Carol Lawrence
Carol Lawrence (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Florida House of Representatives to represent District 27. Lawrence did not appear on the ballot for the Democratic primary on August 18, 2020.
Elections
2020
See also: Florida House of Representatives elections, 2020
General election
General election for Florida House of Representatives District 27
Webster Barnaby defeated Dolores Guzman in the general election for Florida House of Representatives District 27 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Webster Barnaby (R) | 56.2 | 49,486 |
 | Dolores Guzman (D)  | 43.8 | 38,583 | |
| Total votes: 88,069 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
The Democratic primary election was canceled. Dolores Guzman advanced from the Democratic primary for Florida House of Representatives District 27.
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Carol Lawrence (D)
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Florida House of Representatives District 27
Webster Barnaby defeated Erika Benfield and Zenaida Denizac in the Republican primary for Florida House of Representatives District 27 on August 18, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Webster Barnaby | 42.9 | 5,224 |
 | Erika Benfield | 36.2 | 4,411 | |
| Zenaida Denizac | 20.8 | 2,535 | ||
| Total votes: 12,170 (100.00% precincts reporting) | |||
| = 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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2018
General election
General election for Florida House of Representatives District 27
Incumbent David Santiago defeated Carol Lawrence in the general election for Florida House of Representatives District 27 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | David Santiago (R) | 55.6 | 36,298 |
| Carol Lawrence (D) | 44.4 | 29,007 | ||
| Total votes: 65,305 | |||
| = 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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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Florida House of Representatives District 27
Carol Lawrence defeated Neil Henrichsen in the Democratic primary for Florida House of Representatives District 27 on August 28, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Carol Lawrence | 70.2 | 7,408 | |
| Neil Henrichsen | 29.8 | 3,145 | ||
| Total votes: 10,553 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Florida House of Representatives District 27
Incumbent David Santiago advanced from the Republican primary for Florida House of Representatives District 27 on August 28, 2018.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | David Santiago |
| ||||
| = 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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Campaign themes
2020
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Carol Lawrence did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
2018
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Carol Lawrence completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Lawrence's responses.
What would be your top three priorities, if elected?
1) Health care: Expand Medicaid so Florida's working families and individuals can have affordable health care coverage. 2) Environment: Address the many environmental issues, particularly pollution of Florida's waters. 3) Education: Strengthen public schools by increasing funding and require "voucher" schools to be as accountable for results as are public schools.
What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?
The environment. Despite the "climate deniers" claims and lack of actions about global warming, the continuing damage to the global environment is real. A healthy environment is necessary to sustain all life forms and it seems that some think they are, somehow, immune from the effects of environment neglect and abuse. Without a healthy environment, in the long run (50 years more or less) not much else will matter and quibbling over the "small stuff", because the world's population then will be competing for food, shelter, and other basics of life.
Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?
No present living human that I can think of. I am a spiritual person, not a religious one, and I often turn to the Bible and other ancient wisdom sources for inspiration and comfort. One of my favorite Bible verses is Micah 6:8 wherein "what does the Lord require of you, but to do justice, be merciful, and walk humbly with your God" (my paraphrasing). To me, to "do justice" is to lift others up and help them to be the best they can be To "be merciful", is to be forgiving. For me, to "walk humbly with your God" means to always strive to be my best self. I find it amazing that thousands of years later, humanity still hasn't gotten the message that "we are all one". So, if we are harming others, we are harming ourselves. Conversely, if we are healing others, we are healing ourselves.
Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?
No.
What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?
Honesty (even when it isn't popular to be so), integrity, transparency, compassionate, forgiving, fearless, humble, civil, to name a few.
What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?
I work hard, persevere in the face of adversity, embrace change (it is inevitable after all), find pleasure in serving others.
What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?
To do the job for which they were elected, i.e., be accountable to one's constituency and to the "community" at large, that is, persons beyond the boundaries of one's own jurisdiction, in my case, Florida House District 27. As one of 120 Florida House members, every vote the member takes will affect everyone and every thing, directly and indirectly, within the State of Florida and beyond. Thus, an office holder must study the issues and gather as much information as possible about them, make reasoned decisions about how they should vote on issues and be mindful of the impact their vote will have on the persons within, as well as outside, the jurisdiction they represent.
What legacy would you like to leave?
That I did all I could to bring awareness to the residents of Florida and elsewhere, if possible, that planet Earth is the only home we have and life will be more pleasant and longer-lasting for every living creature if we work together to heal and protect this exquisite and priceless gift we have been given.
What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?
The rationing of goods during World War II. I was born a few months after the U. S. entered the War and it ended when I was about 3-1/2. I recall my mother making dresses for my sister and me out of colorful cow feed sacks.
Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?
It might be helpful, however, I think one can be a successful legislator if they are broad-minded, have a breadth of experience, has the ability to reason, is willing to work hard, and has a deep commitment to civic duty.
What do you perceive to be your state’s greatest challenges over the next decade?
Healing the environment, growth, infrastructure, providing public services even in the face of fiscal belt-tightening.
What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and the state legislature?
They should be working for the common good, i.e., "do no harm" and abandon hyper-partisanship.
Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.
Yes. I have stated in my campaign literature that I will be willing to work with legislators of the other party. The needs of the State of Florida are too great and too urgent for legislators, the administration and the bureaucracy to engage in gamesmanship or to retreat to our respective "corners", thereby frustrating the needs of constituents for personal or party gain.
What process do you favor for redistricting?
The creation of an independent redistricting commission. I do not yet have an opinion on the method of appointment, but believe it must include selection of persons with the best minds and the least bit of partisan overtones.
If you are not a current legislator, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?
I prefer to be assigned to any committee having to do with education, the environment, governmental accountability, human resources, ethics and appropriations. I will, however, happily serve on any committee to which I am assigned.
Is there a particular legislator, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?
No.
Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?
I have no political ambitions. That is not to say I will never seek another office, but at this time, once elected I can only concentrate on doing the work required of me as the State Representative for House District 27.
Both sitting legislators and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?
The first person with whom I spoke when I started campaigning during the primary was a young mother. I knocked on her door and, after exchanging greetings, asked what was her family's primary concern. She told me it is affordable health care for themselves. She said their two children are covered under the children's health insurance program, but that she and her husband make too much money to qualify for Medicaid in its present form and not enough to afford paying for private insurance premiums. There have to be thousands and thousands of similar stories like this about health care and how tenuous daily living is for people such as this woman and her husband. I believe it is essential for Florida to expand Medicaid so families like hers, and individuals, are relieved of the burden of living daily with the fear that if one becomes ill their livelihood could be jeopardized.
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.
See also
2020 Elections
External links
Footnotes
