Endorsements
Official Notice: August 12th Membership & Endorsement Meeting
Endorsements: Primary Election – Press Release
Dolphin Democrats Announce Endorsements and Recommendations
Wilton Manors, FL – Members of the Dolphin Democrats, Florida’s largest LGBTQ+ Democratic Caucus, voted to endorse the following candidates for the August 18th Primary Election:
Florida State Senate: Tina Polsky (D-29), Shevrin Jones (D-35),
Florida House of Representatives:
Jasmen Rogers-Shaw (D95)
Christine Hunschofsky (D-96)
David Williams Jr. (D-102)
Robin Bartleman (D-104)
Javier Estevez (D-105)
Broward County School Board: Sara Leonardi (D-3)
Broward County Clerk of Courts: Judge Mark Speiser
In addition, the membership voted to recommend the following Judicial Candidates:
17th Judicial Circuit Court of Florida
George Odeom Jr. Group 16; Patti Englander Henning, Group 18; Frank Davie LeDee, Group 27; Dale C. Cohen, Group 30; Linda A. Alley, Group 50
Broward County Court: Allison Gilman, Group 22; Phoebee R. Francois, Group 27;
Natasha DePrimo, Group 31
The members also endorse Cindy Polo (D-103) & Linda Thompson-Gonzalez (D-93) for the November 3, 2020 General Election. In addition, they also endorsed candidates Marty Kiar for Property Appraiser, Dr. Rosalind Osgood (D-5) and Patricia Good (D-2) for School board. Those 3 candidates ran unopposed and have already been elected for another term.
Dolphin Democrats President, Alfredo Olvera, issued the following statement on the Caucus’ endorsements: “We are immensely proud of our endorsement process. This year our members overwhelming voted to endorse each one of these candidates because they have demonstrated to be pro LGBTQ+ rights, and have committed to fight for the fundamental rights of the all members in our community.”
The Dolphin Democrats’ mission this election year is to Unite, Ignite, and Win.
You can read the full Press Release below:
June 17th Meeting – Candidates Endorsement Questionnaire
Wednesday, June 17, 2020
7:00 PM – VIA ZOOM*
Join us at our Virtual Membership Meeting & Endorsement.
Guest Speaker: Nikki Fried – Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services We will be voting** to endorse one candidate to the each
of the following Broward County Seats:
Sheriff, Supervisor of Election; Property Appraiser; School Board Districts 2, 3, 5, & 9;
State House Districts 93, 95, 103 & 105You can read all the questionnaires by clicking HERE
**You must be a member for at least 30 days before the meeting to be able to participate in the voting processNote: This meeting has been moved from its regular second Wednesday of the month schedule.
We Are Excited To Endorse Joe Biden
At a June 3rd meeting, the members of the Florida LGBTQ+ Democratic Caucus endorsed Joe Biden for President. As an affiliate chapter of the State Caucus, the Dolphin Democrats also endorse Joe Biden for President.
As of today, Former Vice President Joe Biden has surpassed the 1991 delegates to claim the nomination on the first ballot of the Democratic Convention.
It is time to do the work and send much needed new leadership to “1600 Black Lives Matter Plaza”
June Membership Meeting & Endorsements
Join us on Wednesday, June 17, 2020 at our Membership Meeting.
7:00pm – Via Zoom
2020 Paid Members Only
We will be voting to endorse the following Seats in Broward County.
Sheriff
Supervisor of Election
Property Appraiser
School Board Districts 3, 5, & 9
Clerk of Circuit Court
State House Districts 93, 95, 103 & 105
You must be a member for at least 30 days by the day of the meeting to be able to vote.
For questions email us at [email protected]
May Membership Meeting & Endorsement
We would like to remind all our 2020 paid members that we will be holding a membership meeting on Wednesday, May 13, 2020 at 7:00pm via Zoom. We will be endorsing a candidate for Public Defender and a candidate for State Attorney. Please see links to access the candidates endorsement questionnaire:
Public Defender & State Attorney
You can also access all the candidates forums by clicking HERE
In the next few days our team will be reaching out all our members to go over instructions on how to register and access the zoom meeting.
For questions please contact [email protected]
May Membership Meeting & Endorsements
The Dolphin Democrats will be hosting their first ever Virtual Membership Meeting & Endorsement on Wednesday, May 13, 2020 at 7:00pm via www.zoom.com. At the meeting we will be endorsing one candidate to the State Attorney seat and one candidate to the Public Defender seat.
To maintain the integrity of the meeting and the endorsement process, this meeting will be open only to current members. A Zoom invitation to register will be emailed to members at least 1 day before the meeting. All voting members in attendance will be able to participate in the endorsement process that will take place by voting electronically during the meeting.
In the next 2 weeks the Board of Directors will be calling and emailing all current members to confirm attendance and verify voting information. This is a new way to conduct business for all of us, so we ask for your patience as we transition to virtually support members, voters and candidates in the next few months.
Our bylaws state that only members who have joined or renewed their membership 30 days prior to the meeting (April 14, 2020) will be allowed to vote in the endorsement process. Our bylaws also states that for a candidate to get the endorsement, they must get 2/3 of the votes.
Due to the large number of candidates, the following voting rounds will apply to each seat:
PUBLIC DEFENDER SEAT: 3 candidates have qualified. We will have 2 voting rounds unless one of the 3 candidates gets 2/3 of the votes on the first round.
1st voting round: the 2 candidates with the most votes will move to the next round.
2nd & final voting round: the candidate who gets 2/3 of the votes will get the endorsement.
Public Defender Candidates:
Ruby Green
Tom Lynch
Gordon Weekes
STATE ATTORNEY SEAT: 8 candidates have qualified. 3 voting rounds will be done unless one of the 8 candidates gets 2/3 of the votes on the first or second round
1st voting round: the 5 candidates with the most votes will move to the next round
2nd voting round: the 2 candidates with the most votes will move to final round
3rd and final voting round: the candidate who gets 2/3 of the votes will get the endorsement.
State Attorney Candidates:
David Canady
Teresa Williams
Joe Kimok
James Lewis
Justin McCormack
Sarahnell Murphy
Harold Pryor
Joshua Rydell
We encourage members who don’t have a free Zoom account to get one before the May 13th meeting. Zoom meetings work best on PCs or Laptops, but it is also possible to attend one via Smart Phone. A call-in option will be available for those who prefer that; however, voting on the endorsements will be done electronically and you must have access to the internet to be able to participate.
We would like to thank you in advance for your patience with this process. We are confident that together we will be able to successfully hold a meeting and endorse these candidates.
Dolphin Democrats Endorsed Angelo Castillo for Pembroke Pines Mayor
Wilton Manors, FL – At their Feb. 12 membership meeting, the Dolphin Democrats endorsed Pembroke Pines Commissioner Angelo Castillo for mayor of the city. In 2004, Castillo was elected to the Pembroke Pines City Commission, becoming the first Hispanic American elected to serve on the commission in 30 years. He has served four times as Vice Mayor.
Castillo has also served as a member of the Broward County Charter Review Commission. He is a former chair and current member of the Broward County Planning Council; the Broward MPO; and the Broward County Tourist Development Council. Other board experience includes board member emeritus – Hispanic Unity of Florida; Broward County Juvenile Justice Board; Broward County Health Facilities Authority; Family Central; and Women in Distress.
The Dolphin Democrats encourage Castillo and the Pembroke Pines City Commission to continue efforts to further enhance LGBTQ+ equality for residents and visitors alike. Specifically, it has been suggested the City work to increase its score on the Human Rights Campaign Municipal Equality Index (MEI). The current score for the City of Pembroke Pines is 71 out of 100. The MEI examines how inclusive municipal laws, policies, and services are of LGBTQ people who live and work there.
See Castillo’s completed endorsement questionnaire HERE
UPDATE – 2020 Candidate Forums, Endorsement Dates
This is an update to our previous post.
The Dolphin Democrats Announce their 2020 Election Endorsement Process
December 26, 2019
For Immediate Press Release Contact: Alfredo Overa, [email protected]
In adherence with their bylaws, in 2020 The Dolphin Democrats will be conducting a series of video-taped candidate forums, open to the public, ahead of the organization’s formal vote of endorsements, which is scheduled to take place later this year, in a closed session to Dolphin Democrat Voting Members only.
The schedule below outlines when each candidate to that elected office will be invited to participate in these public forums.
UPDATED DATES:
January 8: Forum: Sheriff & SOE
February 12: Forum: Public Defender and Municipal Offices with election in March
March 11: Forum: State Attorney
April 15: Forum: School Board
May 13: Forum: Endorsement vote for State Attorney & Public Defender
May 13: Circuit Court Judge Forum
June 10: Forum: County Court Forum
June 26: Deadline to file for the 2020 Election
July 8: State House & Senate Forum – Endorsement
August 12: Endorsement – Municipalities Part 1 (Cities to be announced)
September 9: Endorsement – Municipalities Part 2
October 14: Final Round of Endorsements (Seats to be announced in Septemebr)
In addition, all candidates who would like to participate in the endorsement and their names be put in the endorsement ballot must complete the endorsement questionnaire. The endorsement questionnaire will be emailed to all the candidates who attend the forum, and will be available on our website www.Dolphindems.org at least 60 days before the endorsement vote.
For more information on the Dolphin’s endorsement process please contact Alfredo Olvera at [email protected] or Zachary Durand at [email protected]