Chris Cause
Elections and appointments
Education
Personal
Contact
Chris Cause (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Florida House of Representatives to represent District 39. He lost in the general election on November 3, 2020.
Cause completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Cause was born in Beverly, Massachusetts. He earned a bachelor's degree from Fairfield University in 1995. His career experience includes working as a teacher.[1]
Cause has been affiliated with the following organizations:[1]
- Polk Education Association
- Polk DEC
Elections
2020
See also: Florida House of Representatives elections, 2020
General election
Democratic primary election
The Democratic primary election was canceled. Chris Cause advanced from the Democratic primary for Florida House of Representatives District 39.
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Incumbent Josie Tomkow advanced from the Republican primary for Florida House of Representatives District 39.
Endorsements
To view Cause's endorsements in the 2020 election, please click here.
2020
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Chris Cause completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Cause's responses.
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I'm from a small town outside of Boston, Massachusetts. I was so fortunate to grow up in a loving home, attend great schools, and live in a community full of warm, friendly neighbors. When I moved to Florida, I wanted that same opportunity for my son. And I found it in Polk County.
For the last seven years, I've lived in Davenport, FL. I know my neighbors, my son attends a great school, and together, we enjoy playing basketball, tennis, and riding our bicycles through the neighborhoods. A couple of years ago I also chose to work in Polk County. I'm a social studies teacher in Bartow, at the Polk County Sheriff's Regional Detention Center. Year-round, I work to educate some of the most disenfranchised children in the county.
If there's one thing I've learned by living in Davenport, it's that my neighbors in Osceola and Polk Counties are hard-working people, looking to provide the best possible life for their families. This is an incredible community. But like so many areas in Florida, it is challenged by exponential growth. The secret is out on what a great place it is to live. Each day, our area struggles to keep up. Our infrastructure is strained, traffic is unbearable, schools are pushed to their limit, and healthcare doesn't have the proper investment to meet the growing demand.
I want to see every day, hard-working people represented in Tallahassee and I would be honored to be that voice. - Education is the greatest power for someone to help themselves.
- Healthcare is a right, not a benefit.
- Traffic doesn't care what party you're registered with.
Public Education
Expanding Healthcare
Universal Healthcare
Infrastructure
Reforming Florida's Unemployment System
Environmental protection
Leadership and empathy. Setting the right example, being a role model, and representing all the people in your district, not just those who voted for you are all the characteristics required for leadership. Empathy requires caring. Caring about your constituents and making your community, your district, and your state a better place.
I am an active and empathetic listener, a quick learner who values education and evaluation, and I when I make a commitment to do something, I follow through with it. Listening is critical to connecting with constituents and there isn't much time to learn on the job with such a short legislative session.
Meeting with constituents and holding town halls should be a core responsibility of a state legislator. People deserved to be represented, regardless of political party, and part of that representation is listening to their concerns.
When I was 7, I remember the assassination attempt on Ronald Reagan. I remember watching with my mother in the afternoon, not understanding why anyone would do that. Just this past New Year's Eve, I was visiting Washington D.C. and stayed at the Washington Hilton Hotel, where the attempt happened.
Right Now, by Van Halen. It came on while I was running the other day and I've had it in there ever since. Maybe it a sign, but I've found it motivating...
The Florida House appears to completely shut out minority opinions. The Florida Senate will discuss bipartisan ideas, though few and far between. Compromise and partnership should be the hallmarks of a new generation of legislators in Florida, so the people are represented in the People's house.
Experience can come in many forms. While previous experience can be helpful, the most important attribute of a state legislator is to represent the will of the people they represent.
More than 800 people a day move to Florida, so the greatest challenge will be managing that growth. Managing infrastructure, including roads, public transportation, and schools. Managing healthcare. Managing the environmental impact on water, wetlands, and air quality. Florida has so much to offer, it's no wonder people want to move here. But we need to plan for future generations.
The governor should work together with the state legislature to shape bills with input from all parties. Armed with a line-item veto, a governor's power far outweighs the checks and balances built into the system.
It is extremely beneficial to build relationships with other legislators. Especially across party lines. There is a lot more that connects us than divides us and the best way to represent all of the people in a district to to work with other legislators for the best possibly policies for all Floridians.
Districts should be drawn by independent commissions, with fair borders, based on Census data each ten years. The voters in the district should decide who should be in power, not those in power who want to stay there.
PreK-12 Appropriations Subcommittee
Transportation & Tourism Appropriations Subcommittee
Public Integrity & Ethics Committee
I admire State Representative Anna Eskamini of Florida's District 47 because she is a fearless leader who represents her constituents with unwavering commitment and boundless enthusiasm. U.S. Congressman Darren Soto of Florida's 9th District produces results with little fanfare. I appreciate his ability to consistently get the work done for his constituents.
I am focused on this race for State Representative and representing the people of District 39.
Just today, a constituent reached out because he was desperate for help with the Florida's Department of Economic Opportunity website. He still has not received his full compensation for all 3 part-time jobs and has not received the federal $600 supplement for 3 weeks. He has reached out to his State Rep and State Senator over 8 times and called the DEO phone number over 30 times, but no one will help him. We elect representatives to...represent us. Especially in times of trouble. This November, we have an opportunity to decide what type of representatives we want.
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
External links
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on June 26, 2020.
Leadership
Speaker of the House:Daniel Perez
Majority Leader:Tyler Sirois
Minority Leader:Fentrice Driskell
Representatives
Republican Party (84)
Democratic Party (33)
Vacancies (3)
