Politics
Voting rights activist Desmond Meade withdraws from Governor’s race
Desmond Meade, a noted voting rights activist running a long-shot no-party campaign for Governor, has withdrawn from the race, citing insufficient funds to keep pace with some of the contest’s financial heavy hitters.
Meade submitted a notice of withdrawal by mail and email Thursday afternoon to Bureau of Election Records Chief Erica “Ikay” Reeve, requesting he be removed from contention and committing to distribute the remaining funds in his campaign account, per state statutes.
Florida Politics Publisher Peter Schorsch first flagged Meade’s letter.
The letter didn’t include a reason for his departure. In a brief phone call Friday morning, Meade told Florida Politics it was simple mathematics.
“The rate of our fundraising was not what it needed for me to compete statewide,” he said. “My campaign was great, but in a crowded field where there’s a lot of money being spent, we just weren’t raising at the rate we needed to.”
Meade, who moved to Miami when he was 5, served in the Army as a helicopter mechanic before drug addiction derailed his life and landed him in prison for two separate three-year stints, is a respected and accomplished figure in the voting-rights movement.
As Chair of Floridians for a Fair Democracy, he led a successful ballot initiative in 2018 to restore the voting rights of more than 1.4 million state residents with felony convictions. Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2019. Two years later, he was awarded a MacArthur “Genius Grant.”
Meade launched his campaign for Governor in May, vowing to fight for better affordability, stronger schools, safer communities and government accountability. Through Aug. 21, he raised more than $160,000 in outside contributions through his campaign account and political committee, Florida Together PC.
While a respectable haul for local contests and some seats in the Legislature, it was a paltry sum compared to the $111 million Republican Byron Donalds collected through mid-August and the $10.6 million Democrat David Jolly amassed.
“Contrary to what maybe some people think, I was actually in it to win it. The challenge is, Florida voters have to know there’s a qualified candidate in the race and have at least some belief that candidate has a chance of winning. Those are two big hurdles,” he said.
“There’s no doubt the people of Florida are ready for something different. The question remains whether they believe there’s someone out there who can deliver, and when I’m not able to raise sufficient funding to get out there enough to have those conversations in meaningful ways with folks, that makes it very challenging.”
Meade, who lives in Windermere, ended his run with about $55,000 remaining in his political committee — funds, he said, that will go toward helping to lift people out of poverty and homelessness and get their lives back on track, much like he did two decades ago.
Asked whether he considers his unsuccessful gubernatorial bid a “bump in the road,” he said no. He also didn’t shut the door on future runs at elected office.
“It’s a shift in my journey,” he said. “But the core elements are still there. For the past 15 to 20 years, I’ve been doing this work, fighting for a better Florida for everyone. And I’m going to continue to do that. Where that leads will work itself out.”
The post Voting rights activist Desmond Meade withdraws from Governor’s race appeared first on Florida Politics – Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government..