It’s up to us

Tuesday (July 30) was the last day to register to vote for the August 28 primaries in Florida. If you are still not registered, but would like to vote in November during the general election, you can still register. Please understand, though, for those still NOT registered to vote, you can still do so for the November general election — not the primaries. 

The primaries are important. Candidates running from both the Democrat side and Republican side may be of the same party but often have very different ideas of what they want to accomplish or how they want to see things done. So even if you’re a Democrat, for example, it is very important to participate in your party’s primary. 

Let me give you an example. I know of more than one person who in 2016 told me they did not vote in the Party’s primary election; they only cast a vote in November for president of the U.S. The thing is many of those same people who told me they did not vote in the primary wanted to do so for Bernie Sanders. Now if they’d only voted in the primaries…

But I am not here to sermonize. I am just asking you to vote. And if you’re not registered, then register to vote for the upcoming November elections. If you don’t think it’s important, then you haven’t been looking around to see what is happening. Click here and register now. (Available in English and Spanish.)

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GOOD NEWS: GABBY GIFFORDS BACKING DIAZ-BALART OPPONENT

Remember Gabby Giffords? She was the former Democratic member of Congress from Arizona who survived an assassination attempt in 2011 that left her with a severe brain injury. She then went on to found Giffords, a political action committee dedicated to helping Democratic Party candidates — especially those espousing gun control and opposition to the National Rifle Association (NRA).

Last week Marc Caputo wrote in Politico that Giffords has endorsed Mary Barzee-Flores, who is running to unseat Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart in Florida 25th congressional district. The news is good for Barzee-Flores, who trails Mario by only seven percentage points in a poll made known by Ms. Giffords. 

Here’s the kicker. During the poll, Mario led by seven points when all things were equal. Once the issue of guns and gun control were brought into play, things began to change… 

“Barzee Flores ended with a 3-point advantage — a 10-point shift in her favor — after the pollster read a series of negative messages criticizing Diaz-Balart for supporting gun rights legislation and opposing gun safety proposals,” wrote Caputo in his Politico article. He later adds that “Giffords’ interest in Florida is a sign the political landscape shifted after the Feb. 14 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School massacre. The group’s political director, Isabelle James, said the poll shows Diaz-Balart has reason to be worried over guns in Florida.”

Here’s another interesting tidbit that should worry Mario as November nears: “In 2016, Giffords backed Democrat Stephanie Murphy in Florida’s 7th Congressional District, where she knocked off longtime incumbent John Mica, who had taken an NRA check in the Orlando-area district after the Pulse nightclub mass shooting.”

Mario Diaz-Balart is the NRA’s poster boy in Florida having accepted more money than any other member of the House of Representatives in the state.