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Manny Lopez

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This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.
Manny Lopez
Image of Manny Lopez

Democratic Party

Elections and appointments
Last election

November 5, 2024

Education

High school

Key West High School

Bachelor's

Baylor University, 1990

Other

State College of Florida, 2009

Military

Service / branch

U.S. Army

Years of service

1983 - 1986

Personal
Birthplace
Key West, Fla.
Religion
Humanist
Profession
Activist
Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Twitter

Campaign Instagram

Campaign YouTube

Personal Facebook

Personal LinkedIn

Manny Lopez (Democratic Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Florida's 17th Congressional District. He lost in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Lopez completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Manny Lopez was born in Key West, Florida. He served in the U.S. Army from 1983 to 1986. He graduated from Key West High School. He earned a bachelor's degree from Baylor University in 1990 and graduated from the State College of Florida in 2009. His career experience includes working as an activist, first responder, and educator. He has served as a school board member, on the Monroe County Port Authority Board, and on the Central Texas Economic Development Council.[1]

Lopez has been affiliated with the following organizations:[1]

  • Democratic Executive Committee
  • Hispanic Caucus
  • LULAC
  • Environmental Caucus
  • Senior Caucus
  • PFLAG
  • Florida Veterans for Common Sense

Elections

2024

See also: Florida's 17th Congressional District election, 2024

Florida's 17th Congressional District election, 2024 (August 20 Republican primary)

Florida's 17th Congressional District election, 2024 (August 20 Democratic primary)

General election

General election for U.S. House Florida District 17

Incumbent Greg Steube defeated Manny Lopez and Ralph E. Hartman in the general election for U.S. House Florida District 17 on November 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Greg Steube
Greg Steube (R)
 
63.9
 
291,347
Image of Manny Lopez
Manny Lopez (D) Candidate Connection
 
36.1
 
164,566
Image of Ralph E. Hartman
Ralph E. Hartman (No Party Affiliation) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
8

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 455,921
Candidate Connection = 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 U.S. House Florida District 17

Manny Lopez defeated Matthew Montavon in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Florida District 17 on August 20, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Manny Lopez
Manny Lopez Candidate Connection
 
52.9
 
25,017
Image of Matthew Montavon
Matthew Montavon Candidate Connection
 
47.1
 
22,244

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 47,261
Candidate Connection = 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.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary election

The Republican primary election was canceled. Incumbent Greg Steube advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Florida District 17.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Lopez in this election.

2016

See also: Florida House of Representatives elections, 2016

Elections for the Florida House of Representatives took place in 2016. The primary election took place on August 30, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was June 24, 2016.

Incumbent Julio Gonzalez defeated Manny Lopez in the Florida House of Representatives District 74 general election.[2][3]

Florida House of Representatives, District 74 General Election, 2016
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.png Julio Gonzalez Incumbent 62.65% 58,102
     Democratic Manny Lopez 37.35% 34,646
Total Votes 92,748
Source: Florida Division of Elections


Manny Lopez defeated Jerry L. Nicastro in the Florida House of Representatives District 74 Democratic primary.[4][5]

Florida House of Representatives, District 74 Democratic Primary, 2016
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.png Manny Lopez 60.43% 5,324
     Democratic Jerry L. Nicastro 39.57% 3,486
Total Votes 8,810


Incumbent Julio Gonzalez ran unopposed in the Florida House of Representatives District 74 Republican primary.[4][5]

Florida House of Representatives, District 74 Republican Primary, 2016
Party Candidate
    Republican Green check mark transparent.png Julio Gonzalez Incumbent (unopposed)

Campaign themes

2024

Video for Ballotpedia

Video submitted to Ballotpedia
Released July 21, 2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Candidate Connection

Manny Lopez completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Lopez's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Manny Lopez a 3rd generation Key West Floridian. Common Sense Governance with Civility, Principles, and Accountability is my theme. Worked as a First Responder, Educator, Veteran and in Government. Caring, Moderate, Proactive, Compassionate, Strong, Reasonable, Principled, Passionate, and Fighter.

Elected School Board Member, Monroe County Port Authority Board, Executive Board Central Texas Economic Development Council, Hill County Extension Service Chairman, organized and chaired countywide issues convention overseeing 21 task forces, President of the Young Democrats, President of PHI THETA KAPPA honor society and graduated Baylor University.

Experienced in dealing with governments, bureaucracy, agencies, and organizations to make government work for the people.

Decades activist for Equal Rights Amendment, Women’s rights, Civil Rights, Gay Rights, Desegregation, Anti-Vietnam War, Legalizing Marijuana, Welfare Reforms, Gun Safety, Anti Corporate Greed, and Immigration Reform.

7 years captain with the Sarasota & Venice Chalk Festivals, worked relief on many Hurricanes . Worked in food banks, Meals on Wheels, Habitat for Humanity, migrant worker reform, citizen school committees and others.

A Scoutmaster, tutor, Big Brother, Youth Coach for baseball, football, and basketball, Organized a countywide co-ed youth basketball league winning the Kiwanian of the Year Award, and school sponsor of the Environmental Club winning the Sarasota Bay Estuary Blue Dolphin Award.
  • It is imperative that congress Codify Reproductive Rights for abortion, birth control, and reproduction such as IVF. Reproductive Rights decision should be made by the woman, her doctor, & her Family. Government has no right to dictate the health care of anyone. Reproductive Rights is Health Care.
  • The Environment & Climate Change affects our Health, Economy, and Nature.

    We need to focus on Renewable Energy; solar, wind, biomass, hydro power. As the Sunshine State; we should strive to be the national leader in Solar Energy. Preserving and protecting our fresh water sources and estuaries is vital to Our Earths' survival. We need to make Red Tide prevention the priority to replace the need for clean ups. Fight pollution. Reduce Carbon & Methane Emissions. Carbon pricing such as carbon taxes will help reduce pollution. Support carbon capture programs. Develop energy storage technology. Convert emission lines to advanced conductor lines. Energy efficient appliances and lighting.

    Support fusion technology development.
  • We need to eliminate the Social Security earning cap of $168,000 when people stop paying the Social Security tax. Conservative and liberal think tanks like the Heritage Foundation and the Cato Institute, say this can increase Social Security benefits and expand solvency. We also should stop paying taxes on Social Security. Corporate greed is the deterrent. Everyone below the $168,000 cap pays 6.2% while a millionaire pays less than 1% on their earnings. The more one makes the less percent they pay on their earnings. Why should the wealthy pay less at the cost of the working and middle class? Eliminating the Earnings Cap will increase benefits and solvency for 35 - 75 years, depending on the benefit increases, according to the studies
Public policy goals are to make people secure, enhancing social well-being for the good of the whole population. Ensure that citizens are free to fulfill their aspirational opportunities, and contribute to the betterment of society. Policies need to govern national issues.

POLOCIES

Protect Our Democracy, Reproductive Rights, Climate Change, Environment, Freedoms, Rights, Rebuild the Middle Class, Medicare, and Social Security, Term Limits, Affordable Housing, fight Corporate Greed, sensible Gun Safety, Supreme Court Code of Ethics and term limits, National Home Owners Insurance program, end Cuban Embargo, eliminate our dependency of China pharmaceuticals through Puerto Rico drug manufacturing are public policies at my forefront agenda.
Martin Luther King. His ability to speak well on his beliefs of fairness, freedoms, equality, and rights. His actions to stand up for and fight for equality and fairness for all despite the odds against him are examples to follow.
The U.S. Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, the Pledge of Allegiance, and the Gettysburg Address demonstrate my political philosophy.

The following are fundamental principles of our Democracy I believe. These fundamentals along with the voice of the people will be my guiding light as a Congressman.

"...with Liberty and Justice for all...", Pledge of Allegiance
"...government of the people, by the people, and for the people...", Gettysburg Address
"We the people of the United States, in order to from a more perfect union, establish Justice, insure Domestic Tranquility...", U.S. Constitution
"...unalienable rights...Life Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness." Declaration of Independence.

No state shall deny any person..."Equal Justice Under the Law", 14th Amendment.
Honesty, Civility, Accountability, Caring about the people over the party and politics. Focusing on the people and not reelection.
I care about the people, moderate, compassionate, relentless, passionate, reasonable, strong, and a fighter for what I believe.
The core responsibilities of Congress is to enact laws that represent the voice of the people for the overall public good by providing security, funding government functions and programs, holding hearings to inform the public of the legislative process, provide governmental oversight, and to positively influence the lives of all Americans.
I served for the betterment of the people and not myself.
The Cuban Missile Crisis. I was 11 years old 90 miles from Cuba in Key West, Florida. The entire island was a military compound fortress. Hawk missiles surrounded the perimeter island and many interior empty lots. Soldiers and military vehicles were everywhere. The Lower Keys had military sites scattered in many places. We hid under our desk for atomic bomb drills in case of an attack. People talked about it many times daily in school, at home, and in the streets. I was politically tuned in at 11 years old so it was very serious to me.
I worked for Southern Bell as a telephone man, PBX installer/repairman for three years. I left voluntarily to pursue other interests.
To Kill A Mockingbird. Atticus Finch, the lawyer played by Gregory Peck, is a personality to emulate. His pursuit of justice at his sacrificial expense due to ridicule and abuse was a good example of being a fair statesman and doing what is correct for the people.
Superman who believed and practiced in "Truth, Justice, and the American Way".
Bob Marley, Who the Cap Fits.
Seeing Social Injustice.
It is a closer representation of the people compared to the Senate. An argument can be made to increase the number of U.S. House of Representatives. Presently a Representatives serves approximately 750,000 people. Lowering that amount can provide a better, closer, and more direct representation of the people.
Yes, it is beneficial but so are many other combined experiences. The more rounded a congressman is from various experiences the a better they can be as a Representative. Having government and political experience greatly helps in knowing the process of governance but is not an absolute necessity. A variety of life experiences can override the lack of political or government experience but having both is best.
Saving Our Democracy to preserve our Rights and Freedoms, a new BRICS currency that could weaken the power of US sanctions and leading to a further decline in the dollar's value, climate change, National Debt, malicious cyber disruptions, the income gap widening, and war involving our American soldiers. These are our greatest threats over the next decade.
I would like to see two 3 year terms as term limits to help with legislation over fundraising.
Representatives spend most of their 2nd year of their two year term fundraising which is half their term. The result with three 2 year terms is 3 years of legislation and 3 years of fundraising. Representatives should have two three year terms limits which would yield 5 years of legislation and just one year of fundraising at the end of their first 3 year term.
Representatives should be 6 years, Senators 12 years, Supreme Court justices 12-15 years as term limits.




Term limits need to be applied to all branches of government. Life long political terms lends itself to making decisions that favor donors, increases corruption, lobbyists dominance of officials, and gives too much advantageous power to incumbents during elections. A constant turnover of fresh blood in qualified leadership leads to dynamic new ideas and results versus stagnation from the old guard. Term limits will improve our government.
Bernie Sanders, Jamie Raskin, Elizabeth Warren, John Lewis, Liz Chaney, and John McCain.
Seniors are the fastest growing homeless group in our District. Young working families can not afford basic housing.
Yes, working towards common ground when far apart is critical for improvements. A few steps forward is better than none. Further steps can be taken the next time the issues is taking up. Compromise should be used when needed but avoided when possible.
I believe in a balanced budget system. The money needed to raise would be determined by the expenses needed. Fiscal accountability and scrutiny in budget development is critical. The budget money needed to rise should be fair and judiciously determined to fill the needs of the people and not the politician.
Investigative powers should be used for wrong doings and oversight regardless of political parties. Investigations should not be gained for political or personal gains. We need a statesman approach.
Florida Democratic Environmental Caucus, Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense, Florida LGBTQ+ Democratic Caucus, and Andrea Doria Kale my former Congressional opponent.
Education and the Workforce, Veteran Affairs, Foreign Affairs, Energy and Commerce are the committees that interest me.
Transparency and accountability should be very high in government. Financial and personal accountability is part of congressional oversight responsibility. Financial accountability should include disclosure of al financial donors and gift providers along with the gift. Citizens United circumvents financial accountability and it should be struck down as law.

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 website

Lopez's campaign website stated the following:

“

The Forefront of My Agenda:

  • Rebuilding the middle class by closing the wealth gap between the 90% and 10%. Corporate greed is widening the gap.
  • Protecting our environment & drinking water.
  • Women's Choice, LGBTQ+, Voters, and “Rights for All” should be safeguarded.
  • Preserving & Protecting our democracy.
  • Advocating for sensible gun safety measures.
  • Reforming insurance.
  • Securing Medicare & Social Security.
  • Increase FEMA services, funding, and reduce red tape.
  • Affordable Housing
  • Reform immigration laws.
  • Government Reforms; Balanced Budget, Filibuster, Term Limits, Accountability, and Lobbyist Influence.[6]
 ”
—Manny Lopez's campaign website (2024)[7]

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.

Manny Lopez campaign contribution history
YearOfficeStatusContributionsExpenditures
2024* U.S. House Florida District 17Lost general$69,448 $69,448
Grand total$69,448 $69,448
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete

See also

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External links

Candidate

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    Footnotes

    1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on July 22, 2024
    2. ↑ Florida Department of State, "Candidate listing for 2016 general election," accessed September 12, 2016
    3. ↑ Florida Division of Elections, "November 8, 2016 Official Election Results," accessed November 23, 2016
    4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Florida Department of State, "Candidates and Races," accessed July 1, 2016
    5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Florida Division of Elections, "August 30, 2016 Official Election Results," accessed September 22, 2016
    6. ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
    7. ↑ Manny Lopez's campaign website, "My agenda," accessed September 19, 2024


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