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Debbie Katt
Debbie Katt (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Florida House of Representatives to represent District 57. She lost in the general election on November 6, 2018.
Katt completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2018. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Debbie Katt earned a master's degree in math. Her professional experience includes working as a software engineer. [1]
Elections
2018
General election
General election for Florida House of Representatives District 57
Mike Beltran defeated Debbie Katt in the general election for Florida House of Representatives District 57 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Mike Beltran (R)  | 55.3 | 46,569 |
 | Debbie Katt (D) | 44.7 | 37,695 | |
| Total votes: 84,264 (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. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Florida House of Representatives District 57
Debbie Katt advanced from the Democratic primary for Florida House of Representatives District 57 on August 28, 2018.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | Debbie Katt |
| ||||
| = 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 57
Mike Beltran defeated Sean McCoy in the Republican primary for Florida House of Representatives District 57 on August 28, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Mike Beltran | 53.2 | 9,695 |
| Sean McCoy | 46.8 | 8,528 | ||
| Total votes: 18,223 | |||
| = 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
Debbie Katt completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Katt's responses.
What would be your top three priorities, if elected?
1. Fully fund our public-school system, decrease exorbitant testing of our kids, increase teacher salaries/protect the Florida retirement system. 2. Provide healthcare – far too many Floridians are making impossible choices between healthcare and ordinary life expenses. It is imperative we expand Medicaid, fix the problems of the ACA, and help millions of Floridians. 3. Protect our environment – promote clean air, clean water, clean rivers, sustainable energy resources; mitigate the effects of global warming and increase environmental resilience, especially in the Tampa Bay area which is highly susceptible to rising waters and storm surge; prevent off-shore drilling and fracking.
What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?
Fully funding our schools is personal for me because for two years, my daughter has gone to a school with no AC. It has been broken for five years, apparently. In addition, I have several friends...hard-working, middle class people, who simply cannot afford health insurance, and many other friends who are paying ridiculous rates.
Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?
There are two government officials who I admire: Kathy Castor, Congresswoman from Tampa, and Amy Klobuchar, Senator from Minnesota. These strong women work tirelessly for the greater good.
Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?
Bobby Kennedy: A Raging Spirit, by Chris Matthews
What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?
Listening to all constituents, integrity, problem-solving, collaboration.
What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?
Listening to all constituents, integrity, problem-solving, collaboration. :-)
What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?
Florida Legislatures have two jobs: fully fund schools (per the Florida Constitution) and pass a balanced budget. In addition, representatives pass laws and regulations for the greater good of all Floridians.
What legacy would you like to leave?
Smart, creative, out-of-the box thinking that created efficient, effective, reasonable solutions.
What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?
I remember wearing the Vietnam POW bracelets in 2nd-3rd grade. My POW was captured on my birthday. I do not know if he made it home. Regarding an actual event, I remember walking my dog, Sandals, in 6th grade and watched Nixon resign when I got home.
What was your very first job? How long did you have it?
I was a waitress at a retirement home at age 15. I worked there almost two years.
What is your favorite holiday? Why?
Christmas. Family time, the festive decorations, the anticipation, the preparation, the traditions, my husband's incredible Roast Beast (roast beef) and Yorkshire pudding for family dinner.
What is your favorite book? Why?
Failure is Not an Option, by Flight Director Gene Kranz. Fascinating.
If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?
Captain Picard, from Star Trek, The Next Generation. He was always to calm, cool, logical.
What was the last song that got stuck in your head?
We are Farmers...ba ba ta ta ta ba ba bum.
What is something that has been a struggle in your life?
Maintaining an exercise routine. After I stopped playing team sports, it's been a challenge to get motivated to work out for the sake of working out. I miss the camaraderie of being on a team and working hard together as a team.
Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?
It's helpful, but not necessary.
What do you perceive to be your state’s greatest challenges over the next decade?
Recovering from 20 years of GOP super majority...getting our schools back up to par and funded, keeping the morale of teachers up, cleaning up the toxic algae, keeping our waters clean, bracing for climate change and storm surges.
What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and the state legislature?
Communication.
Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.
Absolutely. It's irresponsible not to build relationships. We need leaders who will collaborate and cooperate with each other. Only by working together, via team work, will the best and most creative solutions be crafted for the betterment of all Floridians.
What process do you favor for redistricting?
Data-driven
If you are not a current legislator, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?
Education and Appropriations
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?
Of course. I would like to chair a committee.
Is there a particular legislator, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?
I'm in awe of the way Jack Kennedy handled the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?
That is not on my radar at present. I never imagined running for this office! But I got frustrated with things not getting done in Tallahassee and feeling under-represented.
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 general fatigue of people not trusting their leaders and politicians not working with each other and being so divided. People are ready for leaders who work together and get things done.
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
- State legislative elections, 2018
- Florida House of Representatives elections, 2018
- Florida House of Representatives
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted on Ballotpedia’s biographical information submission form October 13, 2018
