Governor’s race hopefuls share their priorities

Florida has its biggest election in nearly a decade this year when voters will choose a new governor.

A lot has already been written about the race. But I was tired of reading stories about polls, fundraising and tweets.

I wanted to know what these people actually want to do.

So I reached out to all six major candidates with a simple question: Give me three specific policy proposals that best define your candidacy … in your own words.

All of them responded — talking about everything from guns and jobs to education and the environment.

Now you can see their responses.

There are a lot of other things to consider when picking a candidate: experience, past votes, campaign allies and more. We’ll continue to write about all of that — and vet their ideas (the pluses, minuses and even their chances of actually fulfilling their promises).

But today, I just wanted to let you hear what they have to say, so you see whose priorities most match yours.

(A full, unedited version of their responses is on my blog at orlandosentinel.com/takingnames. It’s about 4,000 words. These candidates represent the six, out of 22 total who have filed papers, with the most significant campaign efforts.)

Ron DeSantis, U.S. Representative, Republican

Priorities: education, the economy and reshaping Florida’s court system.

On education, DeSantis wants more “school choice initiatives.” That would mean continuing Republican efforts to expand charter and voucher programs. He also stressed opportunities for students who “want to enter the career force immediately upon high school graduation.”

To improve the economy, DeSantis said he wants to recruit new industry, particularly finance and technology, citing Israel as a country whose businesses he’s specifically interested in recruiting.

And finally, DeSantis said he wants to remake the court system, which he referred to as a “judicial hell hole” and “plaintiff lawyer’s paradise,” advocating more tort reform and re-shaping the Supreme Court.

Andrew Gillum, mayor of Tallahassee, Democrat

Gillum wants health care for all, higher corporate taxes to better fund schools and a $15 minimum wage.

Gillum’s “Fair Share” tax plan calls for raising the corporate tax rate 2.25 points to 7.75 percent and using that money for education — specifically vocational training, early-childhood education and boosting starting teacher salaries to $50,000.

For health care, Gillum wants “Medicare for All,” saying he’d “work through with anyone: Congress, the Florida Legislature,

or voters themselves, to make health care more universal in Florida.”

And Gillum said he has led the push for a $15 wage, saying it is overdue in a state where “nearly half the state’s households are struggling to make ends meet … it’s clear that Florida’s working people have earned a raise.”

Gwen Graham, former U.S. Representative, Democrat

Graham’s top priorities are expanding health care, improving public schools and protecting the environment.

For health care, Graham wants to expand Medicaid as most other states did.

If the Legislature won’t cooperate, Graham said she’d work to pass a constitutional amendment, saying: “If Medicaid expansion is a priority in Ohio, Arkansas, Indiana, and Arizona, then surely it should be one in Florida as well.”

For schools, Graham’s motto is, “Focus on teaching, not testing.” She wants to put “teachers back in charge of their classrooms” and curb high-stakes testing while keeping the standardized tests “we all grew up with.”

Graham was particularly passionate on the environment, saying she wants to strengthen environmentalprotection policies that Gov. Rick Scott weakened, improve waterquality standards and fully fund the Florida Forever land-preservation program.

Chris King, CEO of Elevation Financial Group, Winter Park, Democrat

King wants better-paying jobs, more affordable housing/living and more ethical and transparent government.

King said “too many Floridians are stuck in low-paying jobs that barely cover the bills,” saying wages in other states have risen, while Florida’s remained stagnant. He wants to champion small businesses and offer free tuition to trade schools and community college to get people ready for the workforce.

Affordable housing is King’s profession, and he wants to “stop the raids” on the state’s affordable-housing fund, promote college-loan forgiveness, especially for students in STEM programs, and boost healthcare options by expanding Medicaid.

To promote accountable government, King wants tougher lobbying bans on former politicians, and stresses “I’m the only candidate for governor who won’t take money from the sugar industry.”

Philip Levine, former mayor of Miami Beach, Democrat

Levine lists education, the environment and the economy as his top priorities.

On education, Levine’s goal is to make Florida “known for the best universities, fed by some of the best school systems in the nation.” He proposes tuition for those who can’t afford it, increased vocational training and said he wants to “put a stop to tax dollars going to for-profit charter schools.”

On the environment, Levine wants to install a new agency head to work with cities on the effects of climate change and find ways to help startup companies in the solar sector.

And on the economy, Levine wants to cover a lot of ground, including an executive order on equal pay, a higher minimum wage and “innovation zones” meant to help small businesses.

Adam Putnam, Florida commissioner of agriculture, Republican

Putnam was the only candidate to mention guns as a top priority. He also cited workforce training and helping veterans.

On guns, Putnam said he already helped Florida become first in the nation for concealed-carry permits by cutting costs and the “red tape.” He vowed to “make Florida the first in the nation for law-abiding citizens to exercise their 2nd Amendment rights.”

For workforce training, Putnam said he wants more vocational and technical education in high schools, local control for school districts and “high quality and high character teachers in our classroom.”

With veterans, Putnam said he wants to “roll out the welcome mat” for them, whether they come to Florida to work or retire. Specifically, he wants job-training programs and mental-health services “when they encounter the criminal justice system.”