Rick Ashby

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

Rick Ashby

Democratic Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

August 18, 2020

Education

Bachelor's

University of Central Florida, 1991

Personal

Birthplace

Kalamazoo, Mich.

Religion

Christian

Profession

Principal switch and data engineer; Project manager

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Twitter

Rick Ashby (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Florida State Senate to represent District 9. He lost in the Democratic primary on August 18, 2020.

Ashby completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Rick Ashby was born in Kalamazoo, Michigan. He obtained a bachelor's degree from the University of Central Florida in 1991. Ashby's professional experience includes working as a principal switch and data engineer and as a project manager. He is involved with the Poor People's Campaign.

Elections

2020

See also: Florida State Senate elections, 2020

General election

General election for Florida State Senate District 9

Jason Brodeur defeated Patricia Sigman and Jestine Iannotti in the general election for Florida State Senate District 9 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jason Brodeur (R)	50.3	141,544
		Patricia Sigman (D)	47.6	133,900
	Submit photo	Jestine Iannotti (No Party Affiliation)	2.1	5,787

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 281,231
= 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 State Senate District 9

Patricia Sigman defeated Alexis Carter, Rick Ashby, Guerdy Remy, and H. Alexander Duncan in the Democratic primary for Florida State Senate District 9 on August 18, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Patricia Sigman	50.3	18,191
		Alexis Carter	17.4	6,290
		Rick Ashby	13.5	4,868
		Guerdy Remy	12.5	4,524
		H. Alexander Duncan	6.4	2,314

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 36,187
= 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

• Justin Miller (D)

Republican primary election

The Republican primary election was canceled. Jason Brodeur advanced from the Republican primary for Florida State Senate District 9.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Alex Kristowicz (R)

Campaign themes

2020

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Rick Ashby completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Ashby's 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 would like to introduce myself to you as Candidate for Florida Senate District 9. Since I graduated from the University of Central Florida in 1991, I worked as a Telecommunications Principal Engineer and Project Manager for 20 years. My project management experience gives me a unique perspective on getting the job done in Tallahassee and with your help, I will devote my time to move Florida forward and solve the issues that our state faces. For 20 years Republicans have had a majority in Tallahassee and the results have not been good for Florida. Too often special interests have won the day and the Florida citizen has lost. The priorities of the current Legislature do not line up with the citizen's needs. We have serious income inequality, affordable housing shortages, our public schools have been neglected, our lakes and rivers become more polluted every year and 2.6 million Floridians suffer without health insurance - A basic human need. But, when the citizens of our great state looked to Tallahassee this year for leadership on these pressing issues, what they got was more of the same special interest objectives and big money politics. But, these problems are not insurmountable, Don't let them tell you they are! - Access to affordable healthcare, a living wage, clean air, clean water, clean energy. In the 4th highest GDP state in the richest country in the world in 2020, we can be successful together

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?

• Single-payer healthcare is the solution to our current private insurance system that denies healthcare to people who need it and is the leading cause of bankruptcy. I will work for a system that covers every citizen.
• When we invest in our communities, we leverage the creativity of 20 million Floridians. We must move away from the lie of "supply-side economics" and put money where it counts - in our communities.
• We must invest in affordable housing and clean energy. We must invest in our schools and stop diverting money to private education. We must stop mass incarceration and adopt state-wide community policing standards.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Healthcare for all citizens, Access to quality education for all, a fair and equitable progressive tax system, fairness in policing and criminal justice.

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

Bernie Sanders and Martin Luther King. They both worked consistently for social justice and never wavered in their commitment to a better America.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

Dark Money by Jane Mayer

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

Integrity and dedication to their constituent's best interests. I will not take special interest money. I will represent the voters.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

Integrity and determination.

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

Introduce and advocate for good legislation. Partner with organizations that advance the well-being of Floridians.

What legacy would you like to leave?

A cleaner, more sustainable, more just Florida. A Florida that is the model for the nation.

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

The Apollo 16-17 moon landings - 5 years old.

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

I delivered newspapers for 1 1/2 years, starting when I was 13 years old.

What is your favorite book? Why?

"Dark Money" by Jane Mayer. It exposes the ways that monied special interests warp our society and politics. It underscores and details the need to get big money out of politics.

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

The Chicks - "March, March"

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

I have not fully realized my talents to improve society. I think political involvement will be a good way for me to do that.

Every state besides Nebraska has two legislative chambers. What do you consider the most important differences between the legislative chambers in your state?

The House has 135 members and the Senate has 40. They are both controlled by republicans and they both pass terrible legislation, but the Senate is a bit more "moderate". Senators can introduce an unlimited number of bills, but House members are limited.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

Yes.

What do you perceive to be your state’s greatest challenges over the next decade?

We have to provide healthcare to all of our citizens. We have to level the economic playing field with higher wages. We have to deal with the challenges of climate change and move forward with a sane energy policy that provides 100% of energy from renewables.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and the state legislature?

They both should be controlled by Democrats. The Legislative branch should enforce the laws and spend the money that the Legislature appropriates.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

Yes. It is a central part of a legislator's job to work with other legislators to build consensus and compromise. In this way the will of the voters can be realized.

What process do you favor for redistricting?

The process should be conducted by a non-partisan citizen review board so that it is conducted fairly.

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

Energy, Health, Education

Is there a particular legislator, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

Bernie Sanders

Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?

Yes.

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?

While I was at a rally to let our senator know that eliminating the ACA would cause the death of thousands of Americans, one of my neighbors was there and gave a speech. She described how her son's life was saved because he went to the doctor and was diagnosed early with colon cancer. She was adamant that if the ACA did not exist, her son would not have had insurance, would not have gone to the Dr. and would be dead. Her story was particularly impactful because I had never seen her before and it was obvious that she did not attend protests, but this was important enough to her to join and share her story.

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

What's on the ballot? U.S. President U.S. Congress U.S. Congress special elections State executives State legislatures State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards Election analysis hub

Government

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

Newsletters

Coronavirus Weekly Updates Documenting America's Path to Recovery The Heart of the Primaries The Daily Brew The Weekly Brew The Ballot Bulletin Checks and Balances Economy and Society Hall Pass Number of the Day Robe & Gavel Union Station

External links

• Search Google News for this topic

Footnotes

[show]

Current members of the Florida State Senate

Leadership

Senate President:Ben Albritton

Majority Leader:Jim Boyd

Senators

District 1

Don Gaetz (R)

District 2

Jay Trumbull (R)

District 3

Corey Simon (R)

District 4

Clay Yarborough (R)

District 5

Tracie Davis (D)

District 6

Jennifer Bradley (R)

District 7

Tom Leek (R)

District 8

Tom Wright (R)

District 9

Stan McClain (R)

District 10

Jason Brodeur (R)

District 11

Vacant

District 12

Colleen Burton (R)

District 13

Keith Truenow (R)

District 14

Vacant

District 15

LaVon Bracy Davis (D)

District 16

Darryl Rouson (D)

District 17

Carlos Smith (D)

District 18

Nick DiCeglie (R)

District 19

Debbie Mayfield (R)

District 20

Jim Boyd (R)

District 21

Ed Hooper (R)

District 22

Joe Gruters (R)

District 23

Daniel Burgess (R)

District 24

Mack Bernard (D)

District 25

Kristen Arrington (D)

District 26

Lori Berman (D)

District 27

Ben Albritton (R)

District 28

Kathleen Passidomo (R)

District 29

Erin Grall (R)

District 30

Tina Polsky (D)

District 31

Gayle Harrell (R)

District 32

Rosalind Osgood (D)

District 33

Jonathan Martin (R)

District 34

Shevrin Jones (D)

District 35

Barbara Sharief (D)

District 36

Ileana Garcia (R)

District 37

Jason Pizzo (N)

District 38

Alexis Calatayud (R)

District 39

Bryan Avila (R)

District 40

Ana Rodriguez (R)

Republican Party (26)

Democratic Party (11)

No Party Affiliation (1)

Vacancies (2)