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Ben Everidge

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Ben Everidge
Image of Ben Everidge

No Party Affiliation

Elections and appointments
Last election

November 5, 2024

Education

Bachelor's

American University, 1981

Graduate

Georgetown University, 1988

Personal
Birthplace
Springfield, Mass.
Religion
Catholic
Profession
Fundraiser
Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Twitter

Campaign Instagram

Campaign TikTok

Personal Facebook

Personal LinkedIn

Ben Everidge (No Party Affiliation) ran for election to the U.S. Senate to represent Florida. He lost in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Everidge completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Ben Everidge was born in Springfield, Massachusetts. He earned a bachelor's degree from American University in 1981 and a graduate degree from Georgetown University in 1988. His career experience includes working as a fundraiser.[1]

Elections

2024

See also: United States Senate election in Florida, 2024

General election

General election for U.S. Senate Florida

The following candidates ran in the general election for U.S. Senate Florida on November 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Rick Scott
Rick Scott (R)
 
55.6
 
5,977,706
Image of Debbie Mucarsel-Powell
Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (D) Candidate Connection
 
42.8
 
4,603,077
Image of Ben Everidge
Ben Everidge (No Party Affiliation) Candidate Connection
 
0.6
 
62,683
Image of Feena Bonoan
Feena Bonoan (L) Candidate Connection
 
0.5
 
57,363
Image of Tuan Nguyen
Tuan Nguyen (No Party Affiliation) Candidate Connection
 
0.5
 
56,586
Image of Howard Knepper
Howard Knepper (No Party Affiliation) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
13

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 10,757,428
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Florida

Debbie Mucarsel-Powell defeated Stanley Campbell, Brian Rush, and Rod Joseph in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Florida on August 20, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Debbie Mucarsel-Powell
Debbie Mucarsel-Powell Candidate Connection
 
68.5
 
747,397
Image of Stanley Campbell
Stanley Campbell Candidate Connection
 
19.6
 
213,777
Image of Brian Rush
Brian Rush
 
6.7
 
73,013
Image of Rod Joseph
Rod Joseph
 
5.2
 
56,961

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 1,091,148
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. Senate Florida

Incumbent Rick Scott defeated Keith Gross and John Columbus in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate Florida on August 20, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Rick Scott
Rick Scott
 
84.4
 
1,283,904
Image of Keith Gross
Keith Gross Candidate Connection
 
9.4
 
142,392
Image of John Columbus
John Columbus Candidate Connection
 
6.3
 
95,342

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 1,521,638
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Libertarian primary election

The Libertarian primary election was canceled. Feena Bonoan advanced from the Libertarian primary for U.S. Senate Florida.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Everidge in this election.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Candidate Connection

Ben Everidge completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Everidge's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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I am the father of four, married to a wonderful partner, and deeply experienced in national politics having worked a decade on Capitol Hill as a Florida professional staff member in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives for Bill Nelson and Lawton Chiles. My undergraduate degree is in International Studies from American University, and my graduate degree is in American Government from Georgetown University, where I also served as a University Fellow. I graduated from Cocoa Beach High School and attended Brevard Community College. For over three decades, I have worked in the private sector, raising funds for wonderful, compelling charities that make a big difference in people's lives.
  • My primary focus in this campaign is on protecting American democracy and protecting Florida. Both are in dire jeopardy because of extremists in the two major political parties who have had their heads in the sand for far too long. Nothing has been getting done in a long list of challenges which is hurting Florida families.
  • We can do better in Washington and Florida. Floridians have long wanted a choice in who they support for the United States Senate. My vision for this campaign is to give Floridians something to vote for and to truly work together to overcome our most pressing challenges, not just spout the empty rhetoric of failing political parties.
  • American democracy is a powerful tool when used properly, and I am very confident that our best days are yet to come. American democracy is not dead. On the contrary, American democracy is holding firm. It will weather the storm of extremism and obstruction that we find in the halls of Congress today if motivated people step forward and demand change. It’s time to bring the sunshine back to Florida – we can do better for all Floridians if we get our elected leaders’ heads out of the sand.
Better paying jobs, more affordable healthcare, safer neighborhoods, and quality education are priorities. We must balance our annual federal deficit, reduce the national debt, reform the American tax code to be fair and flat, and build an even stronger defense, smarter intelligence, and sounder infrastructure. We need to close our borders to illegal immigration yet provide a rational path to citizenship for those who honor our laws and want the life our Constitution and Declaration of Independence promise. No cuts to Social Security and Medicare benefits, reverse the Supreme Court’s decision to dismantle a woman’s right to make her own medical decisions, address climate change (yes it is real), and more. We have a lot of work to do!
Thomas Jefferson and James Madison for the roles they played in helping found the United States through their work on the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution. I also deeply respect and admire America's pioneering astronauts from their incredible bravery and innovative spirit.
I published a political novel in 2017 entitled, Hoya: The Watchmen Waketh. It is a story about the fictional 47th president of the United States and the struggle to provide physical and financial security to Americans in the face of a severe breach of trust at the hands of an unknown vigilante group. At its heart, Hoya is a real-world primer into American lawmaking and governance at its best and worst. It is replete with American foreign and defense policy initiatives and several innovative program concepts that might resolve a few of today's more puzzling programs, some of which I am advocating in this 2024 campaign.
Integrity, ethics, transparency, and an unyielding commitment to helping people with their government challenges, whether you know them or not. Public service is an honor and a responsibility not to be taken for granted.
A determination to persevere and never take no for a first answer.
Service above self always with dedication to three core documents in American life: our Declaration of Independence, United States Constitution, and Bill of Rights.
I would like to leave a legacy of having been collaborative and knowledgeable about the issue I tackled in life.
John Kennedy's assassination. We were sent home from grade school in the middle of the afternoon, which got my attention, until I saw my mother standing in front of our television crying. I was just a few weeks shy of my seventh birthday.
I was a paperboy for both a morning and an evening newspaper with an extensive urban customer route.
Tom Clancy's The Hunt for Red October because it was richly detailed in its descriptions and based on unnerving defense and foreign policy events has that had at the time real-world implications.
Jack Ryan
From the remarkable Lin-Manuel Miranda and Hamilton: Who lives, who dies, who tells your story.
I was diagnosed with Stage V, Level 2 Malignant Melanoma in 2003 that metastasized to my right lung, making me a Stage V, Level 4 cancer patient. Two rounds of chemo-like treatments, including a novel clinical trial and four major surgeries, have left me free of the disease that hit me when three of my four children were under the age of four. A great wife and talented physicians allowed me to be here today to run for this office. I want to use this blessing to pay it forward.
Our commitment to preserving American democracy and opposing authoritarian tendencies of populist candidates for federal office. Equal to that is protecting the United States from threats from outside and within our borders.
I support term limits in order to ensure good governance in America, but I doubt that the required constitutional amendments necessary to impose term limits on members of Congress can actually responsibly pass, or should, in today's hyper-partisan political environment.
The United States Senate possesses many unique characteristics worth celebrating. Chief among its unique roles is providing advice and consent that helps check executive power and ensures broader consensus on decisions made; a focus on tradition and prestige that emphasizes collaboration, bipartisanship, and decorum not found these days in the U.S. House of Representatives; and equal representation for our 50 states. The Senate is also where we typically see greater political stability, more rational debate, and longer-term vision for the issues that challenge America free of the immediate pressure that comes in the House, where members stand for re-election every two short years. The Senate also has unique powers and responsibilities, including confirming presidential appointments, treaty ratification, and critical oversight over our judiciary and foreign policy.
Yes, it clearly helps, for senators to have previous experience in government or politics - whether in elected office or on campaign and office or committee staff.
The filibuster is an important procedural tool in the United States Senate. It protects minority rights, promotes greater bipartisanship, and encourages deeper deliberation and more innovative compromise. While the filibuster has its downsides, such as fostering frustrating legislative gridlock, the filibuster is nonetheless an important tool worth preserving.
I had the privilege of working for two remarkable U.S. Senators in my lifetime. Lawton Chiles and Bill Nelson brought integrity and dedication to their terms in the Senate, which I would seek to model myself after, with a heavy dose of party independence thrown in for good measure!
How many Republicans does it take to change a light bulb? Three. One to change the bulb and two to stand around and reminisce about how good the old one was!
Fairly and objectively based on their commitment to the rule of law and the United States Constitution. Experience and political neutrality will be welcomed traits as well.
As an independent not beholden to either major political party, I would work long and hard to build bridges with senators on either side of the political aisle who are committed to good government and legislative solutions that might break the logjam on what Americans need to thrive and prosper in the decades ahead.
All good laws in American history originated with compromise and collaboration.
Objectively and fairly with determination to follow the evidence where it takes the U.S. Senate. Political motivation must not be present when such powers are employed.
I just qualified for the office a few days ago so it is too early to list.
I would look to the knowledge and respect for the rule of law in America and their dedication to the United States Constitution and our Bill of Rights. Ethics, transparency, and public service will also factor in deciding whether to confirm or oppose presidential appointees to a president's Cabinet.
America's greatest challenges lie in resolving the financial mess we face today. The Senate Committee on Appropriations, Budget, or Commerce, along with the Armed Services or Foreign Relations Committees, would be of greatest interest.
Financial transparency and government accountability are essential ingredients in building trust with the American people. They are not negotiable, in my opinion.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Campaign website

Everidge’s campaign website stated the following:

“

Anchored by the foundations of our nation.
I am a big believer in three documents that provide the foundation of our nation: The American Declaration of Independence, the United States Constitution, and our Bill of Rights. Too many of our elected officials seem to have forgotten what these sacred credentials of democracy mean to our citizens. I have not forgotten and have made them the anchor of my campaign for the U.S. Senate.

Throughout this campaign, I will provide specific information about how I intend to make these ideals a reality. This section lays out my detailed proposals on the issues, which I have grouped into three categories: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

The Pursuit of a Better Life

The American Dream: Helping Ensure Good Jobs with Fair Pay
This is job one for me. Nothing good happens for families or America without good jobs and a fair wage for a hard day’s work, regardless of one’s profession or the times we live in. The American middle class is vanishing; we must not let that happen. Learn how here. See my proposal for innovating American industry to help generate higher-paying jobs and what I mean when saying that. Also, see how I propose reinvigorating Florida’s vital film industry or advancing space exploration. By the way, generating higher-paying jobs must include rural priorities, which I am deeply committed to ensuring.

The American Dream: Safe and Affordable Housing
I support President Biden’s proposed $10,000 tax credit for helping first-time home buyers and those selling their homes, which replenishes what is available to buy. I call on former President Trump to join us. See my proposal for ensuring the American dream for all who wish to share in it. Another barrier to home ownership affordability is the high cost of insurance in the state of Florida. My proposal for fixing this problem is found here.

The American Dream: A More Stress-less Retirement
I strongly oppose and will fight any proposed cuts in Social Security and Medicare benefits that negatively impact today’s seniors as well as tomorrow’s. You paid into the system. These are your hard-earned benefits from a life of good work. The right to retire with dignity and security is without question in my book. Medicaid should be enhanced to help low-income seniors afford assisted living and full-time care when needed and be granted these benefits quickly when they apply for benefits they have earned. I also do not support and will not accept efforts to privatize Social Security or turn Medicare into a voucher system. I am committed to keeping these vital programs solvent not just for today’s seniors but for future generations as well. No compromise is required here to better protect these dignified retirement rights for our more elderly citizens.

The American Dream: Accessible Healthcare
American healthcare costs are out of control yet controllable. I have no problem with a healthcare system making money for its services. Still, you know changes are needed when you have a vastly different cost structure between rural and urban communities and domestic versus international markets, as with prescription drugs. To help broaden funding for healthcare systems and thus lower costs to consumers, I am proposing a medical innovation zone for area hospitals, and greater detail on my thoughts about healthcare policy can be found here.

A Stable Climate
Climate change is real. It is a crisis for the world that America, in particular, cannot afford to ignore or deny any longer. We must develop new energy sources and technologies while improving our current technologies and energy sources. Our fragile environment must be protected and nurtured. See my strategies for combating climate change. See also my news release about speeding up help to climate-ravaged communities in Florida and my proposal for helping Puerto Rico rebuild after the 2017 hurricanes that wrecked that American Commonwealth island.

A Sound Education
Federal support to provide free or greatly reduced tuition assistance to community colleges and trade schools will ensure that American workers and their families can earn more. Earning more, in turn, will help reduce our annual deficits, reduce our national debt, and make America a more prosperous nation.

Honoring Our Veterans
We Americans long ago made a sacred commitment to care for our veterans who have honorably served our nation. I strongly support funding and expansion of and greater access to VA medical services throughout Florida for our Sunshine State veterans. The number of homeless veterans profoundly and deeply troubles me and is unacceptable in a nation as wealthy as America. We have a moral duty to help our local communities provide shelter and transition services so un-housed veterans can find safe, stable housing when needed. Expanding mental health and addiction services so that veterans suffering from PTSD and other service-related trauma can access the help they need when they need it must be a priority benefit, too. Expected veterans’ benefits must also include job training programs and educational opportunities so veterans can find good civilian jobs that take advantage of their skills and reduced waiting times for that much-needed care when called for at their medical centers of choice. My proposal for protecting our veterans’ benefits from Project 2025 and enhancing their quality of life is found here.

Infrastructure Improvement
Our bridges, roads, rails, ports, and airports are falling apart before our eyes. Investment in infrastructure improvements and expansion must continue at an urgent pace. In doing so, we give Americans numerous opportunities to prosper from the resulting jobs.

The Pursuit of Liberty

Protecting American Democracy and Protecting Florida
Job one, here again. American democracy is under attack both from outside as well as from within our country. The rule of law has been ignored, insurrection has been on full and bloody display, and obstruction in the halls of Congress celebrated. Mountains of evidence make these attacks on democracy undeniable. My proposal for strengthening American democracy can be found here.

Women’s Health and Reproductive Rights
I will fight to restore and preserve a woman’s health and reproductive rights nationally. It is imperative we ensure that women have the right to make their own reproductive health care decisions without interference from the government, whether it be federal or state, and enshrine those protections in federal statute once again making Roe v. Wade the undisputed law of the land. And while we are at it, women should receive equal pay for equal work.

De-regulated Over-regulation
Our society is over-regulated. It is time to focus on reducing the size of our bureaucracy while also reducing and eliminating the red tape that makes American life more burdensome than it needs to be. My approach to de-regulating our over-regulated society is found here.

Flat Fair Tax
A flat fair tax should replace our outdated progressive tax from the early 1900s that inspires people of wealth to pay substantially less of a percentage than the middle class and large corporations to pay nothing. The flat fair tax proposal I advocate could generate $1.46 trillion if there is a maximum 10% flat tax on individual income, with the average household income being approximately $74,500 and there being over 131 million households in America. This flat tax would take the burden off the middle class for generating income-related revenue, make the wealthy pay an equal percentage of their income, and assure that those under the federal poverty rate are paying $0 in taxes until they earn a higher income.

Balanced Budget
America cannot continue to live on borrowed money racking up trillions of dollars in debt with massive annual deficits approved by both major parties in Congress. Here is a proposal for balancing the federal budget.

Thoughtful and Consistent Foreign Policy
America has been in some difficult places overseas because we do not have a thoughtful and consistent foreign policy by which to govern our decisions when it comes to our allies as well as our enemies. I have a doctrine to propose.

Defensible Defense
Our shores must be protected from foreign threats posed by nations and rogue players who would like to harm America. Investing in our defense will help ensure our peace, not to mention the ability of our citizens to live the lives they choose to pursue if we provide for a defensible, intelligent defense. Details on to better provide for America’s defense are found here.

Smarter U.S. Intelligence
By adopting key strategies and continuously innovating, we can strengthen our U.S. intelligence capabilities to more effectively and comprehensively address evolving threats and safeguard national security interests facing us every hour of the day. My thoughts on how we can make U.S. intelligence capabilities smarter.

Premium on Self-sufficiency
Being truly independent means that one puts a premium on self-sufficiency as Americans. That does not mean that a safety net is not made available for those truly in need. But it does mean we do everything possible to assure that American citizens are not so reliant on their government to subsist on a daily or long-term basis.

Funding More with Public-Private-Philanthropic Partnerships
With community engagement and local awareness, public-private-philanthropic partnerships can more easily tackle the strengths each sector requires to address complex social challenges more effectively and efficiently than any one sector could achieve alone. In my opinion, P4s are a viable option for funding future public projects and should be used expeditiously. See my proposal for using P4s to fund more public projects.

Second Amendment Right
I am a gun owner and do strongly subscribe to our Second Amendment right to bear arms. I do embrace reasonable measures to ensure that the wrong people do not have easy and unfettered access to weapons they should not possess. The gun death rate in our state and our nation is unacceptable. Commonsense solutions such as safe storage, closing gun show sales loopholes, providing greater mental health services, while simultaneously protecting our constitutional rights, will save lives. Mass casualties, suicides, and gun-related murders, can be reduced and potentially eliminated with thoughtful, effective policies that manage this deadly crisis in our homes, our schools, our communities, and our state.

The Pursuit of Happiness

When life and liberty are balanced, the pursuit of happiness is an easier path to travel.

Discrimination
I am and have been throughout my life opposed to discrimination of any kind, for any reason, anywhere. Discrimination contradicts anyone who believes in the American Declaration of Independence, the United States Constitution, or our Bill of Rights. Period. Hard stop.

An End to Division & Culture Wars
We have become far too divided and politically polarized. The division and culture wars waged in state capitals and Washington must end. We are the United States of America, and it is time to act like we are united.

Live Life as You Want
So long as you live life without harm to others.

Immigration Reform
America is a nation founded and built by immigrants. But our borders are insecure, and the path to citizenship is muddied. Rational reform of our broken immigration system is decades overdue. I have a proposal for how we might reform immigration comprehensively and fairly.

States’ Rights and Ethical Government
The federal government has a proper role in America, but it must be managed and kept from being over-expanded. States’ rights are enshrined in our American Constitution and must be nurtured as our nation marches into the 21st century. A healthy debate on what is appropriate for the federal government to address and how it can be made more manageable will get us to decision points that will make America more secure. Balance and perspective must be our guideposts, and Florida must be a beneficiary. My proposal for ensuring states’ rights is found here.

Judicial Reform
It must be comprehensive, and it must be started now. My proposal for reforming our judicial ethics is found here. My thoughts on judicial and congressional terms limits is found here in the attached July news release following President Biden’s announcement.

Congressional & White House Ethics Reform
Nothing is more critical that reforming the ethics of our legislative and executive branches of government. My proposal for those recommended reforms is found here.[2]

”
—Ben Everidge’s campaign website (2024)[3]

Campaign finance summary

Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

Ben Everidge campaign contribution history
YearOfficeStatusContributionsExpenditures
2024* U.S. Senate FloridaLost general$0 N/A**
Grand total$0 N/A**
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

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    Footnotes

    1. ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on May 14, 2024
    2. ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
    3. ↑ Ben Everidge’s campaign website, “On the Issues,” accessed September 26, 2024


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