Jamaicans seek congressional, statewide elected offices

AS THE United States political season begins to kick into high gear for the upcoming mid-term elections, a number of candidates with Jamaican roots have filed to contest congressional and statewide elections.

In Georgia, Jamaica-born Donna McLeod is running in the 7th congressional seat. In Florida, Dale Holness, another Jamaica-born politician, is seeking to unseat the incumbent in Congressional district 20, while in Minnesota, Jamaican Don Samuels is taking on incumbent Congresswoman Ilhan Omar in the 5th Congressional District.

In Georgia, primary elections will be held on May 24, while in Florida and Minnesota, primary day will be August.

Dr John Eaves, another candidate with Jamaican roots, is looking to become the first black person to be elected statewide as secretary of state for Georgia.

Donna McLeod, who currently serves as a state representative, told The Gleaner that she is running as she is the only person on the ballot that knows the district.

“I am running for Congress because I live in the 7th district and I serve in the 7th district. Your representative in Congress should be an integral part of the community. In the 20+plus years I have lived in the 7th district, I have worked diligently on activities that build a better community. I have helped to register over 30,000 new voters, helped feed the hungry and started an organisation that mentors young people about their civic responsibilities and voting.

“I have served two terms in the Georgia State House and was elected with an overwhelming majority of the votes. I have had the honour of serving my neighbours as a state representative and have gotten to know the people of the 7th district, and they got to know me. I am the only candidate who lives in the 7th district. This makes for better representation for the people that they serve,” she said.

She said she has worked to modernise education funding in the Georgia State Legislature and was recognised by the Georgia Association of Educators.

McLeod, who was born in Tivoli Gardens and moved to Canada before settling in the United States, said her priority will be education, employment, healthcare, and protecting the right to vote for the people of Georgia.

UNIVERSAL HEALTHCARE

“We live in the richest country in the world, yet many of our families, friends, and neighbours must choose between food and medicine. Expanding Medicaid is the first step. We need to provide universal healthcare because healthcare is a moral obligation,” she said.

McLeod also wants to see a fully funded public-school system to provide education for those at the bottom of the economic ladder. To this end, she also wants to see the establishment of Universal Pre-K.

Dale Holness is a 17-year elected Democrat and public servant who served as a City of Lauderhill Commissioner from 2004 to 2010, Broward County District 9 Commissioner since 2010, including time served as the Broward County Vice-Mayor in 2019, and Broward County Mayor in 2020.

He ran in the special elections held earlier this year to fill the 20th congressional district seat that was left vacant by the late Alcee Hastings but lost by five votes to the present incumbent.

Holness has been a real estate broker and business owner for the last 30 years.

He started serving in the Democratic Party by volunteering to assist with campaigns, first with Jesse Jackson’s presidential bid in 1984. Since then, he has supported the campaigns of Bill Clinton, Al Gore, John Kerry, and Barack Obama.

Holness has focused his policies on business and economic development, healthcare, education, immigration, and social development throughout his political career.

Among his notable achievements, Holness is the architect of Florida’s International Trade & Cultural Expo, which hosted over 2,000 attendees, including former international presidents, international business leaders, and local, state, and federal trade agencies. He has organised trade missions to India, Nigeria, Colombia, Israel, Haiti, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and Costa Rica to prove that if the United States utilised its greatest asset – the diversity of its population – it would experience greater equity, prosperity, and economic growth. Through his leadership, Broward County received a US Presidential Award for its efforts to support local businesses’ export to the rest of the world.

Long-time community activist and former Minneapolis City Council member Jamaica-born Don Samuels, has officially registered with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to oppose Representative Ilhan Omar in the DFL primary for the 5th Congressional District in August.

A March 8 FEC filing shows Samuels, 72, would run as a member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor party in an effort to unseat two-time incumbent Omar.

In an earlier statement announcing his candidacy, Samuels said: “The stakes have never been higher. Our city, our nation, and our world are threatened by devastating economic disparities, the catastrophic effects of climate change, and a sustained attack on democracy here at home and abroad. While Rep Omar and I share similar views on many issues, I believe this moment calls for a different approach to leadership – one that seeks to build a united coalition able to achieve greater progress for everyone.”

Samuels was born in Lucea, Hanover, lived in St Mary and moved to Kingston at age nine. He attended Swallowfield Primary School, Calabar High School, Manning's High School, and Meadowbrook High School. He worked with Things Jamaica and the Tom Redcam Library before migrating to the United States of America on a scholarship.

On arrival, he settled in Brooklyn and attended Pratt Institute, where he studied industrial drawing. Samuels is also a graduate of the Lutheran Seminary.