South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Sunday)
Holness kicks off bid to oust Rep. Cherfilus-McCormick
Says ‘I’m not going to disparage’ incumbent, who narrowly won the seat in special election
Pledging to champion every segment of society, especially people with the greatest needs, Dale Holness rallied supporters Tuesday evening for his second attempt at winning a congressional seat.
He almost won the last time.
In a special Democratic primary in November, Holness lost by five votes out of 49,082 cast in the 11-candidate field. The winner, Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, is now serving in Congress.
Holness said he wouldn’t engage in mud-slinging during the primary. “I’m not going to disparage the current person in office. The greatest power in our electoral process, I believe in America, is the power of ideas. We don’t go to war and shoot and kill people. We discuss issues and look for solutions.”
Holness illustrated his priorities and philosophy by pointing to the county budget he voted on in his previous position as a Broward County commissioner. He said the biggest single item was $300 million for operating the jail system, which works out to $161 a night to keep someone in jail.
He said it would be far better to invest in helping people solve their problems, rather than lock people up for some offenses. It’s more expensive, he said, “If we arrest someone because they have an open container of alcohol, because they loiter, because they shoplift a small amount of funds without giving them a chance to deal with the issues that they face, whether it be an addiction, a mental health crisis or a serious financial crisis.”
Local elected officials from several cities, along with community activists, praised Holness.
“You care about the common man and woman. You care about inclusivity. You care about justice. We know this is one of the most, you know, needy districts in the country. And you want someone who is a fighter for the people, who does not ignore the people that are usually forgotten about,” said Commissioner Mitch Rosenwald of Oakland Park.
“We’re here to support him. We’re here to make this happen,” said Miramar Commissioner Yvette Colbourne. “Good luck my brother.”
The campaign kickoff was held under a tent in the parking lot of Holness’ campaign office and real estate office in Plantation. The mood was celebratory for many of the 100 or so people who gathered; between rounds of speeches there was salsa music and a DJ, along with Caribbean food.
Though Holness and his supporters
exuded confidence, there were signs of the challenges leading up to the Aug. 23 primary.
The crowd was smaller than the kickoff rally held in April of last year when he announced he was running in the special election to fill the vacancy left by the death of longtime Congressman Alcee Hastings.
And while elected officials from several city governments attended Tuesday, the more prominent supporters who attended the similar event a year ago — Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis, Sheriff Gregory Tony, Clerk of Courts Brenda Forman and Lauderdale Lakes Mayor Hazelle Rogers — weren’t present for the relaunch.
Many of the speakers raised a critical issue: money.
“We have to do much better than we have done in the last race as far as money is concerned,” former Lauderhill Commissioner Richard Campbell told the crowd. “I am going to make my contribution, my little contribution, and I hope that all of you here before you leave, you’ll put in a little and if you find something else in the future, you still put a little bit more. Because everything matters.”
Campbell said supporters sometimes ask candidates “why didn’t you do this?” during the campaign.
“Sometimes it’s the money. It is we know what to do, but sometimes you run short with money. Please, please don’t put us in that position this time.”
A year ago, Holness was a sitting Broward County commissioner. Now he’s out of office running against an incumbent, a more difficult position from which to raise campaign funds.
As of Jan. 31, reports filed with the Federal Election Commission show Cherfilus-McCormick’s campaign spent about $2.8 million in 2021, most leading up to the primary. She also had $1.3 million in cash on hand.
Most of last year’s spending and campaign bank balance came from funds Cherfilus-McCormick lent the campaign. Before her election, she was CEO of a family-owned home health care company.
Holness reported spending
$624,000 last year and had $104,000 cash on hand.
The 20th Congressional District currently stretches from Miramar in southwest Broward to Riviera Beach in northeastern Palm Beach County, and includes most of the African American and Caribbean American communities in the two counties.
But the boundaries of the district for this year’s election aren’t certain. Gov. Ron DeSantis and Republicans who control the Florida Legislature haven’t yet agreed on a plan for redistricting to reflect population shifts uncovered in the 2022 Census.
A special legislative session to work on congressional districts is set for April.