Omar Reyes

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

Omar Reyes

Independent

Education

Associate

State University of New York, Farmingdale

Personal

Birthplace

New York, N.Y.

Religion

Unitarian Universalist

Profession

Network architect

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Twitter

Omar Reyes (independent) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Florida's 22nd Congressional District. He did not appear on the ballot for the general election on November 3, 2020.

Reyes completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Omar Reyes was born in New York, New York. He received an associate degree from the State University of New York at Farmingdale in 2001. His professional experience includes working as a network architect.

Elections

2020

See also: Florida's 22nd Congressional District election, 2020

Florida's 22nd Congressional District election, 2020 (August 18 Republican primary)

Florida's 22nd Congressional District election, 2020 (August 18 Democratic primary)

General election

General election for U.S. House Florida District 22

Incumbent Theodore E. Deutch defeated James Pruden in the general election for U.S. House Florida District 22 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Theodore E. Deutch (D)	58.6	235,764
		James Pruden (R)	41.4	166,553

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 402,317
= 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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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Lisa Marmorato (Unaffiliated)
• Omar Reyes (Independent)

Democratic primary election

The Democratic primary election was canceled. Incumbent Theodore E. Deutch advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Florida District 22.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Imtiaz Mohammad (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Florida District 22

James Pruden defeated Jessi Melton, Fran Flynn, and Darlene Cerezo Swaffar in the Republican primary for U.S. House Florida District 22 on August 18, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		James Pruden	35.6	11,840
		Jessi Melton	30.0	9,969
		Fran Flynn	26.1	8,667
		Darlene Cerezo Swaffar	8.3	2,763

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 33,239
= 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

• Kevin Boyle (R)
• Eddison Walters (R)
• Joe Smith (R)
• Christine Scott (R)

Campaign themes

2020

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Omar Reyes completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Reyes' responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a network engineer with over 20 years of experience in information technology across academia, healthcare, and the private sector. I am the son of immigrants from the Dominican Republic, husband, caregiver, gamer, and a music lover. I believe everyone deserves a basic level of respect and treated with such. We share this world but experience it differently, we must do what we can to make this a world worth living in.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Cyber security is a national security issue.
• We need a freedom dividend and medicare for all to combat the job losses from automation and A.I.
• We must take action to adapt to the climate crisis.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am passionate about our technology policy. Our current leadership does not understand how technology works and many still believe technology is an unnecessary aspect of American life. Technology, more specifically - the internet, has become an essential aspect of social and economic development. As healthcare costs rise, insurance companies have been dictating what treatments are best suited for patients instead of doctors. Healthcare should not be a for profit endeavor to benefit shareholders. South Florida prides itself on the beauty of its beaches and diversity in its wildlife. We need to take swift action to clean our waters, make clean energy our primary source of energy, do what we can to minimize our carbon footprint, bolster our disaster response to promptly restore normalcy after extreme weather events, and work with developing nations to use clean environmental practices so their industrial practices do not affect our environment.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

My wife. She's an activist that does not let her ailment hold her back from helping others. She is the strongest person I know.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Integrity, discipline, and a commitment to public service. Our democracy fails when the population cannot trust their representatives are working for their constituents.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

The budget is a reflection of the values and priorities of an elected officials' constituency. It is imperative for an elected official to listen and understand the concerns of the constituents so the representative may translate those concerns into line items that support the various agencies whose programs will best serve the community.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

The NASA space shuttle Challenger disaster. I was seven years old at the time and watched it live.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

My first job was as a clerk at my dad's grocery store in the Bronx.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

Jee Veerey, a song about mental health and perseverance by the Indian rock group 'Bloodywood'

What qualities does the U.S. House of Representatives possess that makes it unique as an institution?

The US House of Representatives has the closest proximity to the people and understands their needs as reflected through their budget priorities.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for representatives to have previous experience in government or politics?

I believe there is a benefit to having previous government or political experience, but it is not an essential aspect of governance. A representative must be able to bring expertise in subject matters that affect the community and be a public servant, not fulfilling a self-serving agenda.

What do you perceive to be the United States’ greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

Addressing the ever-evolving technological landscape which poses a threat to our democracy and even our perception of reality.

If you are not a current representative, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?

I would prefer to be a part of the committees on Science, Space, and Technology and Transportation and Infrastructure.

Do you believe that two years is the right term length for representatives?

Yes, two years is the right term length for representatives.

What are your thoughts on term limits?

I believe representatives should serve no more than three terms in office. Many representatives go into office with a set of ideas for the era in which they entered office. In order for a nation to move forward, ideas must be refreshed and the future generation must be able to implement solutions to the issues affecting their generation.

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

2020 Elections

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Government

Who represents me? U.S. Congress State executives State legislators State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards

Newsletters

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External links

• Search Google News for this topic

Footnotes

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Florida's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Ashley Moody (R)

Rick Scott (R)

Representatives

District 1

Jimmy Patronis (R)

District 2

Neal Dunn (R)

District 3

Kat Cammack (R)

District 4

Aaron Bean (R)

District 5

John Rutherford (R)

District 6

Randy Fine (R)

District 7

Cory Mills (R)

District 8

Mike Haridopolos (R)

District 9

Darren Soto (D)

District 10

Maxwell Frost (D)

District 11

Daniel Webster (R)

District 12

Gus Bilirakis (R)

District 13

Anna Luna (R)

District 14

Kathy Castor (D)

District 15

Laurel Lee (R)

District 16

Vern Buchanan (R)

District 17

Greg Steube (R)

District 18

Scott Franklin (R)

District 19

Byron Donalds (R)

District 20

Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D)

District 21

Brian Mast (R)

District 22

Lois Frankel (D)

District 23

Jared Moskowitz (D)

District 24

Frederica Wilson (D)

District 25

Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D)

District 26

Mario Diaz-Balart (R)

District 27

Maria Elvira Salazar (R)

District 28

Carlos Gimenez (R)

Republican Party (22)

Democratic Party (8)