Fitz has faith in District 69 system
In politics, numbers can sometimes be deceiving.
According to U.S. Census information from 2000, the population of District 69 is 87.2 percent non-Hispanic white, 7.5 percent non-black Hispanic and 3.2 percent non-Hispanic black. The area is about 52 percent female and 48 percent male. The slightly estrogen-heavy demographic may be affected by the high proportion of women to men at New College of Florida – 63 percent female to 37 male, according current data at CollegeBoard.com.
The voting population mirrors these statistics closely, varying by less than 3 percentage points at most. As of 2000, 50.2 percent of voters were registered as Republicans while only 31.9 percent were registered Democrats.
In a phone interview last week, Rep. Keith Fitzgerald (D) said those numbers haven’t changed very much over the decade.
When asked how he had managed to get and stay elected in perhaps not the most Dem-friendly environment, he replied that it’s his pragmatism and his ability to think for himself (without the aid of half a dozen political “friends” and advisers) that appeals most to voters.
He believes that his constituents’ discontentment with the government comes from a current lack of free thinkers in politics.
What he has heard from his Republican supporters, in particular, is that right now most politicians are so “ideologically committed that they’re not thinking through issues based on the merits of evidence,” Fitzgerald said.
He was also quick to point out that his district behaves more independently than the numbers would indicate.
“They’ll vote for the best candidate regardless of party,” he said of his constituents. “Obviously that helps a Democrat [in this area].”
Looking at the numbers alone, he said, would discourage a Democrat from running.
Because of this more bipartisan approach, Fitzgerald said he’s managed to become fairly influential.
– Erin Jester
2 years ago • 0 notes