Political powwows proliferate aplenty as Aug. 28 primary approaches

Want to meet a candidate for office this year? You will have plenty of opportunities in the coming weeks before the Aug. 28 primary and practically simultaneous to the absentee ballots are about to rain on Miami-Dade voters. Get your calendars and your pencils out.
There are breakfasts with congressional hopefuls and meet and greets with incumbent state reps, potlucks with Democrat activists, town halls and candidate forums from Miami Gardens to Kendall.
But there may not be a single better opportunity to catch as many Democrats as possible in one  place than Tuesday’s “Political Palooza II” in Coral Gables, organized by RiseUp Florida. Confirmations are already in from:

State Rep. Robert Asencio, District 118 incumbent
Candidate Javier Estevez, State House, District 105
State Rep. Javier Fernandez, District 114 incumbent
Candidate Demetrius Grimes, Congressional District 26
Candidate Matt Haggman, Congressional District 27
Candidate Michael Hepburn, Congressional District 27
Candidate Dotie Joseph, State House, District 108
Former Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine, Florida gubernatorial candidate
Candidate Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, Congressional District 26
Candidate Heath Rassner, State House, District 119
Former State Rep. David Richardson, Congressional District 27
Miami Beach Commissioner Kristen Rosen Gonzalez, Congressional District 27
Candidate James Linwood Schulman, State House, District 115
Donna Shalala, US House of Representatives, District 27, candidate
Candidate Jeffrey “Doc” Solomon, State House, District 115
State Sen. Annette Taddeo, District 40 incumbent
Candidate Maryin Vargas, County Commission, District 6

Wait. Where’s Mary Barzee Flores? Or any of the three Dems running in Miami Beach’s open House seat? The Facebook invite says there are “more to confirm.”
And there will be representatives from the campaigns of the other four Democrat gubernatorial candidates — who seem to have given up Miami-Dade to Levine — and Sen. Bill Nelson‘s camp as well.
The palooza event begins at at 7 p.m. at Coral Gables Congregational Church, 3010 DeSoto Boulevard, Coral Gables. Questions will be solicited from the audience and simultaneous Spanish interpretation will be provided.
Read related: Promised ‘blue wave’ ends up being a little splash in state House races
 
There’s a candidate forum on Thursday that is a lunch meeting of the Palmetto Bay Business Association. Even judicial candidates have been invited, but the Facebook event page doesn’t say who has confirmed.
Then, on Friday, there will be another group sighting of candidates in the north part of the county. Barzee Flores and the three Dems from Miami Beach — former Commissioners Michael Grieco and Deede Weithorn and newcomer nobody Kubs Lalchandani — have confirmed for that one. Hosted by The Democratic Women’s Club of Greater Miami-Dade and FL Democrats for 2018, the event is free with snacks and a cash bar (but a $10 donation will be appreciated). There will also be repeat appearances by Grimes and Mucarsel-Powell for the FL26 seat, Richardson and Shalala for FL27 and Schulman, Asencio and Rassner for House Districts 115, 118 and 119 respectively.
Other confirmed attendees so far include perennial Florida House candidates Ross Hancock, in District 115 this time, and Cindy Polo in District 103 and state Senate candidates Julian Santos and David Perez, who want to fight State Rep. Manny Diaz Jr. for the open seat in District 36, and Jason Pizzo in District 38.
This event is the only local meet and greet with cabinet candidates — Nikki Fried for Commissioner of Agriculture and Jeremy Ring for CFO — and it begins at 5 p.m. (ends at 8:30) at the Country Club of Miami Golf Course, 6801 NW 186th St.
Then on Monday, Aug. 6, there will be a judicial forum for candidates to the bench — and there are plenty — hosted by the Gwen Cherry Black Women Lawyers Association, the ACLU and the League of Women Voters. It begins at 6 p.m. at New Birth Baptist Church, 2300 NW 135th St.
There’s another judicial forum from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Aug. 13 at the law offices of Stearns Weaver Miller, which seems kinda odd. Like the fox inviting the hens to come over for a bite. This is hosted by a bunch of attorneys, actually: the Asian Pacific American Bar Association, the Caribbean Bar Association, the Haitian Lawyers Association, the Miami-Dade Chapter of the Florida Association of Women Lawyers, the South Asian Bar Association, and the Wilkie D Ferguson Bar Association. Admission is free (even for non lawyers) and light appetizers will be served at 150 West Flagler, Suite 2200. Haven’t you always wanted to see inside? Now’s your chance.

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