I know its late. I know Ladra has been quiet lately. We have been distracted with other work and getting her puppy bien instalada at college. Forgive me.
This midterm election is much more important than we’ve treated it and for that, Ladra is sorry.
But better late than never.
So without any further excuses, and in time for election day, here are Ladra’s endorsements for the Aug. 28, 2018 primary.
For Governor: Andrew Gillum on the Dem side and Ron DeSantis on the GOP side simply because I can’t wait to see Gillum kick his ass.
The Republican Senate primary is easy: Roque “Rocky” de la Fuente wins this nod simply because he is not Rick Scott. Case closed.
And the only real cabinet position we have a dog in the race in is the Commissioner of Agriculture bid, where Ladra likes Homestead Mayor Jeff Porter. I may not like everybody around him, but I still think Porter, photographed right, is a good guy,
In the congressional races, everyone knows Ladra is #TeamKristen all the way. Kristen Rosen Gonzalez will be an excellent congresswoman and represent us the best because she knows us the best.
On the GOP side, there is nobody really worthy of a nod. I am not convinced that Maria Elvira Salazar wasn’t flirting with Fidel Castro in that interview, which can’t be forgiven, and she doesn’t know what she’s doing anyway. This feels more like a desperate attempt to stay relevant now that her job security is jello than it does a call to public service. And former Commissioner Bruno Barreiro doesn’t deserve it, the way he basically threw his campaign in the trash for his wife’s weak bid for his county seat. If I were a GOP voter, I would go with Angie Chirino, because I am a fan of her dad’s and amiga de la luna.
But I have choices in the other congressional races as well:
District 26: Debbie Mucarsel-Powell for the Dems, now that she’s in the right place.
District 24: Federica Wilson deserves it. She’s been honest. She didn’t back down from Trump during that phone call debacle. And she represents her constituency, which is what this is all about. Besides, who the heck is that other guy?
State races offer some easy choices, too:
Senate District 36: It’s firefighter David Perez all the way. He has the best chance of beating good for nothing puppet boy Manny Diaz, Jr., in the general.
Senate District 38: Jason Pizzo is new and Ladra doesn’t know much about him. But incumbent Daphne Campbell is quite possibly the worst example of a sitting elected we have. So anybody but her.
House District 103: Cindy Polo, photographed right, is the only real Democrat here. Rick Tapia is a plant. Please show him we won’t be fooled by those kind of shenanigans anymore.
House District 105: Ross Hancock is, indeed, a perennial candidate. But he knows what he’s talking about and what he’s doing and he is the best choice this year, even if that is not his original district. Who is the other guy? Who knows? Not me.
House District 108: Dotie Joseph is a young Haitian lawyer and we need more Haitians and more women in Tallahassee. That and she is running against an incumbent named Hardemon. Case closed.
House District 109: Cedric McMinn because James Bush III has already had his chance and Cedric deserves his.
House District 113: Former Commissioner Michael Grieco is Ladra’s choice and the choice of most voters because, like I said before, nobody likes Deede Weithorn and nobody knows Kubs Lalchandani.
House District 115: Ladra is going to vote for Jefferey Solomon, photographed left, in this race. But I urge my Republican friends to vote for Jose Fernandez, because Vince Aloupis has run a very negative campaign. Not that it matters. Solomon will win in November, too.
House District 116: Republican Danny Perez just won this in a special election earlier this year. Let’s give him a chance.
House District 119: Ladra likes Bibi Potestad in this one, mostly because she doesn’t want to see the daughter of a county commissioner win the race, but also because former State Rep. Juan Zapata likes her (she worked with him at both the state and the county).
In the county commission races, Ladra just wants to see upset. The only incumbent who gets my nod is Jean Monestime and that is only because the other choice is Dorrin Rolle.
Yes that does mean that I want Maryin Vargas over Rebeca Sosa. I like our tia comsionada just fine, but it’s time, okay. The perks at the airport, all the kumbaya talk while she stood complicit to the raiding of our half penny. It’s time she leave gracefully.
And I know I am going to attract the wrath of every Democrat that reads this poll but I would vote Daniella Levine Cava out. She is not what she says she is. She has not delivered on anything. We need to start holding our electeds accountable. Just because she talks nice doesn’t mean she is nice and all she’s done for the Pets’ Trust, which had to reconfirm their ridiculous support of her, is take photo opps with the mayor at pet adoption events. Ludicrous. She just wants to be mayor one day — she thinks she can be — so she doesn’t rock the boat while she says all the right “progressive” crap. Talk about all talk and no action. My problem is that I am not so sure Gus Barreiro, who campaigned for a different seat in a different part of town, lives in the district. It doesn’t matter anyway because Levine Cava will win. She just won’t do it with my support.
Ladra hopes that Jose Garrido gets some benefit from being the first on the ballot in the District 10 race against Javier Souto, who should have retired years ago but is being forced to hold on for Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez and Chairman Esteban Bovo and the others who this puppet is always good for. Garrido worked in Souto’s office and knows where the bones are buried. We need him to throw the doors and windows open over there.
And, last but not least, let’s show electeds that we mean business by denying Jose “Pepe” Diaz his last term. There are two other guys in that race that you can vote for, but my nod goes to either Rafael Pineyro or Patricio Moreno, whoever is Xavier Suarez‘s boy.
Ladra doesn’t know enough about the school board or judicial races to give endorsements. So go with your gut. It’s always good to empower minorities. Women, black and Hispanic candidates get my attention when I know nothing else about anybody in the race. Sorry not sorry. You can have your own criteria.
The most important thing is that you go out and vote. They don’t expect long lines at most of the polling places and it will take about 10 minutes to fill out all the bubbles. But it is the only way we have of letting these people who control so much of our lives know that we are on to them and we are watching them and we will fire them when we have to.