Essay: Midterm Election Senate: Florida

In the 2018 Midterm election, seats in the House of Representatives and the Senate are up for grabs. There are 435 seats in the House of Representatives that are all up for re-election on November 6, 2018. These seats are distributed according to the population of each state. Meanwhile; only 35 out of the 100 seats in the Senate are available. These seats are split up all over the country, in all fifty states, each of them having 2 senators. As of now, the Republicans are in control of both the House and the Senate, but it is possible that the Democrats could take control of the House after the upcoming election. It is unlikely; however, that the Democrats also take control over the Senate, with a one in four chance of that happening according to fivethirtyeight.  A critical factor in whether and not this happens, are the toss-up states. One of these states being Florida’s Senate seat. In the race for Senator in Florida, Governor Rick Scott (Republican) and the Incumbent, Bill Nelson (Democrat) are running against each other. The other Florida Senate seat is currently being held by Marco Rubio (Republican), who is not up for re-election until 2022. In this election Bill Nelson runs the risk of losing his seat which he has held since 2000, if he does lose this election then Florida will become  dominantly Republican with Marco Rubio and Rick Scott serving in the Senate.
The Florida Senate race of 2018, has given Democrats across the country, plenty of reason to be nervous. However, Florida’s Democratic candidate, Bill Nelson, doesn’t seem to be as far behind as people say he is. Over the course of this race and up until right now, the polls have been fluctuating. So just by looking at the polls, it is near to impossible to make a good prediction as to who will win. As of October 3rd, Nelson held the lead by 3% and Scott was just one step behind. The major difference between Scott and Nelson, besides being of separate parties, is how they are portrayed. Nelson’s campaign shows him as a good guy, a nice old man who you would like to sit down with at lunch and talk to. It talks about how being a fifth generation Floridian, who attended college at the University of Florida, there is no doubt that he loves his home. He also has an impressive B.A in political science at Yale, and a Doctorate of Law from the University of Virginia Law School. His website discusses how he has held various school leadership positions and eventually enlisted in the army. As everyone knows, he is a democrat, and less well known, he is married with two grown kids. His biography discusses his deep compassion for the environment, and gun control. He has shown this through assisting the Senate Armed Services Committee; military bases, and aiding in distribution of resources. Nelson regularly helps Florida’s education system; social security; and senior citizens by reaching out and making a difference. To senate, he was first elected in 2000, and has held that position up until now. And In 1986, Nelson became the second sitting member of U.S. Congress (and the first member of the House) to travel into space! On his website, it discusses his past in great detail, giving the person reading, a sense of who he is as a person versus his political views. And although political views are extremely important, people like to know that their choice of who to vote for is a good human as well. Bill’s website starts with his Floridian roots and continues all the way until what’s happening right now. His stories of hopping from school to school, starting a family, and caring about his future, humanize him and make him relatable. This makes Nelson more than one dimensional, he’s not just a democrat or a republican, he’s not his political standpoints, he is a person who wants to do what’s best.
Although, this all sounds very promising, for Republicans, Nelson is not the vote. There aren’t many reasons to be against Bill Nelson. He has had no major scandals, he is a bona-fide military veteran and public servant, and his views are basic and humble; however, they are different from Rick Scott’s. And there are many reasons why this election could cost Nelson his almost two decade long seat in senate. Many democrats are very concerned about Nelson’s ability to win due to his fundraising deficit and laid-back style. A number of Democratic senators actually have said they believe Nelson is in for a big loss when election day comes along. Which would make sure that Democrats really have no chance at winning back the senate. Like mentioned before, Nelson is a basic old-school senator who keeps his head down and does his work. Although this has been effective in the past, right now, it might not work. Not only is he being vastly outspent, but he may not be making himself visible enough in these critical months leading up to the election.
In contrast, Rick Scott’s campaign has been everywhere, and fairly promising for the Republican citizens of Florida. The race between Scott and Nelson has been very interesting to watch as on June 25, 2018 Scott took the lead over Bill Nelson and held that lead until September 24, 2018. As of now, October 3, 2018, Nelson is leading by 2%. But, as seen in the past anything can happen and there is still one month left before election day…a lot can happen. Scott’s two main focuses in the senate would be providing jobs and lowering taxes for Floridian people. He wants to make Florida a stable place for citizens and families.
Something that could be a reason for Floridians to not vote Scott is because he is running against an incumbent who has held his position for 18 years. He also has no experience in being senator, so people
Cons – Scott has never been senator before, he is currently governor and has been for eight years
So he doesn’t have the experience of being sentor; howver on the other hand he would come into office with a new perspective and experience from being higher up in congress
Prediction – last paragraph, and thesis