The Race Continues
One AFSCME member wins her primary, and two others gather signatures to appear on Florida’s primary ballot. Second in a series.
By Susan Ellen Holleran
For Janice Nelson, MD, the campaign really began the day after Super Tuesday when — unopposed in the primary — she won the Democratic nomination for Congress from California’s 28th District.
During the pre-primary period, Nelson set up her organization, hired staff and submitted information for the League of Women Voters and Project Vote Smart Web sites. “It’s a very good way to present my issues.” She has also developed her own Web site — www.nelson4congress.com — and updates it weekly with her schedule, campaign news and position papers.
A product of the public schools, Nelson is a “consistent proponent of public education” and very proud of the California Teachers Association endorsement.
“The early primary was a blessing and a curse,” says Nelson. “A curse because we had to get established through the November/December holiday season. A blessing because I have eight full months to develop voter contact and raise funds.”
She sees her blood-bank medical-director job as preparation for the latter: “Asking people for money is the same as asking people for blood.”
For the next few months, Nelson will campaign every weekend, saving her vacation for the final weeks before the election.
LONG WAIT. In Florida, Carrie Mitchell-Long and John Leshuk have almost six more months to prepare for their September primary elections for state legislative seats. Both are gathering enough petition signatures to qualify for a place on the ballot. They are also researching issues and playing a more visible role in their communities.
Leshuk, president of Local 2848 (Council 79), has a full schedule. From radio talk shows to town hall meetings to various spring festivals, his free time is spent on the campaign trail. “I hate going to the local shrimp festival,” he says with a laugh. “I put on five pounds.”
For him it is really a learning experience. Leshuk has met with Native American leaders to find out about their concerns. “I learned so much in the time I spent with them.”
The American Automobile Association has labeled the town of Lawtey (in Leshuk’s district) a speed trap and warned motorists away. This has caused financial hardship to the town’s small businesses. Residents approached Leshuk, asking him to intervene with the AAA about dropping the warning. He is trying to mediate the problem.
STANDING TALL. Mitchell-Long, president of Local 3343 (Council 79), combines research with ongoing community activism. Her primary issues: education, health care and the quality of life which, she says, “we sometimes take for granted.”
The executive order from Gov. Jeb Bush (R) to end Florida’s affirmative-action programs raised an outcry across the state. It brought Mitchell-Long to a March 6 vigil at the Governor’s Mansion and a huge March 7 rally outside Florida’s Statehouse.
“I think affirmative action is important because it’s for all people,” she says. “It’s not really a black issue.” Mitchell- Long points out that opening the door for education, hiring and contracting gives people from all backgrounds a chance to compete.
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