Donna E. Shalala is running to win Florida’s 27th Congressional District – a seat that is considered a key pickup opportunity for Democrats in their fight to take back the House. This has been one of the most hotly contested races during perhaps one the most important mid-term elections in years.
As a long-time resident here, Shalala is unapologetic in her love for South Florida’s natural beauty, its rich culture and its diverse people.
We recall it was just three years ago that Shalala stepped down as the University of Miami’s president, but she has spent her entire life fighting to improve the lives of others.
She has advocated tirelessly for women’s rights, civil rights, better education and schools, gun control, traffic and infrastructure, and a clean, sustainable environment. We would like to see her continue to fight for those causes, for all of us, in Washington.
Appointed by President Bill Clinton to serve as the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) where she served for eight years – Shalala was the longest serving HHS Secretary in U.S. history.
Shalala has also shown us she is a champion for improving access to health care, as evidenced in her role in creating the Children’s Health Insurance Program, also while she was HHS Secretary. Today, 9 million kids and pregnant women have access to health care because of that program.
More immediately, she says she would immediately focus on making the Affordable Care Act’s tax subsidies more generous and pressuring more states to expand Medicaid.
Closer to home, under her leadership, the University of Miami added 5,000 local jobs and generated $6 billion dollars annually for Miami-Dade’s economy.
We need someone in Washington who is ready to step up to the plate and make things happen for Miami. Shalala is that person, her high profile nationally and in the South Florida media market means she would be able to readily shine a light on causes we see as most important, while also effectively serving the interests of her constituents.
While her Republican opponent Maria Elvira Salazar is also running a very strong campaign – with her own unique brand and conservative ideas for South Florida – during these tumultuous times, we need a candidate that can be up and running and working for us on day one – for all the people.
The Community Newspapers believes Shalala is a proven leader who is prepared to take her breadth and depth of experience fighting for others to the halls of Congress. We are proud to lend our full support to Donna Shalala as the best candidate for Florida’s Congressional Seat 27.
Comments are closed.