FIVE IN FORT LAUDERDALE, CBS4
NEWS.> LET'S TURN TO LOCAL
POLITICS AND THE 2018 FLORIDA
GUBERNATORIAL RACE.
FOUR DEMOCRATS ARE ON THE RACE
TO REPLACE RICK SCOTT.
GWEN GRAHAM, ANDREW GILLAM AND
PHILIP LEVINE ARE MAINSTREAM
DEMOCRATIC POLITICIANS WITH
NAME RECOGNITION AND POLITICAL
TRACK RECORDS.
THEN THERE IS CHRIS KING WHO IS
A 39-YEAR-OLD WINTER PARK
BUSINESSMAN WITH NO EXPERIENCE.
I SPOKE TO CHRIS KING ABOUT HIS
LONGSHOT BID FOR GOVERNOR AND
THEY CAME -- CAMPAIGN ISSUES
THAT COULD WIN HIM THE
NOMINATION. TELL US ABOUT
YOURSELF AND WHY YOU ARE
RUNNING AND WHAT SET YOU APART
FROM THE OTHER DEMOCRATS IN
THIS RACE. YES, THANK YOU FOR
HAVING ME.
I'M FROM CENTRAL FLORIDA.
THE ONLY CANDIDATE FROM THE
CORRIDOR.
I MARRIED TO MY HIGH SCHOOL
SWEETHEART WITH THREE SMALL
CHILDREN.
ONE OF THE YOUNGER CANDIDATES
IN THE GENERATION TO RUN FOR
OFFICE.
THE THING THAT SETS ME IS A
PART IS I AM PROGRESSIVE AND
SOMEBODY WHO IS REALLY EXCITING
THE DEMOCRATIC COMMUNITY BUT I
AM ALSO AN ENTREPRENEUR.
TYPE OF A SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS
FROM SCRATCH IN FLORIDA AND
AROUND THE COUNTRY.
I AM PROUD OF THE WORK THAT IT
DOES IN AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND
TO THINK THAT GIVES ME SKILLS
IN THIS RACE TO GO THE
DISTANCE. LET ME ASK YOU
ABOUT AFFORDABLE HOUSING
BECAUSE THAT IS A MAJOR PROBLEM
IN SOUTH FLORIDA AND THROUGHOUT
THE STATE OF FLORIDA.
HOW WOULD YOU IS GOVERNOR
ADDRESS THE ISSUE?
WE HAVE IN AFFORDABLE
HOUSING CRISIS ACROSS THE STATE
OF FLORIDA.
FROM THE FIRST MOMENT I
LAUNCHED THE CAMPAIGN, THIS WAS
A CENTRAL ELEMENT.
MY ASPIRATION IS TO BE THE
NATION'S FINEST HOUSING
GOVERNOR.
ONE OF THE BIGGEST THINGS I
WOULD DO FROM DAY ONE FROM
WINNING THE ELECTION WOULD BE
TO STOP THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING
FUND AND TALLAHASSEE.
TALLAHASSEE DON'T FULLY
APPRECIATE THIS BUT THEY HAVE
RATED $2 BILLION FROM THE VERY
INVESTMENT FUND THAT IS
DESIGNED TO HELP PEOPLE AFFORD
HOUSING.
TEACHERS, LAW ENFORCEMENT,
SENIORS AND TO ME THAT IS WRONG
AND IT IS AN ATTACK ON FAMILIES
ACROSS THE STATE.
I WILL STOP IT. YOU HAVE
INVESTED IN AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
HEAVY MADE INVESTMENT HERE IN
SOUTH FLORIDA?
NO, I HAVEN'T.
IT BEGINS AROUND THE EYE FOR
CORRIDOR.
WE DO A LOT OF WORK IN THE
SENIOR HOUSING AND BIG SENIOR
COMMUNITIES WITH HIGH RISES.
WE REVITALIZE COMMUNITIES THAT
ARE BROKEN ARE FAILING AND WORK
WITH THE GOVERNMENT.
WE GO UP TO THE CAROLINAS IN
TENNESSEE AND ALABAMA AND
ALABAMA -- ARKANSAS AND WE NEED
MORE SOLUTIONS HERE. GOVERNOR
SCOTT IS TAKING CREDIT FOR
CREATING 1 1/2 MILLION JOBS.
PRIVATE-SECTOR JOBS IN THE
STATE OF FLORIDA.
TO SEE DESERVE CREDIT?
ONE OF THE MAJOR MOTIVATIONS
WAS I WANTED TO BE THE ECONOMY
DEMOCRAT IN THE DEMOCRATIC
CREATES A MORE FAIR AND
HOLMGREN ECONOMY.
WHAT GOVERNOR SCOTT DOES NOT
TELL US IS THE FACT THAT THE
STATE IS A BACK OF THE PACK
STATE IN NEARLY EVERY ECONOMIC
MEASUREMENT.
WHAT GOVERNOR SCOTT DOESN'T SAY
IS OF THE 10 MOST POPULAR
STATES, WE ARE LAST IN WAGES,
INCOMES OR PER CAPITA.
HE FOCUSES ON JOBS AND I WILL
FOCUS ON WAGES.
IT PAYS LESS THAN $15 AN HOUR
AND SOMETHING IS WRONG. YOU
ARE IN FAVOR OF RAISING THE
MINIMUM WAGE. I AM IN FAVOR
BUT I ARGUE THAT THE DEMOCRATS
GET INVOLVED IN POLITICS AND WE
DON'T LOOK AT THIS HOLISTICALLY.
I HAVE BEEN IN SOUTH FLORIDA
FOR NINE DAYS.
THIS IS MY LAST DAY AND I GO
HOME TO MY FAMILY IN CENTRAL
FLORIDA TODAY.
I HAVE CALLED IT MY AFFORDABLE
LIVING FOR HER I BELIEVE THE
CANDIDATES OF THE FUTURE AND
NEXT GOVERNOR HAS TO BE TALKING
ABOUT ACCESS TO HOUSING AND
HEALTHCARE IN THE JOBS THAT
SUPPORT FAMILIES. LET ME ASK
YOU ABOUT FUNDRAISING PICK THAT
IS IMPORTANT.
IN THE LAST THREE MONTHS OF
LAST YEAR, PHILIP LEVINE, THE
MAYOR OF MIAMI BEACH IN THE
CONGRESSWOMAN FROM FLORIDA AND
THE DAUGHTER OF FORMER GOVERNOR
BOB GRAHAM WERE ABLE TO RAISE
MORE MONEY THAN YOU.
HAS FUNDRAISING BECOME A
PROBLEM FOR YOU AND CAN YOU
RAISE MORE MONEY TO STAY
VIABLE? YES.
THERE IS NO MAGIC THAT SUGGESTS
THAT THE CANDIDATE THAT RAISES
THE MOST AMOUNT OF MONEY WILL
BE THE MOST SUCCESSFUL.
IF NOT, DONALD TRUMP WOULD NOT
BE PRESIDENT.
HAVE RAISED $3 MILLION IN THE
OFF YEAR ELECTION AND WE ARE
GROWING OUR STAFF DOWN IN MIAMI
WITH EVENTS HERE AND IN ORLANDO
NEXT YEAR AND WASHINGTON DC THE
WEEK AFTER.
WE FEEL WE WILL HAVE THE
RESOURCES, NOT ONLY TO GO THE
DISTANCE BUT TO GET A NEW,
FRESH AND EXCITING MESSAGE TO
THE PEOPLE OF FLORIDA WHO WANT
SOMETHING DIFFERENT. YOU HAVE
PUT IN $1 MILLION OF YOUR OWN
MONEY.
WOULD YOU PUT IN MORE?
I HAVE NOT MADE A FINAL
DECISION ON IT.
THAT WAS MY COMMITMENT TO THIS
RACE.
I AM IN THIS TO WIN IT.
I BELIEVE WE NEED FRESH IDEAS
AND NEW CANDIDATES.
I THINK WE HAVE SOMETHING TO
OFFER THAT FLORIDIANS AND
DEMOCRATS HAVE NOT SEEN IN
DECADES.
I AM VERY EXCITED TO SHOW THEM
A NEW VISION. CHRIS KING,
THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.
I HOPE YOU CAN JOIN US MORE
OFTEN.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
A RECENT POLL SAID HE
TRAILS THE OTHER CANDIDATES BY
1 %. HE WILL HAVE THE PRIMARY