>> HIS OPPONENT IS CHRISTINE OLIVEO AND SHE WILL JOIN U >> REDISTRICTING HAS CHANGED THE
SHAPE OF SEVERAL SOUTH FLORIDA
CONGRESSMAN-- CONGRESSIONAL
DISTRICTS AND ALSO GIF ENNEW
NUMBERS.
>> WHAT IS NOW THE 26th
DISTRICT HAS ALWAYS GENERALLY
STRETCHED FROM MIAMI DADE ACROSS
THE EVERGLADES TO THE SOUTHWEST
COAST AND ONE CONGRESSMAN HAS
REPRESENTED IT FOR TWO DECADES.
THAT WOULD BE REPUBLICAN MARIO
DIAZ-BALART.
THAT TENURE IS BEING CHALLENGED
RIGHT NOW BY DEMOCRAT CHRISTINA
LIVEO WHO JOINS NEWS HER HOME IN
EL PORTAL WITH A GREAT BLUE
BACKGROUND.
CONGRESSMAN DIAZ BALANCE
ARD-- BALLART HAS BEEN WITH US
BEFORE BUT HIS STAFF SAID IS HE
NOT AVAILABLE TODAY.
>> HI, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR
HAVING ME.
>> WE’RE VERY GLAD YOU ARE WITH
US, THE MOST BASIC QUESTION,
HERE YOU ARE, NOT EXACTLY A NEO
FIGHT, YOU HAVE RUN FOR-- NEO
FIET, YOU HAVE RUN BEFORE BUT
YOU ARE RUN RUNNING AGAINST A
POLITICAL DYNASTY, IN CONGRESS
FOR 20 YEARS Y ARE YOU THE
BETTER ARE CHOICE, WHY SHOULD
VOTERS VOTE FOR KRISTEN OLIVO.
>> I DO NOT KNOW HIM PERSONALLY
BUT WHEN WE HAVE POLITICIANS WHO
COSIGNED THE MAGAZINEA EXTREMIST
IDEOLOGY THEY MUST BE
CHALLENGED.
WHEN OUR POLITICIAN, THE PERSON
THAT REPRESENTS OUR COMMUNITY IS
VOTING AGAINST FEMA DOLLARS, IN
LIGHT OF A HURRICANE, WHEN THEY
ARE VOTING AGAINST PROTECTING
SMALL BUSINESSES FROM
MONOPOLIES, WHEN THEY ARE VOTING
AGAINST REDUCING THE COST OF GAS
AND FOOD, WHEN THEY ARE VOTING
AGAINST CON STRA CEPTION, WHEN
THEY ARE REJOINING AT THE FACT
THAT ROE V. WADE HAS BEEN
OVERTURNED, THEY MUST BE
CHALLENGED.
>> SO YOU HAVE JUST NICELY AND
COMPACTLY TALKED ABOUT THE
DEMOCRATIC PARTY’S TALKING
POINTS.
AND SO THANK YOU FOR THAT.
I WANT TO JUST SORTED OF REFRAME
THAT QUESTION A LITTLE BITS
BECAUSE ALONG WITH VOTESES IN
CONGRESS WHICH HAVE BEEN VARIED,
MARIO DIAZ-BALART HAS BEEN THERE
20 YEARS, IS HE NOW THE SENIOR
MEMBER OF THE FLORIDA
LEGISLATIVE DELEGATION.
HE IS A VERY POWERFUL
APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE.
HE HAS BROUGHT HOME A LOT OF MUP
FOR, FACTUALLY FOR EVERGLADES
RESTORATION, FOR TRANSPORTATION,
HAVING THAT KIND OF SEN YORITY
IN CONGRESS, NO MATTER WHAT YOUR
PARTY IS, IS PRETTY IMPORTANT
FOR THE DISTRICT.
SO THAT SAID, HOW DO YOU TELL
YOUR DISTRICT CON STITT WENTS
THAT WHAT YOU WOULD DO IF THAT
CHANGED?
>> WELL, OUR DISTRICT IS AND I’M
AN ENVIRONMENTALIST SO OUR
DISTRICT IS NOT JUST FIGHTING
FOR BRINGING MONEY HOME FOR THE
EVERGLADES AND NOT JUST BRINGING
MONEYHOME FOR TRANSPORTATION.
WE NOW REPRESENT-- WE HAVE AREAS
THAT NEED HELP FOR HOUSING.
WE HAVE AREAS THAT NEED HELP FOR
EDUCATION.
WE HAVE AREAS THAT NEED HELP FOR
MOTHERS, FOR FAMILIES, FOR WAGE
INCREASES.
WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND THAT OUR
DISTRICT IS SO DIVERSE AND BEING
IN OFFICE FOR 20 YEARS, IT
SHOULD BE A NO-BRAINER, RIGHT,
TO SUPPORT MASS PRODUCTION OF
BABY FORMULA.
WHEN WE HAVE SOMEONE THAT IS
VOTING NO AGAINST BABY FORMULA,
AS A MOTHER I TAKE PERSONAL
OFFENSE TO THAT.
WE NEED SOMEONE THAT CAN RELATE
TO THE MOTHER, TO THE EDUCATION,
TO THE SMALL BUSINESS EVENER.
WE NEED SOMEONE THAT IS GOING TO
PREVENT THAT WILL SUPPORT OUR
SMALL BUSINESS ECONOMY SO WE CAN
THRIVE AS COMMUNITY.
>> YEAH, WE’RE GOING TO HAVE TO
DO A FACT CHECK ON VOTING
AGAINST BABY FORMULA.
I’M NOT AWARE THAT
MR. DIAZ-BALART DID BUT WE WILL
FIND OUT.
YOU KNOW, CHRISTINE, THIS
DISTRICT NEARLY 800,000 PEOPLE
THERE ARE A LOT OF HISPANIC
PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN THAT DISTRICT
AND ONE REASON WHY THEY FRANKLY
LIKE MR. DIAZ-BALART IS HE IS
CUBAN AMERICAN.
IS HE FLUENT IN SPANISH.
HE HAS MADE CUBBA NICARAGUA,
VENEZUELA KEY ISSUES IN HIS
CAMPAIGN.
AND SPEAKS ABOUT THEM
FREQUENTLY.
DO YOU HAVE THAT, NUMBER ONE, DO
YOU SPEAK SPANISH AND WHAT DO
YOU SAY TO PEOPLE WHO ARE
HISPANIC AND WHO ARE INTERESTED
IN THOSE COUNTRIES AND U.S.
POLICY?
>> YES, I DO, AND WHAT I SAY IS
I TOO AM A FIRST GENERATION
AMERICAN.
MY FAMILY IS FROM HAITI AND I
HAVE SEEN FIRST HAND THE FLIGHT
OF IMMIGRANTS AND THE FIGHT FOR
THE AMERICAN DREAM.
I HAVE BEEN AT THE TEXAS BORDER
MYSELF.
I HAVE SEEN THE WAY THAT OUR
ADVISORS HAVE BEEN TREATED.
HAVE I ALSO SEEN GROWING UP AS A
HAITIAN AMERICAN I HAVE SEEN
WHAT OUR IMMIGRANTS CONTRIBUTE
TO OUR ECONOMY.
SO I AM READY TO FIGHT.
I MEAN I GREW UP SURROUNDED BY A
VAST ARRAY OF VARIOUS CULTURE, I
WENT TO A PREDOMINANTLY CUBAN
HIGH SCHOOL IN OPEN LACKA.
MY SHUS PUERTO RICAN, MY
SISTER-IN-LAW IS DOMINICAN.
I’M FIGHTING FOR EVERY
COMMUNITY, EVERY IMMIGRANT
COMMUNITY BUT ESPECIALLY THOSE
THAT ARE IMPACTED, ESPECIALLY
THE CUBAN AMERICANS, VENEZUELAN
AMERICANS AND THOSE THAT ARE
FIGHTING FOR THOSE IN HAITI AS
WELL.
>> YOU KNOW, IT DAWNS ON ME THAT
MARIO DIAZ-BALART USED TO SAY
HAVE I MORE ALLIGATORS IN MY
DISTRICT THAN HAVE I
CONSTITUENTS BECAUSE OF THE
LARGE EVERGLADES YOU HAVE TO
TRAVEL ACROSS TO GET TO THE
OTHER SIDE OF DISTRICT 26.
BUT YOUR INTENDED DISTRICT IS
PART OF THE IMPACTED HURRICANE
DEVASTATION.
AND MANY OF THOSE TO YOUR POINT
ARE GOING TO BE MIGRANT WORKERS.
ARE GOING TO BE IMGRABTS AND
MIGRANTS WHO COME HERE
ESPECIALLY TO WORK.
GIVE US A SENSE OF YOUR TAKE ON
THE RECOVERY EFFORT THAT’S GOING
ON RIGHT NOW BOTH FEDERAL AND
STATE AND WHAT YOU MIGHT DO
DIFFERENTLY.
>> SO THE FIRST THING THAT WE
ALREADY HAVE BEEN DOING
DIFFERENTLY IS BEING ON THE
GROUND.
WE’VE SPENT THE WEEK IN NAPLES,
FIGHTING FOR THOSE IN HIGH
IMPACTED AREAS TO GET THEIR
POWER BACK TO GET THE FOOD THAT
THEY NEED.
BUT WHAT I AM REALIZING IS THIS
IS NOT GOING TO-- THIS IS NOT A
QUICK FIX.
>> CAN I JUST-- SORRY TO
INTERRUPT YOU, WHEN YOU SAY
FIGHTING FOR THOSE THINGS TO
HAPPEN WHAT DOES THAT MEAN
PRACTICALLY SPEAKING SO, THAT
MEANS NUMBER ONE PUTTING OUT A
IMMEDIATE REQUEST TO RON
DESANTIS TO HELP AID THE
COMMUNITIES THAT HAVE BEEN
AFFECTED BY BRINGING TRANSLATORS
IN TO HELP THEM FILL OUT THEIR
FEMA APPLICATIONS.
A LOT OF IMPACT, THESE ARE
MIGRANTS, MOST OF THEM DO NOT
SPEAK THE LANGUAGE AS A FIRST
LANGUAGE.
THEY DON’T SPEAK ENGLISH WITH
THE FIRST LANGUAGE, SO THEY ARE
HAVING TROUBLE WITH THEIR FEMA
APPLICATIONS, SO THAT IS WHAT WE
ARE OUT THERE DOING.
WE ARE ALSO HAVING TROUBLE
FIGURING OUT HOW TO GET IN TOUCH
WITH FOR PROPERTY INSURANCE AND
THINGS LIKE THAT.
THAT IS WHAT WE ARE HELPING
FIGHTING FOR, GETTING
TRANSLATORS, GETTING PEOPLE THAT
CAN ACTUALLY HELP THE COMMUNITY
RIGHT NOW.
WE PUT INFORMATION OUT THERE BUT
WE DON’T TRANSLATE IT INTO
MULTIPLE LANGUAGES AND THAT SAY
HUGE BARRIER FOR A IS I TANS.
>> WE ARE SO GLAD TO HAVE AN
OPPORTUNITY TO MEET YOU AND
INTRODUCE YOU.
PEOPLE WHO AREN’T AWARE OF YOUR
CANDIDACY AND GOOD LUCK WITH
YOU.