Brice Barnes becomes latest Democrat seeking to flip Neal Dunn’s seat

Brice Barnes has spent years advocating for her family members with disabilities. Now, she says she is ready to run for Congress.

The Democrat from Tallahassee has announced her campaign to replace retiring U.S. Rep. Neal Dunn in Florida’s 2nd Congressional District.

“I’m fed up with the chaos in Washington, like so many other families,” Barnes told Florida Politics, “and talking to them across North Florida, people know it’s just not working for families like ours.”

Barnes joins a crowded group of Democrats who had planned to challenge Dunn, a Panama City Republican first elected in 2016. In her campaign announcement, Barnes highlighted her background, which she believes will connect with voters from Tallahassee to Panama City.

“I’m a mom of three, and I see firsthand that life simply isn’t working for families in North Florida right now,” she said. “Whether I’m at my kids’ practices or on a parent text chain, the conversation is always the same. Our dollars aren’t stretching as far as they once did. From the rising cost of groceries and gas to the skyrocketing price of insurance and health care, the pressure on working households is real. Washington is full of people who talk, but North Florida deserves a leader who actually knows how to get things done.”

She believes that, given the current political climate, it is possible to build a broad coalition to turn the District from Republican to Democratic control. This comes only a few years after most voters there supported President Donald Trump’s return to the White House.

When Florida Politics asked if the election would focus on affordability or Trump’s current unpopularity, she said the two issues are “one and the same.”

“The same people that probably voted for Donald Trump, the same families who voted for him on affordability issues several years ago, are still having the same affordability issues now, or it’s gotten worse,” she said. “I think they’re looking for a solution. And I think that people are not wed as much to party lines as they’re looking to end the chaos and for folks to find solutions.”

Barnes is very familiar with the challenges families face. Her sister, Lara Jane Parker, had cerebral palsy. Barnes’ parents spent years working through a difficult health system and eventually saw the Americans with Disabilities Act become law.

As an adult, Barnes helped develop Independence Landing, an affordable community in Tallahassee where people with disabilities can live on their own. Parker lived there before she passed away.

Barnes also faced health challenges in her own family when her son was diagnosed with a rare eye condition at age 12 that needed surgery. She took him to the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio for treatment, but had to fight with insurance the entire time, even though the situation was urgent.

“Without that procedure, he would not be able to drive at all. It preserved his eyesight, so that he is able to do and have all the same opportunities as everybody else.”

She is frustrated that Congress has given so little attention to these challenges facing families across the country.

“Too many people in Washington are focused on political theater while families here are struggling to keep up,” Barnes said in a statement. “I’ve spent 20 years building movements and forging partnerships to solve problems in our community. I’m running for Congress to bring that same focus on real results, because families in North Florida deserve someone who understands their lives and will fight for them every single day.”

Barnes was involved in the Floridians Protecting Freedom campaign, which supported a constitutional amendment to overturn Florida’s six-week abortion ban. Although the measure did not reach the 60% needed to pass, Barnes pointed out that most voters in her District supported it. This makes her more confident that people in the District want a change in the state’s direction.

“As I traveled around this District — and not only this District, but the state — I learned a whole lot,” she said. “Obviously, people care about core issues like health care and personal freedom and limiting government’s interference.”