Cynthia Brown
Cynthia Brown (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Florida House of Representatives to represent District 32. She lost in the general election on November 6, 2018.
Brown completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2018. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Cynthia Brown earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Florida in 1978. Her professional experience includes working for Shipbuilders Council of America, Brown and Company Inc., and working as a Rancher.[1]
Elections
2018
General election
General election for Florida House of Representatives District 32
Anthony Sabatini defeated Cynthia Brown in the general election for Florida House of Representatives District 32 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Anthony Sabatini (R)  | 56.5 | 46,446 |
 | Cynthia Brown (D) | 43.5 | 35,784 | |
| Total votes: 82,230 | |||
| = 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 32
Cynthia Brown defeated Sheryl Needle Cohn in the Democratic primary for Florida House of Representatives District 32 on August 28, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Cynthia Brown | 64.7 | 6,915 |
| Sheryl Needle Cohn | 35.3 | 3,766 | ||
| Total votes: 10,681 | |||
| = 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 32
Anthony Sabatini defeated Shannon Elswick and Monica Wofford in the Republican primary for Florida House of Representatives District 32 on August 28, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Anthony Sabatini | 46.7 | 8,278 |
| Shannon Elswick | 29.2 | 5,170 | ||
| Monica Wofford | 24.1 | 4,276 | ||
| Total votes: 17,724 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Campaign themes
2018
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Cynthia Brown completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Brown's responses.
What would be your top three priorities, if elected?
1. reinvigorating our public schools and giving our teachers the raise they deserve. 2. protecting our environment. 3. working to create good, high-paying jobs and assisting our agricultural community.
What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?
Public schools. Tallahassee has been working for years to weaken and undermine our public education in FL. Legislators have been taking money out of public schools to pay for vouchers to private schools, while are teachers are denied a decent salary. Lake Co. ranks 19th in the state for student population, yet is ranked 57th or lower in education funding. It all begins with education. We will not recruit new businesses to the area if we don't have an educated workforce, and people will not want to move here if we don't have the best schools.
Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?
My father. He believes in hard work, honesty, and integrity. Those are my core values.
Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?
"All the President's Men"
What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?
Honesty and dedication
What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?
I have a history of building coalitions and working across the party aisle to get positive legislation enacted. I will take those skills to Tallahassee.
What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?
To be a good steward of the state budget and to enforce the laws of the state.
What legacy would you like to leave?
That I achieved the objectives I outlined in my campaign
What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?
The assassination of JFK. I was in 3rd grade.
What was your very first job? How long did you have it?
Elevator operator at the Clermont Citrus Tower. One summer. I was in high school.
What happened on your most awkward date?
I didn't have an awkward date that I recall.
What is your favorite holiday? Why?
The 4th of July
What is your favorite book? Why?
The Pelican Brief. The intrigue, suspense, and good winning out over evil.
If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?
Minerva McGonagall
What is your favorite thing in your home or apartment? Why?
My artwork because the artist was a dear friend.
What was the last song that got stuck in your head?
I'll Be Seeing You.
What is something that has been a struggle in your life?
Learning to navigate in a male dominated field.
Every state besides Nebraska has two legislative chambers. What do you consider the most important differences between the legislative chambers in your state?
There are more Democrats in the FL Senate than in the House.
Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?
I believe it is beneficial to understand how the legislative process works in order to be an effective legislator.
What do you perceive to be your state’s greatest challenges over the next decade?
The environment and water.
What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and the state legislature?
Respect for the views of each other.
Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.
Absolutely. If you don't build relationships with your colleagues, you won't get anything done.
What process do you favor for redistricting?
The Court should decide.
If you are not a current legislator, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?
Appropriations Committee
If you are not currently a member of your party’s leadership in the legislature, would you be interested in joining the leadership? If so, in what role?
Yes, as whip.
Is there a particular legislator, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?
Claude Pepper
Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?
No
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 resident's of Tradds Landing Community shared horror stories with me concerning the crooked activities of their HOA, and I will work to help them get justice.
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.
Ballotpedia biographical submission form
The candidate completed Ballotpedia's biographical information submission form:
| “ | What is your political philosophy?
I want to strengthen public schools by reinvesting in them and give teachers a pay raise to draw and keep qualified and capable educators in the State of Florida. I am running for office because I have lived in Lake County the majority of my life. I know what this community needs and how to help these people- my neighbors- improve their way of life and address the issues that concern them. Is there anything you would like to add? Currently, Cynthia is a resident of Groveland where she is a full-time rancher. Her decades-long career showed her ability to work with members of both parties, putting America first with her legislative accomplishments. As the former President of the American Shipbuilding Association, she is an experienced public speaker and has testified numerous times before U.S. House and Senate Committees. She has the work ethic, experience and passion to fight for Florida's future. Cynthia is the only candidate with a proven track record of using her fierce independence, putting partisan politics aside. As your State House Representative, she is ready to take on bitter partisan Tallahassee politics, by putting Florida First and the people of District 32 as her priority.[2] |
” |
| —Cynthia Brown[1] | ||
See also
- State legislative elections, 2018
- Florida House of Representatives elections, 2018
- Florida House of Representatives
External links
Footnotes
