The Bench

by Derek Newton

Baseball teams spend millions of dollars developing, training and building minor-league players because they understand today’s bench player is tomorrow’s star.

Florida Democrats have taken a public beating over the perception that we don’t have a bench.

Loads of criticism has been tossed on elected officials and party leaders alike for this perceived weakness. It’s widely believed, for example, that a weak bench five years ago is costing Democrats elections today and therefore, lack of a bench today will prolong our losing streak another decade.

That’s a fallacy.

Democrats are losing. But the reasons for our statewide and local losses have nothing do to with a bench. Democrats in Florida actually have a bench: a group of experienced and capable political leaders who are already ready for prime time.

To prove the point, here are ten Democrats who you likely don’t know yet. Each one has a bright future in Florida.

To set the ground rules (keeping our baseball theme going) for our list, I’ve excluded anyone already running statewide (Congressman Jim Davis or Senator Rod Smith for example) or anyone already seeking a higher office (Hillsborough Commissioner Kathy Castor or Senator Ron Klein – both running for Congress) and limited these “bench” players to being under 50 years old.

Here are 10 members of the unknown or overlooked “Democratic Bench” in Florida:

Bruce Antone, 43, State Representative. As a former aide to Senator Buddy Dyer, now Orlando Mayor, he’s no stranger to Orlando politics. First elected in 2002, Antone is bright and energetic and can help deliver both African-American and Central Florida votes: keys to any election.

David Aronberg – 34, State Senator. A Harvard-educated lawyer and Miami native who won a surprise election to the Florida Senate from Palm Beach County. Representing a diverse district stretching from Palm Beach to Republican Lee County, the former federal prosecutor is everything: intelligent, articulate and motivated.

Loranne Ausley – 42, State Representative. Former Chief of Staff to Lt. Governor Buddy MacKay, attorney Ausley has had little time to shine in a deep minority in the state House. Ausley also served as a lead staff member to the Clinton White House and if it weren’t for being from Tallahassee, she’d already be a statewide star.

Pegeen Hanrahan – 38, Mayor of Gainesville. A professional engineer and Certified Hazardous Materials Manager, Hanrahan’s record crafting business friendly, pro-environment policy is unmatched. Hanrahan has been an elected official in Alachua County since 1996 and a young, female candidate in North-Central Florida is gold.

Pam Iorio – 45, Mayor of Tampa. Iorio was the youngest elected County Commissioner ever and also served three terms as Hillsborough Supervisor of Elections. Republican Bob Martinez went from Tampa Mayor to Governor in 1986. At 45, she’s young enough to present real problems for Republicans – even in 10 years.

Kristin Jacobs – 46, Mayor of Broward County. Jacobs has won notoriety and a high public profile in her role as Mayor (Chair) of the Commission in the state’s second-largest county. Her work on environmental and women’s issues make her a formidable statewide candidate with the charisma to match.

Kendrick Meek – 39, U.S. Representative. A media magnet, he drove Jeb Bush nuts with a sit-in over One Florida and his amendment to reduce class size. Representing a mostly African-American district in Miami, Meek is a lock for statewide office sooner or later. Oh yea, he’s a former Florida Highway Patrol officer, too.

Jimmy Morales – 43, former Miami-Dade Commissioner. Another Harvard-educated lawyer, this squire served two-terms as a Miami-Dade Commissioner. Morales speaks Spanish and is Cuban/Puerto-Rican. In 2004, he lost a close race for County Mayor collecting more than 320,000 votes (Congressman Jim Davis got 191,000 votes in 2004).

Debbie Ritchie – 42, formerly Debbie Horan a state Representative from Key West. Now lives in Pensacola with husband and former House Speaker “Buzz” Ritchie. Editor of Pensacola Business Journal, she was named 2004 County Businesswoman of the Year for founding a woman’s business foundation. Forty-two and Pensacola is a nice match.

Robert Wexler – 44, U.S. Representative. Served six years in the Florida Senate before entering Congress where he’s now on his fifth term. Dynamic speaker and one of few Democrats to repeatedly stand-up to Republicans on issues like Terri Schaivo. As a darling of the base with a home in Palm Beach County, the sky’s the limit.

And here are five others that could easily have been included: Miami-Dade Commissioner Katy Sorenson, U.S. Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, State Representative Jack Seiler, State Representative Dan Gelber and Jacksonville City Commissioner Mia Jones.

The Democratic bench may never be as deep as people like. But it’s there and there are plenty of very promising leaders sitting on it waiting for their chance to get serious playing time.