So if you haven't already heard, Florida General Election is happening. Official Election Day is November 6th and early voting started on October 22nd and will continue till November 4th. In previous articles I have talked about the gubernatorial candidates for Florida, amendment 13, a local candidate for district 47, and ways you can contribute to your election besides just voting.
In this article, I will be discussing one of the top political positions in the state of Florida. The senator of Florida fights for Florida from Washington D.C. Currently, Bill Nelson is the senator of Florida. Rick Scott (R) is running for Senate and Bill Nelson (D) is running once again. A lot of people are having trouble picking.
Rick Scott has been Florida's governor since 2010 and Bill Nelson has been Florida's senator since 2000. So, both of these politicians have been in their positions for some time now. There is some controversy being spread around, by Rick Scott and his advertising, about Bill Nelson being up in Washington for several years and doing absolutely nothing besides raising taxes. But, Rick Scott has a reputation for not doing much at all in the state of Florida as well and shifting his position on issues constantly.
So it's a tough situation. Do you choose the Republican with lots of controversies or do you choose the Democrat who is rumored to have been doing nothing in Washington D.C?
I will be giving you the points that each candidate stands for so you have a clear view on the candidates running for Senate.
Bill Nelson is the Democratic Candidate.
Senator Bill Nelson
Bill Nelson is a former astronaut that launched into space in 1986 and orbited Earth on the Space Shuttle Columbia. Bill is quoted on his website saying "From that perspective, you can see how we're all in this together," he says. "If we could just remember that, we'd sure get a lot more done."
Bill Nelson as an astronaut
He began his public service career in 1972 and became a part of the Florida Legislature. He served six terms in Congress representing Orlando and the Space Coast. 1994 Nelson was elected to Florida's Cabinet as Treasurer, Insurance Commissioner, and Fire Marshal.
Nelson was elected in November 2000 for his first term in U.S. Senate.
Nelson stands for and has accomplished:
- Standing up against the insurance companies
- Standing up against the Wall Street Banks
- Standing up against the Big oil companies
- Exposed lies of BP and Gulf spill
- Creating a blueprint for our nation's space agency
- Fighting for lower taxes
- Better education
- Better education
- Medicare
- Social Security
Bill Nelson's website quoted him saying "He's someone who thinks public service is a noble calling - which is why he's devoted his life to serving his community, his state, and his country."
Sen. Bill Nelson serves on four committees:
- Committee on Commerce, Science, & Transportation
- Committee on Armed Services
- Committee on Finance
- Special Committee on Aging
Rick Scott is the Republican candidate.
Governor Rick Scott
Rick Scott is the 45th governor of Florida. Scott discusses growing up in Florida in public housing. Rick Scott openly discusses his family struggles with financial problems in his youth with his family. Governor Scott joined the Navy and used the G.I. Bill to go to college and open a donut shop after. After, he ran the world's largest healthcare company with hundreds of thousands of other employees.
Governor Rick Scott
Rick Scott stands for and has achieved:
- Disaster preparedness
- Freedom & Democracy in Latin America
- Infrastructure & Transportation
- Make Washington work
- Education
- Healthcare
- Israel
- Public Safety
- Environment
- Immigration
- Jobs, tax cuts & long-term economic growth
- Veterans & Military
Rick Scott supports the following coalitions:
- Educator
- Law enforcement member
- Small business owner
- Student
- Veteran/military
- Elected officials
Quoted on Rick Scott's website, "As governor, Scott has fought tirelessly for Florida families and job creators, and now, he is working to bring that fight to D.C. to secure Florida's success for generations to come."
Both of these candidates are running for Florida Senate. It's unclear to many on who to vote for no matter what party you are. People are questioning to themselves, "Do I vote for the man disliked by many or vote for an empty seat in the Senate once again?" A lot of these statements are rumors and controversies started by the opposing parties. This article is to clear up what the actual candidates stand for and what they have accomplished during their time in office.
Image Credit: Space Coast Daily on Facebook
Everything is directly from Bill Nelson's website and Rick Scott's website.
