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Emily Rodrigues
Emily Rodrigues (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Florida House of Representatives to represent District 98. She lost in the Democratic primary on August 20, 2024.
Rodrigues completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Emily Rodrigues was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. She graduated from Pompano Beach High School. She attended the University of Florida and earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Central Florida in 2020. Her career experience includes working in digital strategy for MissionWired, for Senator Shevrin Jones in the Florida Senate, and for Central Florida Urban League.[1]
Elections
2024
See also: Florida House of Representatives elections, 2024
General election
The general election was canceled. Mitch Rosenwald won election in the general election for Florida House of Representatives District 98.
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Florida House of Representatives District 98
Mitch Rosenwald defeated Emily Rodrigues, Keith Abel, and Shelton Pooler in the Democratic primary for Florida House of Representatives District 98 on August 20, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Mitch Rosenwald | 37.2 | 5,641 |
 | Emily Rodrigues  | 28.7 | 4,360 | |
 | Keith Abel | 20.8 | 3,153 | |
| Shelton Pooler | 13.3 | 2,013 | ||
| Total votes: 15,167 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Robert Moore Sr. (D)
- Fitzgerald Budhoo (D)
- Steven Meza (D)
Campaign finance
Endorsements
To view Rodrigues's endorsements as published by their campaign, click here. Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Rodrigues in this election.
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Emily Rodrigues completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Rodrigues' responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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I graduated from the University of Central Florida with a B.S. in Political Science and am currently pursuing a M.A. in Political Communication at the University of Florida. While working in the Florida Senate under Senator Shevrin Jones, I assisted in the passage of several bills and procurement of millions of dollars in state funding, helped resolve hundreds of constituents’ issues, and planned community engagement events. Prior to that, I worked at the Central Florida Urban League where I helped connect underserved communities with critical resources to improve economic stability and gained a unique perspective in how nonprofits can work with state government to bring resources to the community.
Now, I hope to continue my advocacy in the Florida Legislature, where I hope to pass Emily’s Plan – a survivors’-focused policy package – in addition to standing up for our reproductive freedoms, making housing and property insurance more affordable, protecting voting rights, and fighting for public education. With my direct experience working in the Legislature, I have what it takes to stand up to DeSantis and far-right extremists to protect our rights.- With the 6-week abortion ban in effect, women across Florida no longer have the freedom to make personal health care decisions with their doctors, and medical providers cannot provide their patients with the care they need without fear of breaking the law. Although some families may have the resources to travel to another state for care, I know this is not a viable option for most people in District 98. We must fight against any attempts to restrict access to reproductive healthcare in our state and ensure that women are in control of their own bodies. As a survivor and the only woman in the race, I will be a strong advocate for restoring and protecting our reproductive freedoms in the Florida Legislature.
- Florida is becoming unaffordable to most of the people who grew up here – and it's become especially tough for residents across District 98. In my own neighborhood, it breaks my heart seeing seniors on fixed incomes have to leave the homes they planned to spend the rest of their retirement in. The issue has also significantly impacted renters, as landlords continue to raise rent prices in response to skyrocketing property insurance costs. Floridians are suffering – and we must act urgently to bring relief and long-term solutions. I refuse to take corporate donations, so you can always trust me to stand up to the corporate landlords and property insurance companies that are driving up housing costs and causing the affordability crisis.
- We must stop the radical agenda that DeSantis and his extremist allies in the State Legislature have been pushing in Florida. From hateful, anti-LGTBQ+ policies like the “Don’t Say Gay'' bill to racist book bans, voter suppression laws, and the rewriting of Black history in our public schools, Republicans have made their priorities clear. I’m ready to stand up for our communities in the Legislature, and I’ll never stop defending our rights and freedom to vote. I have the energy and experience needed to build coalitions and push back on racist and anti-LGBTQ+ policies. We must stop these attacks and bring the focus back to the issues that matter most to folks – like affordability and long-term stability for their families.
As public servants, our elected officials should also demonstrate altruism. Far too often, people seek positions of power to fulfill their personal ambitions or agenda, as opposed to selflessly serving the communities that they were chosen to represent. Regardless of whether I am elected or not, I will always fight for our communities and stand up for what I believe is right – no matter the cost.
I took this quote to heart the first time I read it and have applied it to my life ever since. I strongly believe that love is our greatest power – it’s how we come together, dispel fears, and create lasting change. I believe fighting for the people and causes that you care about is one of the greatest demonstrations of love, and it’s love for the people of District 98 that motivates me to fight for our communities in Tallahassee. My hope is to leave a legacy as someone who poured everything into what she loved, never stopped fighting for her people, and made our world a better place.
However, as with all things, there must still be balance. Although they have plenty of experience, career politicians often become more out of touch with their constituents the longer that they are in office. It’s important that we elect people who understand the everyday struggles that Floridians are dealing with and continue bringing in fresh, new leaders to ensure that our state government reflects the diversity of its people.
Run For Something
SEIU Florida
Broward Young Democrats
Florida National Organization for Women (NOW)
Moms Demand Action Gun Sense Candidate Distinction
State Senator Shevrin Jones (FL SD-34)
Commerce Committee: Because of the fresh, innovative generational insight I can provide to regulated industries on consumer, worker, and business rights in burgeoning areas of Florida’s economy
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 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.
See also
2024 Elections
External links
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Candidate Florida House of Representatives District 98 |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on July 12, 2024
