As if Ladra could get any happier Tuesday night, after the historic victory by Raquel Regalado, who forced Carlos Gimenez into a runoff that we know she can win in November.
But then, Trust Fund Baby Andrew Korge — who shopped around for a seat he felt he could win and then spent $700,000 or more 
to become a senator and then went mad dog on everybody and their mother — and then came in third anyway.
Our mailboxes in District 40 are going to get a little lonely.
Korge — who sent two dozen mailers and spent a quarter of a million, at least, on TV commercials — was beaten by the incumbent senator he cast as a terrorist sympathizer with money problems and a former state rep and party switcher who didn’t even campaign.
Read related story: Andrew Korge could make anyone a Frank Artiles fan
Sen. Dwight Bullard gets to defend his seat in November, winning with 49 percent of the vote (state primaries are won by the majority not a 50%+1 threshold). Former State Rep. Ana Rivas Logan — who suspended her campaign to avoid the negative attacks she saw coming from Korge (he lunged for her anyway) — got 25 percent and Korge got 22 percent. Only Misselys Perez, who never campaigned or raised a dime outside of what she needed to qualify (plantidate anyone?) got less with slightly over 5 percent.
Bullard raised a total of $153,500 and Rivas Logan came in second with only $17K.
Could it be that the negative mailers turned people off? Could it be that nobody knew who this man who pronounced his name Kor-hay was? Could it be they saw him for the entitled, spoiled little snot who has never done anything on his own except ride his papi‘s coattails?
Korhay was nowhere to be found Tuesday. Nobody I talked to at several precincts saw him. They did see some of his campaign workers holding Sen. Anitere Flores fans at West Dade Regional Library — because that is in her district, not his, proving that more money does not necessarily mean more brains.
Or maybe he’s thinking of running for county commissioner next, against Javier Souto?
May we suggest that Baby Korge do something on his own first. Because Ladra would bet that Korge can’t get elected to the community council in any of the West Dade areas.
Andrew Korge can go home now and do something added by Ladra on
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The first question a candidate or a political consultant or a politically involved should ask is WHY AM I or HE or SHE RUNNING.
ANDREW KORGE COULD NEVER ANSWER THAT QUESTION.
Andrew Korge may have a political future in this town. But he won’t if he repeats what he just did. He can spend the next two years proving he’s worthy of public support. He can start getting involved in community organizations, but not just on a photo op level. He’d actually have to figure out what he stands for, besides his own person ambition. He could become an advocate for children, libraries, or the homeless. He could try and get an appointment to the Children’s Trust and work hard at it. There’s a new Constitutional Revision Commission forming. Getting on that would show he has gravitas as a deep thinker. He could join the Chamber of Commerce and learn how to expand South Florida’s economy. He could pick a municipality to move to and run for local office. Miami Beach has elections next year and so does Coral Gable, Homestead, Virginia Gardens and North Miami. Start small. First declaring to run against Anitere Flores in District 39, then against Annette Taddeo for Congressional District 26, before finally deciding on Florida Senate District 40 made him seem flighty and insubstantial, something that no amount of campaign spending could erase. And in this new era of elections, forget taking over all of the ads on Jim DeFede and Michael Putney’s programs. He needs to get himself a good new media strategist who can be positive and upbeat, not an attack dog. Korge may be tempted to crawl into a hole and lick his wounds for the next year and a half and then file papers to run for something all over again. if he wants to win in 2018, the campaign starts today. Otherwise, the reputation of a rich gadfly will stick to him.
Can’t add more.
What he said. You should blog, Steve.
Love, Ladra
Andrew Korge has been tremendously involved in the community. He built 3 organizations that get young professionals engaged in civics all across the country. Even Anitere Flores and Carlos Curbelo and Joe Kennedy were involved in one of the organizations called the Millennial Action Project. Andrew Korge has delivered more for democrats and our community in the last 7 years than Dwight Bullard has delivered in his 8 year legislative career.
Unfortunately, Andrew Korge didn’t run a great campaign. Some of his consultants burned him. Jason Pizzo experienced the same thing. So did many others around the state. That is why he lost so big. He should never have attacked Ana (his consultants insisted on this), and he should have promoted more of his innovative ideas for Florida instead of running negative ads to counter the $250,000 the teachers union spent attacking Korge.
One other note: The sad truth is elaine de valle is so desperate to be relevant that she needs to attack a few people by making things up and lying. This type of low-information blogging that makes up lies and makes them seem truthful is part of the problem in our political world. People believe everything they read. Shame on you!
Evan, you’re cute, but you’re wrong.
Challenge: What exactly did I write that was wrong or a lie? I said he didn’t behave like a Senatorial candidate and you agreed that he ran an awful campaign. You said he should have promoted more of his progressive ideas instead of such a negative campaign. Didn’t I just say that?
You site the organizations he “created” that people joined. What did those organizations do other than pad his resume? And what politician wouldn’t want to join an organization created by the son of one of the most prolific fundraisers in South Florida? By the way, creating several organizations because you don’t have a real job does not automatically qualify you to be Senator.
And really? Someone spent $250,000 attacking Korge? Where? Because I live in the district and I got one sorta, very weak “negative” mailer about the leap frogging Korge going from seat to seat to seat. That was from Dwight Bullard (who I agree has not been a great chairman of the Miami-Dade Dems but whose fault is that? Who on Earth thought he would make the best choice). But there is no way that cost $250,000.
On the personal note, I am not desperate to be relevant. I am relevant to some. Irrelevant to others. I am fine with that. I only care about the truth. And the truth is you don’t like me because I expose and am critical of politicians you support, including Korge and Carlos Gimenez, who you so defend on Facebook because he is a grandfather (really? like that’s a reason?).
The truth is you are BFFs with Andrew Korge.
The truth is you were investigated for lobbying without a registration in North Miami for CH2M Hill, the same firm that let Gimenez work juicy subcontracts for his BFF and his daughter in law (another buddy of yours).
The truth is you live in Aventura, not in District 40 where I live and vote.
The truth is you were one of the twitter trolls attacking Sen. Anitere Flores when Korge was, briefly, running against her.
How’s that for low information? And who is really desperate?
Love, Ladra
I’m not sure who you are talking about in that ridiculous rant…
The teachers union, FPL, and others put up over $250k in committee for progressive leadership, which ran attack ads for weeks. Andrew didn’t attack dwight on tv prior to that. They forced his hand and turned this race into a negative slugfest where both candidates were damaged.
Do some research instead of writing this low-information smut that dumb people read and assume is accurate. Be more than a pay-to-play blogger.
Jenkins? Hmmm. Well, you sound like another Evan I know.
But here’s the thing: I live in the district. I saw not one single TV ad from Bullard. Neither did anyone in my home. Neither did any of my neighbors. I asked them. I didn’t see negative TV from Kor-hay, either. Just sayin’.
We did get more than a dozen negative mailers. More than half his mail was negative. And really ugly negative. Then there was the leap-frog thing, going from race to race, which really did happen.
There is no pay to play here. I’m not even involved in that race on a professional level. Just as an observer.
And it’s not smut just because you don’t agree with my opinion, which is what this is, by the way, in case you couldn’t recognize it.
An opinion shared by an overwhelming majority of the voters.
Love, Ladra
The teachers union and FPL spent the money on a negative tv ad that ran on broadcast and cable tv, mostly in spanish. Whether you saw it or not is irrelevant. The teachers union played real dirty.
Interestingly, rumor has it the teachers union put missalys perez in the race to help dwight, and funded her, which is illegal. I heard Ron bilbao was the main teachers lobbyist that put her in the race. Go do some homework on that, and maybe you can write at least 1 credible story. Heck, maybe i should start a blog…
Dwight Ballard? Didn’t his mother arrange his getting that seat?
Dwight Bullard’s mommy and daddy made sure he won the house and senate seat. And what has he done with that opportunity? Nothing. He hasn’t passed any of his bills, he met with a terrorist organization in the middle east, and has destroyed the local party (they have 4k in bank account two months ago).
Say what you want about Korge, but bullard is a waste of space. At least Korge built a few progressive organizations that elected democrats.
Not that I have any horse in this race but I don’t get all the haters.. OK Korge is rich ambitious and hungry for power.. maybe a little light or the resume and his equally ambitious Daddy may be helping his son out , but you just describe half of congress most past US presidents and for Bullard to level the accusations? That’s just the pot calling the kettle black.
Given the long list of accomplishments the Bullard family have racked up after 25 years of public office I would think an ambitious and successful family would be a welcome change in the district
Oh well, democratics may not have invented the circular firing squad but they sure perfected it.
Congratulations to Bullard!