Tuesday, August 20, 2024

Wallace Aristide wins six-way Democratic Primary for open HD 107 seat in north Miami-Dade

By Jesse Scheckner on August 20, 2024

Educator Wallace Aristide outpaced five Democratic Primary opponents Tuesday to win the House District 107 seat representing a Miami-Dade area spanning Miami Gardens, North Miami Beach and parts of North Miami and the unincorporated Golden Glades neighborhood.

With 11 of 50 precincts reporting at 7:36 p.m., Aristide had 44.5% of the vote. He will replace fellow Democrat Christopher Benjamin, who is vacating the seat after two terms to run for a county judgeship.

Aristide's closest competitors were lawyer Loreal Arscott, teacher Christine Olivo and business consultant Monique Barley-Mayo, who respectively received 18%, 11% and 11% of the vote.

Lawyer Faudlin Pierre and small-business owner Wancito Francius took 8.5% and 6%.

No Republican filed to run in the deeply Democratic district, meaning Aristide will coast past the General Election and into the seat.

Every candidate listed improving housing affordability and public safety as priorities.

Atop the list, alphabetically, was Aristide, who ran for the Miami-Dade Commission in 2022, when he placed fourth among six candidates with 18.4% of the vote.

Aristide, the principal of a technology magnet high school in Miami, ran on a platform prioritizing local business growth and support, lowering rent and promoting local safety initiatives.

He raised roughly $97,000 between his campaign account and political committee, Miami Dade District 2 United, since he lost his County Commission bid two years ago. That included a $4,500 self-loan, $2,500 from the re-election campaign of Miami Gardens Council member Linda Julien and $2,000 from lobbyist Ron Book and his eponymous Hollywood-based firm.

Aristide also spent close to $20,000 on various campaigning and campaign upkeep expenses.

He vowed if elected, to be an intergenerational bridge builder by applying his 34 years of educational know-how.

"We need this generation of voters to connect with our next generation of voters," he said in a statement. "This campaign is all about protecting our youth and seniors."

Arscott, a lifelong HD 107 resident, ran on a promise to improve education conditions, crack down on gun violence, revitalize public spaces and upgrade local infrastructure, among other things.

She said the Legislature has grown too divisive and become an extension of Gov. Ron DeSantis' administration, passing laws that have weakened school, civil rights and public safety.

"Yet despite this barrage of attacks on our liberties, I've also seen how our residents have persevered and carried through it all," she said in a statement. "I'm running because I know we can do better for our families and this community. I know we can elevate our community to accomplish its best."

Before going into private legal practice, Arscott worked as a Miami Gardens Assistant City Attorney, lawyer for State Farm Insurance and Division Chief of Children's Legal Services at the Florida Department of Children and Families.

She chairs the Miami-Dade Independent Civilian Panel, which is tasked with reviewing and holding public hearings on grievances against county law enforcement officers.

State records show she raised $41,500 since entering the race in late March, including $3,000 from organizations tied to the Florida Association of Realtors and a $5,000 self-loan. Of that, she spent $22,000 by Aug. 2.

Miami Democratic Rep. Ashley Gantt, who represents nearby House District 109, and former Miami-Dade Commissioner Betty T. Ferguson endorsed Arscott. So did the South Florida AFL-CIO, AFSCME, Metro Dade Firefighters, South Florida Council of Fire Fighters, Miami Realtors, Florida Medical Association, United Teachers of Dade and SAVE Action PAC.

After back-to-back runs at county offices, Barley-Mayo set her sights even higher with a House run.

*Clockwise from top left: Wallace Aristide, Loreal Arscott, Monique Barley-Mayo, Wancito Francius, Christine Olivo and Faudlin Pierre. Images via the candidates.*

She ran in 2020 for Miami-Dade Mayor, placing fifth among six candidates. Two years later, she ran for the County Commission and placed last in a six-person field. She originally filed this cycle to again seek the mayoralty but quickly switched to the HD 107 race.

She reported raising and spending nothing since filing for the House contest in November, but was listed on the Division of Elections website as having paid a state qualifying fee.

If elected, Barley-Mayo vowed to bring "energetic, knowledgeable (and) truthful" leadership to the district. Her campaign website said she wanted to make Miami-Dade "affordable friendly" and "provide a better quality of life to the residents of Miami-Dade County."

Barley-Mayo's website and various social media accounts listed no endorsements. However, she was named as a participant of an event that conservative social media influencer and Miami-Dade Mayor candidate Alex Otaola advertised in late July.

The event, which was to focus on supporting democracy in Venezuela, was canceled.

Another lifelong Miami-Dade resident, Francius challenged Benjamin in 2022 and lost by 62 points. With Benjamin out of the picture, he hoped to fare better.

The proprietor of North Miami-based Lion Intelligence & Security Services, Francius planned if elected to help create and support small businesses, increase public school funding, enact "just and humane" immigration policies, improve citizen-police relations and overhaul Florida's "broken correctional system."

He also swore to reduce gun violence and make government more transparent and accountable.

"I will work tirelessly to create a better future for our community (and make it) a better place to live, work and raise a family," he said in a statement.

He reported raising $22,500 since entering the race last July. Of that, $18,000 was self-given and the rest came through seven separate contributions.

If he'd won, Francius might not have made it to the House floor. The Miami Herald reported last month that Francius changed his voter registration from Republican to Democratic last year, six months past the deadline required by state law.

He appeared on the ballot anyway because, as the 1st District Court to Appeal determined in 2022, the law's vague language provides no mechanism for courts to remove ineligible candidates.

Olivo, an El Portal-born teacher, business owner and two-time congressional candidate, previously ran as a no-party candidate in Florida's 24th Congressional District in 2020, securing 4% of the vote behind Republican Lavern Spicer and Democratic U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson.

Two years later, as a Democrat, she challenged Republican U.S. Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart in Florida's 26th Congressional District and lost with 29% of the vote.

Her HD 107 campaign website said she wants to eliminate barriers to housing like "arbitrary fees, credit checks and income requirements." She also wanted to fill the nearly 6,000 vacant faculty positions in Miami-Dade Public School and partner with the federal government on job-creating initiatives.

"Florida does not have equal representation in the state Capitol. It's time we change that," she said in a statement. "Property taxes are being raised, Black history is being rewritten and AI is taking over our jobs. I won't stand for it and neither should you."

Olivo raised close to $23,000 between July 2023 and July 2024, including almost $4,000 in self-loans. Of that, she had about $6,500 left going into August.

Pierre, a Miami-born civil rights, consumer rights and sports law lawyer, said he wakes up every day with the sole goal of being better than he was the day prior. He aimed to do the same for Florida's government with a win Tuesday.

Pierre supported a livable wage, increased assistance to financially limited seniors and expanded access to virtual prekindergarten and Head Start programs. In his legal and private life, his campaign website said, he "championed police accountability, fought against the placement of Confederate statues, and secured funding to preserve Miami's historically black library."

"The cost of living has gone up. Wages stay the same. Our schools are underperforming and students are falling behind. Government is more concerned with silencing its citizens than listening to them," he said in a statement.

"I envision a Florida where dreams are affordable, education is quality and voices are heard. This won't be easy, but I believe in our collective power to fight for it."

Pierre raised nearly $68,000 between when he filed in January and late July, by which he spent less than $12,000. Many of his donations came from outside the district, with about a quarter coming from outside Florida.