Jonathan Roman | Staff Writer
Congressman Byron Donalds, who secured the Republican nomination for governor last week, has made his lieutenant governor pick, tapping Florida Senator Bryan Avila as his running mate.
Notably the Donalds campaign held the rally at the historic Miami Freedom tower. The Freedom Tower which once served as a refugee hub for Cuban Americans fleeing the island, highlighted Senator Avila’s Cuban background, Donalds said: “Bryan is the son of Cuban exiles, who fled communism so their children could live in freedom,”
The Freedom Tower also served as a backdrop for Donalds to label his opponent David Jolly as a socialist, saying “David Jolly and Gwen Graham answer to the Democratic Socialists of America, we answer to the people of Florida.”
Avila took the stage and said: “It’s an honor to be here at the freedom tower because it’s a beacon of freedom,” “when I hear democrats casually embracing socialism I know where that road leads our families have lived it. I can assure you with Byron Donalds, and I as lieutenant Governor Socialism will never find a home in the state of Florida.”
Avila accepted the nomination saying: “I humbly accept your nomination to serve as the lieutenant governor of Florida,” he added “We have a state to defend and a future to build and together with Byron Donalds as our next governor of the great state of Florida we are going to keep Florida free keep Florida conservative and keep the Florida dream alive for generations to come.”
Avila also serves as co chair of ‘Veterans for Donalds.’ And in early May Avila began leading the Donald’s campaign’s outreach to Hispanic voters, with ‘Latinos for Byron’.
GOP reaction
Panther Now reached out to FIU College Republicans for reaction to Donald’s pick.
Vice President Jazmine Murray reacted to the news saying: “After hearing that Byron Donalds had chosen Bryan Avila as his running mate, I saw the appointment as a strategic effort to strengthen Donalds’ appeal amongst Florida’s Latino voters, specifically in the South Florida area. As a son of Cuban exiles and being born and raised in Hialeah, Avila’s service representing his hometown in the Florida Legislature, presents a strong tie to one of the state’s largest Cuban American communities. Holding the press conference at Miami’s historic Freedom Tower, further emphasized Byron’s commitment against communism and socialism,” Murray raised slight concerns over the tapping adding: “Nonetheless, my personal concern is whether his local presence in South Florida will draw widespread recognition across the state.”
When asked about Donald’s and Avila’s portrayal of Democratic nominee David Jolly and his running mate Gwen Graham as communist, Murray said: “I would say it is an exaggeration to characterize him as an extremist. Jolly has vocally identified himself as a capitalist and has stated that he “rejects socialism”. He has also distinguished himself from Angela Nixon, the DSA-backed candidate running on the same Democrat ticket, for the U.S. Senate. I say this as someone politically opposed to Jolly: I do not see him as a radical socialist, particularly given his switch to the Democratic Party was just last year and his tenure within the GOP has extended throughout most of his political career. However, the real question is whether David Jolly will stand by his moderate views or ultimately give in to the socialist factions within his own party.”
Now that both the Democratic and the Republican tickets are finalized, it’s a marathon for the November 3 election. With 69 days remaining, the candidates will hit the campaign trail as they pitch their platforms if elected.
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