then we saw wins from other big races we were following: Wasserman Schulz. Valimont. Holloway. Grage. Yonce. Jenkins. Driskell. Gantt. Vilchez Santiago. Nieves.<\/p>\n
We saw incredible momentum: two Moms for Liberty candidates defeated to flip the Sarasota School Board, and flips with an Orange County School Board Chair, a Flagler School Board seat, and an at-large Jacksonville City Council Seat.<\/p>\n
\u2026.<\/p>\n
Now, I know that some folks say, \u201cI don\u2019t really care about politics,\u201d but politics cares about them, and it\u2019s important people know that. It cares about the price and quality of your healthcare; it cares about your grocery bill and your gas bill; it cares about your child\u2019s classroom, your rent, your safety, and your future. It cares about whether you can afford to live in the state you call home. Now that we know who\u2019s in the ring, we can\u2019t afford to bungle this up.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The chaos we\u2019re seeing in Tallahassee and Washington isn\u2019t normal, and it\u2019s not sustainable. It\u2019s not what Floridians deserve.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Corruption, greed, and backroom deals don\u2019t have to be the status quo. Our future is not written in stone, no matter who insists it is. We need eight seats to break the supermajority in the state House, four to flip the US Senate.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Real change is not only possible, but within reach, so we cannot afford to stay home. We cannot afford to let exhaustion or frustration silence us. The stakes are simply too high.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Every day, I hear from people who are rationing medication because they can\u2019t afford refills, or skipping doctor visits because they\u2019re terrified of the bill. I meet parents who put back diapers or formula at checkout because their paycheck didn\u2019t stretch far enough. Farmers worried about losing the green we all depend on, especially after legislation like the Agricultural Enclaves bill passed and the Blue Ribbon Projects\u2019 near-passage. Local electeds trying desperately to help constituents but tied up by preemption bills. Survivors of violence who feel unseen. Grandparents raising grandchildren. Kids navigating foster care. Families drowning under a cost of living that feels like a tidal wave.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I hear and see their struggle. Fear.
That\u2019s not the Florida I grew up loving, and it\u2019s not the one I want our kids to inherit. I want more for them, and us.
\u2026<\/p>\n
We have a moral duty to stand up for each other: not just for the candidates we personally chose, but for the people who stepped forward at all. When we stand together, we build something bigger than any one race or any one moment. We build a table long enough for everyone who has felt unheard, unseen, or unvalued.<\/p>\n
Unity is how we build more seats at the table. It\u2019s how we create space \u2013 and thereby hope \u2013 for voters who feel politically homeless. Unity is how we reach those exhausted by tribalistic warfare, those questioning or weighing whether the cost of voting their party line is worth it, those wondering if there might be something better elsewhere. Unity is how we make room for those quietly asking themselves whether they could vote for a Democrat, or anyone who simply sees them, hears them, and fights for them.<\/p>\n
I am a mom and a domestic violence survivor, but I\u2019m also the author of two Senate priority bills this year, including The HAVEN Act, which was signed into law. I am proof that ordinary people can flip the script, start conversations, bring people to the table, and make lasting change for those who need it most. And now, I\u2019m fighting to add \u201cRepresentative\u201d in front of my name when we defeat Chad \u201cCracker\u201d Johnson and flip one of the most winnable seats in the state.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m just one of so many stories of change in my area. Jason Bellamy-Fults (FL SD-6). Merrillee Malwitz-Jipson (FL HD-10). Seth Harp (CD-3). Hunter Miller. Angie Nixon. David Jolly. Annette Taddeo. Joey Mendoza Atkins. Whomever else fought to represent you on your ballot.<\/p>\n
We can choose how we show up for each other. We can fight for each other.<\/p>\n
We can flip the script and change the story, but it\u2019s going to take ALL of us.\u00a0<\/p>\n
So let\u2019s get out and win.<\/p>\n
-Amy<\/p>\n