There are fewer than 120 days until the general election. That’s fewer than 120 opportunities to promote candidates, register people to vote, and convince them to vote for LGBTQ-supportive candidates.
It sounds like a lot of time, but it’s not. Just ask Kristen Browde.
She is the new president of the Florida LGBTQ+ Democratic Caucus, and she has her work cut out for her. The Caucus, other LGBTQ political organizations, and even Democrats in general, have done very little to rally voters this cycle in the state.
An attorney by trade, Browde knows the LGBTQ community very well. She is the first trans woman to lead The Caucus, replacing Nathan Bruemmer, the first trans man to lead The Caucus. He’s stepping aside to run for state House district 61 in Pinellas County.
Moments after the announcement, OutSFL interviewed her as Caucus president. Over the course of 35 minutes, she discusses voter engagement/enthusiasm, President Biden’s fitness to serve, fundraising, and more.
Below are highlights, you can watch the full interview by clicking the video at the top of the page.
After the shellacking of 2022, many see spending money on races for president and senate as a waste of resources. What does “take back Florida” mean this cycle? Clawing away the GOP supermajority in Tallahassee? Focusing on local races including city/town councils and school boards?
“‘Taking back Florida,’ at the first level, does mean taking back power in the legislature and that means breaking those supermajorities. There are great candidates from Key West up to Gainesville. But it’s not just the state legislature. There are those school board races. What really affects [voters] is what happens in your town. Those decisions make a difference in your life and your children's lives.
If Donald Trump sneezes, he sends a fundraising email and makes millions. I’m on a lot of mailing lists, and when reproductive freedom made the ballot, I got no emails or fundraising requests. I don’t see any action.
One of the things that is my job is to make sure you do see that action. We’re just getting started. Bruemmer’s focus was more... internal. He rebuilt after 2022. My job is to take us higher. We’re gonna go from Key West all the way up to Pensacola and every stop in between. Sixty-seven counties in Florida, that’s 67 counties to get people into The Caucus and into the voting booth.
I see that you are still showing Biden/Harris ‘24 campaign paraphernalia, does this mean you are not a part of the replace Biden movement?
Joe Biden has been a terrific president for three-and-a-half years. Look at the recovery he engineered. Look at the progress, low unemployment. Are there still problems? You betcha. But I would rather have a man of good heart even if he’s an older man of good heart. Donald Trump wouldn’t know the best solution if somebody told him, and unless it came with a check.
