Thursday, August 15, 2024

Ashley Gantt seeks to repel 2 former lawmakers in Primary battle for HD 109

By Jesse Scheckner on August 15, 2024

Freshman Democratic Rep. Ashley Gantt is facing two former state lawmakers in a Primary battle for House District 109.

One is James Bush III, whom she ousted in an upset win two years ago. The other is Roy Hardemon, a new foe with a checkered legal past who has been trying nonstop for the last six years to regain a seat in the Legislature.

All were born, raised and continue to live in Miami.

Gantt, a teacher-turned-lawyer, unseated Bush in 2022 by fewer than 500 votes with ample support from notable Florida progressive like Senate Democratic Leader-designate Jason Pizzo, political strategist Christian Ulvert, gun control activist David Hogg and several nonprofits.

A longtime public figure then in his third House stint, Bush's cross-aisle relations enabled him to bring back millions to the district. But he attracted contempt from fellow Democrats for his support of so-called "red meat" legislation, casting the sole "yes" vote among Democrats for measures shortening the time in which women could get an abortion and restricting discussion of LGBTQ issues in public classrooms, among others.

Gantt, 39, now has the advantage of incumbency, a war chest more than five times as big as her two challengers and some legislative achievements to lean on.

During the 2023 Session, Gantt passed a bill requiring courthouses to provide private spaces for new mothers to nurse their babies. She also pushed through bills to provide $817,000 to a Broward County man who was wrongly imprisoned for 16 years and $500,000 for a Miami-based after-school and rehabilitation program.

*Ashley Gantt is strongly positioned to defend her House seat. Image via Florida House.*

Gantt failed to get any of the eight bills she sponsored in 2024 across the finish line, though she told the Miami Herald she secured $800,000 in state funds for local appropriations.

A former member of the Miami-Dade Citizens' Independent Transportation Trust, which oversees the use of billions of dollars generated through the county's "half-penny" surtax, Gantt says she'll seek investments in local eco-friendly public transportation development if re-elected.

She also vows to push for more equitable public school funding, increased teacher wages, more affordable housing options, pollution and sea-level rise solutions, criminal justice reform, and support for small businesses and job creation.

Through late July, she raised $61,500 through a blend of personal checks, political contributions and business donations. She also spent $35,000 on advertising, campaign merchandise, consulting fees and general campaign upkeep costs.

Bush, a 69-year-old retired teacher, first won state office in 1992. He's well known in his district and, prior to his 2022 loss, was selected by the nonprofit Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Parade and Festivities Committee to serve as grand marshal of its 45th MLK Parade.

In his last Session, Bush passed legislation to direct the Corrections and Education Departments to partner on curricula for student inmates and create new oversight requirements and penalties for detention facilities.

*James Bush III hopes to begin his fourth stint in the Legislature. Image via Florida House.*

He raised $7,500 by July 26 through 30 personal checks. Of the $4,500 he spent, more than half paid for campaign posters.

Bush doesn't appear to have much of an online presence. Florida Politics could not locate an active website for his campaign. His Facebook page, which is regularly updated and still lists him as a Representative, features many photos of him delivering oversized checks to local community organizations.

Hardemon, the 61-year-old uncle of Miami-Dade County Commissioner Keon Hardemon, served in House District 108 from 2016 to 2018, before he lost in a Primary to Rep. Dotie Joseph. He complained at the time that his fellow Democrats had "lynched" him, accusing the party of racism against Black people, "especially Black men."

Joseph is Black, as are Gantt and Bush.

After two consecutive and unsuccessful attempts at gaining back the HD 108 seat, he's angling for its neighbor in HD 109.

*Roy Hardemon is switching districts after back-to-back attempts at regaining his old House seat proved unsuccessful. Image via Florida House.*

Hardemon's still-active re-election website from 2018 says he brought more than $2 million back to his district. He otherwise passed no legislation that added to, or altered, Florida Statutes.

If elected, he told the Miami Herald he wants to get more state dollars for Miami and combat gentrification in historically Black neighborhoods.

Through July 19, the last date from which his campaign finance information is available on the Division of Elections website, Hardemon raised $4,000 through six contributions. He reported spending nothing, but state records show he paid a four-figure qualifying fee.

Hardemon has a lengthy arrest record. By 2016, police had taken him into custody 19 times. Some of the arrests resulted in felony charges that were later dropped or pleaded down, including armed burglary, battery, criminal mischief and kidnapping.

In one such instance a decade ago, he punched his fiancée in the face and dragged her along the ground while driving off. She later told the Herald that she still planned to vote for him.

HD 109 leans Democratic and spans north-central Miami-Dade County, including Miami Lakes, North Miami, Opa-locka, Brownsville, Liberty City and Overtown.

No Republicans are running in the district.

The Primary is on Aug. 20.