FACT, CANDIDATE KEN RUSTLE WILL JOIN US NEXT. >> MIAMI CITY COMMISSIONER KEN
RUSTLE IS LOOKING TO GO TO
WASH-- RIS, IS WANTING TO GO TO
WASHINGTON, HE STARTED BY THE
SENATE AND DROPPED OUT OF THE
THAT RACE, HE THEN ENTERED THE
RACE FOR CONGRESS TO FLIP,
FRIDAY TRY AND FLIP DISTRICT 27
NOW HELD BY FIRST TERM
REPUBLICAN MARIA SAL I ZAR BUT
HAS A TOUGH PRIME EAR FIGHT
AGAINST STATE SENATOR ANNETTE
TADDEO WHAT RUGS EL-- RUSSELL
HAS THAT NONE OF HIS OPPONENTS
HAS IS A VIRAL PRESENCE ON
TIKTOK.
>> I THINK IT’S VERY-- TO-- HERE
WE GO.
♪.
WE GO. ♪. >> WELL, THAT IS SOMETHING ELSE,
HUH.
THAT IS THE LATEST POST THAT
WENT VIRAL THIS WEEK BY KEN
RUSSELL.
HE IS THE MASTER OF TIKTOK.
HE ALSO HAS EARNED OVER A
MILLION DOLLARS FROM TIKTOK
FOLLOWERS.
KEN RUSSELL, HI, HOW ARE YOU.
SO IS TIKTOK ASK THE NEW
CAMPAIGN FRONTIER FOR YOU, YES?
>> FIGURE IT OUT T WILL BE.
BUT IT’S TRICKY.
IT’S NOT LIKE FACEBOOK AND
TWITTER, THANKS FOR HAVING ME,
BOTH OF YOU.
>> HOW MUCH TIME DO YOU SPEND,
THOSE ARE NOT EASY TO MAKE, THEY
ARE NOT.
AND I KNOW DO YOU.
>> I KNEW WERE YOU GOING TO GO
FOR THE HARD QUESTION FIRST,
GLENNA.
>> THAT IS WHAT WE DO HERE.
>> LET’S PUT IT THIS WAY, MY
FAMILY HAD AN INTERVENTION, THEY
FOUND ON MY PHONE HOW MANY HOURS
A WEEK I SPENT AND GOT TOGETHER
AND SAID IT HAS GOT TO SPOT.
I SAID LISTEN T IS NOT-- LOOK,
JUST THERE IS NO QUESTION.
YOU ARE THE MASTER OF DOING
THESE LITTLE POLITICAL SPOTS ON
TIKTOK.
AND THE PEOPLE WHO FOLLOW YOU
THERE, AND I LAST TIME I LOOKED,
WAS SOMETHING LIKE 375,000
FOLLOWERS, MAYBE THERE ARE MORE.
THEY SENT YOU A LOT OF MONEY.
HOW MUCH, OVER A MILLION BUCKS.
>> I’M NOT ABLE TO HOW MUCH CAME
THROUGH BUT WE SEE WHEN WE GO
LIVE AND WHEN WE ARE ACTIVE ON
TIKTOK.
WE SEE THE NUMBERS INCREASE.
WE HAVE RAISED OVER 1.5 MILLION
FOR THIS CAMPAIGN SO FAR.
WE’VE BEEN RUNNING FOR THE LAST
YEAR.
AND A LOT OF IT HAS COME FROM
SOCIAL MEDIA.
AND ONLY THIS WEEK NOW THAT
TIKTOK IS.
>> HAS MOVED OVER TO TWITTER,
WE’RE STARTING TO RAISE MUP
THERE AS WELL.
>> SO SOCIAL MEDIA IS SO
CRITICAL IN A LOT OF WAYS AND SO
MANY INDUSTRIES, REALLY.
WILL IT TRANSLATE TO VOTES? I
MEAN PEOPLE HERE IN SOUTH
FLORIDA KNOW YOUR RECORD.
I HAVE BEEN VERY VOCAL AS AN
ENVIRONMENTALIST, YOU HAVE BEEN
ON THE MIAMI COMMISSION, YOU
HAVE A RECORD THERE THAT IS GOOD
OR BAD DEPENDING ON YOUR
PERSPECTIVE.
BUT IN DISTRICT 27,
CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT OF MIAMI,
MARIA SALAZAR, CONGRESSWOMAN
THERE NOW, THE DEMOGRAPHICS OF
THAT DISTRICT THAT YOU ARE
RUNNING FOR ARE VERY
INTERESTING.
THREE OUT OF FOUR PEOPLE ARE
HISPANIC.
IT SKEWS WAY OLDER BY DECADES
THAN THE AVERAGE TIKTOK USER.
GEN Z MAYBE 10% OF THAT
DISTRICT, IS OF VOTING AGE, THE
YOUNGEST VOTING AGE.
DO YOU THINK THIS IS GOING TO
TRANSLATE INTO VOTES, GETTING
ALL OF THAT INTEREST FROM THE
DEMOGRAPHIC OF VOTERS THAT VOTE
THE LEAST, WHAT DO YOU THINK
THAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN
PRACTICALLY SPEAKING.
>> I DO.
WE ARE RUN A BREAD AND BUTTER
CAMPAIGN AS WELL.
I’M KNOCKING ON 40,000 DOORS
BEFORE THE PRIMARY, I’M VISITING
CHURCHES, HOA’S, I HAVE TONS OF
ENDORSEMENTS.
WE ARE DOING THE HARD WORK AS
WELL.
THE QUESTION ABOUT TIKTOK,
CANDIDATES CAN’T SEEM TO GET IT
OUT BECAUSE THEY DO THE
TRADITIONAL ROBOTIC COMMERCIALS,
SCRU TO BE YOURSELF, YOU HAVE TO
CONNECT AND I’M JUST BEING
MYSELF AND IT IS REALLY
ENGAGING.
WHETHER THAT TRANSLATES TO
VOTES, THE PROOF WILL BE IN THE
PUDDING ON AUGUST 23rd.
>> YEAH.
KEN, WE KNOW THAT, I KNOW FROM
KNOWING YOU FOR SEVERAL YEARS
THAT YOU SPEAK SOME
SPANNIC-- SPANISH, I’M NOT SURE
HOW FLUENT YOU ARE.
BUT OF COURSE YOUR OPPONENT IN
THE DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY ANNETTE
TADDEO WAS BORN IN
COLOMBO,-- KOLPACK AM BA, SHE IS
FLUENT.
MARIA SALAZAR IS CUBAN AMERICAN,
SHE IS FLUENT TOO.
ARE YOU COMPLEUNT ENOUGH TO
REALLY CAMPAIGN IN A DISTRICT
THAT AS GLENNA SAYS IS HEAVILY
HISPANIC?
>> YEAH, MICHAEL, I KNOW ENOUGH,
I’VE BEEN ON LIVE TV FOR 30
MINUTES AT A TIME, LIVE RADIO ON
SPANISH.
I WORKED IN VENEZUELA AND
MEXICO, I WAS PRESIDENT OF MY
SPANISH CLUB IN HIGH SCHOOL.
I ACTUALLY SPEAK FIVE LANGUAGES
AND HAVE BEEN TO 55 COUNTRIES.
IT IS NOT ABOUT BEING HISPANIC.
IT’S ABOUT UNDERSTANDING AND
EMBRACING DIVERSITY AND OUR
VOTERS RECOGNIZE THAT.
THERE IS ALSO A MISCONCEPTION.
IN THIS PRIMARY, THE HISPANIC
POPULATION IS THE MINORITY, NOT
HISPANIC VOTERS FAR OUTWEIGH
HISPANIC VOTERS IN THIS PRIMARY.
>> LET’S TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT
YOUR ASCENSION IN POLITICS.
YOU GOT INTO THE CITY POLITICS
BECAUSE THE PARK ACROSS FROM
YOUR HOUSE, THIS SAY WELL-KNOWN
NOW NARRATIVE, YOUR ENTRY VERY
GRASSROOTS, THE PARK WAS
CONTAMINATED ACROSS FROM YOUR
HOUSE, YOU JUMPED IN, YOU ARE
NOW A COMMISSIONER.
AND YOU WANT TO GO TO
WASHINGTON.
WHICH IS A VERY DIFFERENT POOL
TO SWIM IN.
YOU’RE ONE OF FIVE VOTES RIGHT
NOW IN THE MIAMI COMMISSION.
ARE YOU 20% OF THE LEAD.
IN WASHINGTON YOU ARE A
FRACTIONAL MEMBER.
SO WHAT, YOU ARE UP AGAINST, THE
POLLING RIGHT NOW AND WE’RE NOT
A BIG FAN OF BASING EVERYTHING
ON POLL BUT THE POLLING RIGHT
NOW SHOWS YOU HAVE A REALLY
HEAVY LIFT TO OVERCOME, ANNETTE
TA DAY OWE’S LEAD.
WHAT DO YOU SEE AS YOUR STRONG
POINT TAKE ON A WASHINGTON ROLL
WHEN ALL OF YOUR POLITICS HAS
BEEN SO LOCAL?
WELL, I LOVE BEING THE SCRAPPY
UNDERDOG, WHEN I DID FIRST ONE
FOR OFFICE AFTER HELPING CLEAN
UP THAT CONTAMINATED PARK I WAS
POLLING IN THIRD PLACE AND
RUNNING AGAINST SOMEONE WHO HAD
OVER 1.6 MILLION FOR A CITY
COUNCIL SEAT.
YET I WON HANDS DOWN JUST BY
KNOCKING ON DOORS, ASKING
QUESTIONS, LISTENING.
AND OFFERING SOLUTIONS.
MY TRACK RECORD, THE BIG
DIFFERENCE IS GOING TO MAKE THIS
RACE IS THE CONTRAST BETWEEN
SENATOR TADDEO AN MYSELF.
SHE HAS BEEN A PER
SPET-- PERPETUAL CANDIDATE FOR
YEARS WORKING TO GET A JOB
RATHER THAN GETTING JOBS DONE
WHERE I HAVE BEEN TRYING TO
SOLVE PROBLEMS EVEN FROM BEFORE
BEING IN THE OS OFOFFICE.
ONCE HI BEEN IN OFFICE I PASSED
LITERALLY DOZENS OF LEGISLATION,
ORDINANCES, RESOLUTIONS THAT I
HAVE WRITTEN, SPONSORED AND
FOUND THE VOTES FOR WHILE IN THE
MAJORITY OF A ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE
COMMISSION.
THERE IS A LOT OF
ACCOMPLISHMENTS ON
INFRASTRUCTURE, POLICE
OVERSIGHT, AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
THESE ARE THINGS CAN I SHOW HAVE
I MADE ACCOMPLISHMENTS AT THE
CITY LEVEL AND AM LOOKING FOR
THE MISSING PART AT THE FEDERAL
LEVEL.
I’M NOT LOOKING TO GO TO
WASHINGTON.
I WANT TO BE MR. 7-8-6.
I WANT TO BE A REPRESENTATIVE
FOR OUR COMMUNITY FROM
WASHINGTON.
>> ALL RIGHT, WELL, LET ME JUST
SAY AGAIN WE INVITED ANNETTE
TADDEO TO BE HERE FOR A KIND OF
A LITTLE MINI DEBATE AND SHE
DECLINED AS SHE HAS BEEN ON THE
PROGRAM BEFORE.
BUT WE’RE GLAD YOU ARE HERE.
KEN, LET ME ASK YOU ABOUT, YOU
KNOW, A MAJOR ISSUE IN THE
27th DISTRICT, IS U.S.
POLICY TOWARDS CUBBA PRESIDENT
BIDEN HAS NOT REALLY CHANGED U.
POLICY VERY MUCH FROM WHAT IT
WAS FROM PRESIDENT TRUMP
ALTHOUGH WE SEE THIS WEEK THAT
AMERICAN AIRLINES IS GETTING
PERMISSION OR ASKING FOR
PERMISSION TO FLY TO FIVE OTHER
CITIES, ONCE AGAIN IN CUBA.
BEYOND HAVANA.
WOULD YOU SUPPORT THAT.
YOU THINK THAT THAT IS A GOOD
MOVE FOR THE UNITED STATES.
>> WITH THE RIGHT CONDITIONS WE
DO NEED TO REENGAGE IN OPEN.
THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY IS
ABSOLUTELY BROCKEN FROM D.C. AND
ESPECIALLY IN THIS CYCLE, THOSE
WHO ARE TIED TO THE WASHINGTON
ESTABLISHMENT ARE GOING TO HAVE
TROUBLE.
THEY CAN’T FIGURE OUT SOUTH
FLORIDA AND THEY CERTAINLY CAN’T
FIGURE OUT THE INTERNATIONAL
RELATIONS THAT SOUTH FLORIDA AND
OUR REPRESENTATIVES SHOULD LEAD
ON.
INSTEAD WE FIGHT ABOUT IT.
AND WHAT WASHINGTON BELIEVES
THEY NEED AND WHY THEY ARE
RECRUITING ANNETTE TADDEO IS
THEY WANTED TO EMULATE THE
REPUBLICANS.
THEY THINK WE NEED TO BE MORE
LIKE THE REPUBLICANS, RARE AS
THE REGIME NIK RAGA VENEZUELA,
WE NEED TO SIMULATE WHAT-- WE
WANT A CONTRAST.
HE MY CONTRAST IS TO OFFER
SOLUTIONS THAT WE NEED TO BUILD
A COALITION OF LIKE-MINDED
COUNTRIES IN THIS ENTIRE
HEMISPHERE AS WE SEE COUNTRY
AFTER COUNTRY GO AWAY FROM
DEMOCRACY.
IT’S NOT JUST ABOUT SITTING BACK
IN THE EASY SEAT IN MIAMI AND
YELLING AT THOSE REGIMES T IS
ABOUT FINDING SOLUTIONS WITH THE
PARTNERS WHO A DREE WITH US
ABOUT FREE ECONOMY, FREE
ELECTIONS.
>> SO KEN RUSTLE, JUST LIKE
TIKTOK WE DO THINGS PRETTY QUICK
HERE AND WE THANK YOU FOR
JOINING US FOR THESE FEW MINUTES
AND WE WILL BE WATCHING AND
MAYBE HAVE YOU BACK.