Dems’ Blue Gala honors 5, drums up funds for more locals

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Five local Demoratic Party leaders will be recognized at the Miami-Dade Democratic Party’s first-ever Blue Gala fundraiser this Sunday in Coral Gables for “investing locally” in a majority Democratic county where the red representation has always been bigger:

• State Rep. David Richardson(D-Miami Beach), the first openly gay elected to the Florida House, will get the “Breaking Barriers” award.

  

• Former Congresswoman Carrie Meek will get “Lifetime Civic Leadership” award.
• Sen. Oscar Braynon II (D-Miami Gardens) will get the “Legislative Champion” award.
• DNC Committeeman Stephen Bittel will get the “Party Leader” award.
• And prolific fundraisder Jon Adrabi will get the “Rising Star” award.

But that’s just a ticket generator since the honorees and their family and friends will likely buy a table each. Because the real goal is to raise more funds to keep the momentum built after last year’s presidential win and gains in the Florida legislature.

The Florida Democratic Party already had its yearly traditional main event for rainmaking this summer: The Jefferson Jackson Gala during the annual weekend conference. This next ball — which Dade Dems hope becomes an annual tradition, too — is meant to supplement Miami-Dade Dems’ already increased efforts — including the opening earlier this year of an outreach office in Little Havana — in an aim to gain more ground at the local level.

“The goal of the Blue Gala is to raise annual funds essential to sustaining our work building a local progressive movement in Miami,” said Miami-Dade Dems Chairwoman Annette Taddeo-Goldstein, in a written statement. “So it is also a perfect opportunity to celebrate some of the south Florida Democratic heroes who have opened doors, blazed trails, elected candidates, and passed laws that continue to make our state more equitable and more progressive,” she said.

Taddeo and other Dems say there is a tide changing in the GOP-heavy 305 just as Florida is becoming more politically important on a national scale. They want to build on the momentum of last year to better represent locally.

“Miami-Dade is in the unique position of being both a community that the national Democratic party relies on heavily to fundraise — as we saw with the President’s most recent fundraising trip here on Friday — and a very Democratic county that is overrepresented at every level by Republicans,” Taddeo said, referring to three fundraisers thrown by Jorge Mas Santos, including one at the Pinecrest home of the Cuban American National Foundation (CANF) chairman, where the president met Cuban dissidents Guillermo Fariñas and Berta Soler.

While the three Obama-headlined fundraisers Friday and Saturday were for the Democratic National Committee and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, this Sunday’s fete is for the locals.

“At this event we honor some of our outstanding local leadership, as we raise funds that we will invest in building the bench of local elected leaders in 2014 and beyond,” Taddeo said.

The Blue Gala at the Biltmore Hotel will be headlined by two “special guest speakers”: Congressman Joe Kennedy (D-Massachusetts) and MSNBC’s Ed Schultz, who will receive the “Progressive Champion” award.

Also, fyi, Sen. Nan Rich, who is running for the Democratic nomination to go against Gov. Rick Scott, has RSVPd and will be there while Charlie Crist, who also wants to be the guv, has not so far.

Tickets start at $200 (members pay $150) for the black tie optional event, which begins at 5:30 with a VIP reception. For tickets or more information, visit the Miami Dade Dems website.

  Annette Taddeo, David Richardson, Miami-Dade Democrats