Name: John Russell
Age: 56
Residence: Dade City
Occupation: nurse practitioner, hematology/oncology
Political affiliation: no party affiliation
Political experience: Democratic nominee for U.S. House District 5 in 2006 and 2008
Office being sought: U.S. House, District 12
What separates you from your competitors(s)?
I ask the voters to compare the background and experience of the candidates, as well as the consequences to them regarding our varied positions on the issues. I am not in need of a career. I offer a history of demonstrated academic/professional accomplishment and integrity in the public sphere that is transferable to the role of being an effective congressman.
The future direction of health care remains in doubt. My professional background in health care uniquely positions me as the premier advocate for the general public in congress. My plan to correct the inadequacies of the Affordable Care Act with a Medicare for All option will ensure that access to comprehensive health care will be affordable for all Americans.
It is significant to the role of being a congressman that those who wish to be considered for the position, have experience in making important judgments, working with a team, resisting coercion and remaining accountable, while possessing the wisdom to consider consequences broadly as decisions are made. Visit www.johnrussellforcongress.com.
What do you hope to accomplish in your first six months in office?
I will present my policy to modify the Affordable Care Act with my plan to add my Medicare for All Plan as an option in the Health Care Exchanges. My policy will enhance patient access as well as competition benefiting patients and providers alike over insurance companies.
I will author legislation that restores integrity/accountability to Wall Street. I will advocate reinstating The Glass-Steagall Act separating Investment Banking from Commercial Banking. I will advocate for criminal penalties on financial crimes to present a real deterrent to those who would act to repeat the crimes of the recent past.
I will act to strengthen Social Security by making the first $12,000 of income free from FICA tax for all, while lifting the cap on income subject to FICA to 10 million immediately. I will advocate for treating unearned income (Dividends/Capitol Gains) the same as earned income (Wages/Salary/Tips) similarly for tax purposes.
What do you hope to accomplish by the end of your term?
I will guarantee an action-oriented pattern of representation on your behalf. You may not like everything that I do, however, I will be doing something to make your life and that of your friends and family demonstrably better. I want to ensure that my constituents see the prospects of improved access to better quality and more affordable health care as a direct result of my actions on their behalf.
I will expect that the cesspool that is Wall Street will tread a little more carefully as a result of my actions to mount investigations into past indiscretions, hold those responsible accountable and to put in place criminal penalties in place as a deterrent for future potential perpetrators. I will work tirelessly to return the citizen’s voice to politics by fighting to place restrictions on money in politics. I am running to serve you!
List your political endorsements:
Personal Endorsement by 2004 Green Party candidate for president David Cobb, National NPA Coalition
Name: Jonathan Michael Snow
Age: 25
Residence: Tarpon Springs
Occupation: photo specialist for Walgreens
Political affiliation: Democrat
Political experience: first time candidate, former state committeeman and vice president of Pinellas County Young Democrats
Office being sought: U.S. House, District 12
What separates you from your competitors(s)?
Most importantly, I’m the only candidate with a real jobs plan that will put millions of Americans back to work. I’m the only millennial candidate in the race and the only candidate with experience in small business, big business and education. I’m the only candidate with a degree in history and the only candidate to have released his full tax returns for the past three years. In an effort to run a completely transparent campaign and allow the opinions of the district’s constituents to be heard, I have and will continue to host live telephone town hall conversations, the unedited recordings can be found at www.snowforcongress.com under the media tab.
What do you hope to accomplish in your first six months in office?
During my first six months in office, I hope to pass bills to: raise the minimum wage, revive the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), reduce and eliminate multiple health insurance co-pays, and begin the process of bringing our troops home. I’d also hope to layout a framework to responsibly reduce the debt and deficit without negatively impacting the middle-class and the poor.
What do you hope to accomplish by the end of your term?
By the end of my term, I hope to have: raised the minimum wage to $9 with future scheduled increases to take effect, linked the minimum wage to rise along with COLA’s (cost of living adjustments), revived the WPA and the CCC, put at least 10 million Americans back to work, begun rebuilding and modernizing our infrastructure, brought our troops home, reduced our dependence on foreign oil, and reformed our broken campaign finance system.
List your political endorsements:
Progressive Push, Stonewall Democrats of Pinellas County, Pasco County D.E.C., Pinellas County D.E.C., Hillsborough County D.E.C., West Pasco County Democrats, Democratic Women’s Club of Pasco County, Democratic Women’s Club of Upper Pinellas, and other local Democratic clubs
