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Left Out Loud is a progressive political podcast breaking down the biggest stories shaping our democracy. From up-to-the-minute political news and midterm election coverage to in-depth interviews with grassroots Democratic candidates, the show spotlights the voices and movements fighting for real change. Smart, informed, and unapologetically loud, Left Out Loud pairs sharp analysis with humor and plain-spoken commentary, cutting through the noise to focus on what actually matters. If you care about elections, organizing, and the future of the Democratic Party—and you like your politics with a little personality—this is the podcast for you.
All right, we have a
candidate for governor today.
I think this is the first gubernatorial
candidate that we've had on the show.
Hell yeah.
Um, and, and it's quite a state
to be running for governor in.
This is Dana Marie Foster.
She is running for governor
in the s- state of Florida.
So let's welcome her in.
Hey, Dana.
Welcome to Left Out Loud.
Hey.
Hi, thank you so much for having me.
Absolutely.
Thanks for coming.
Thank you.
So let's get started.
I like to start at the beginning,
but I think I wanna start kind of
in the present moment, and maybe
I'll- Okay … ask some background
questions- Mm-hmm … as we m- go on.
Um, running for governor in Florida,
there is a state term limit in Florida.
Mm-hmm.
So no incumbent, because Ron
DeSantis is term expired.
Right.
Um, so this is his last year
as the governor of Florida.
Mm-hmm.
And I think, you know, you'd have to be
living kind of under a rock not to know
the name- Mm … Ron DeSantis, right?
Yeah.
He's probably one of the
most controversial, divisive
governors we've had- Mm-hmm
in a while.
Um, you know, and he's kind
of a household name because of
the crazy stuff that he does.
And I just wanna read off some
of the policies that Ron had, um,
during his time as governor, and
he's still governor, by the way.
Um, so he had the Don't Say Gay law-
Mm-hmm
…
which was about not having any, um,
classroom instruction about sexual
orientation or gender identity.
Mm-hmm.
He had restrictions on DEI.
Mm-hmm.
Um, he banned books.
Mm-hmm.
He did curriculum changes
around Black history to, uh,
downplay the impacts of racism.
He said things like, um- People
gained useful skills as slaves.
Um, that's kind of how he wanted to
spin that, you know, slavery curriculum.
Mm-hmm.
Really tough on immigration.
An absolute menace during COVID.
Um, picked a fight with-
He was so bad … so bad.
Mm-hmm.
Picked a fight with Disney World.
I mean, and those are just
sort of the highlights.
So-
Yeah
…
I, I'm… Knowing all of that
and, n- you know, doing research
obviously on you and your platform
and your policies, such a strong
juxtaposition between the two of you.
Yeah.
How do you feel… How do you… Like,
where do you think Florida is right now?
Do you think they have an appetite to
get away from someone like Ron DeSantis
and get someone in who's more unifying
and, and more interested in putting out
policies that really benefit Floridians?
Absolutely.
And I think no matter what avenue you
look at the data, you can see whether
it's through social media, whether
it's boots on the ground actually
talking to, to the constituents.
Even looking at, like, past voter data
as it relates to, like, some of our,
um, amendments that we've had, like,
in general election on our ballots,
and a lot of the progressive, like,
policies have been reaching either
that threshold of the 60% or higher
or getting, like, very close to it.
Mm-hmm.
And so I believe that we are seeing the
trend that more Floridians are leaning
towards more progressive policies.
Um, but for some reason, there's a
disconnect between our elected officials
and the voices of we, the people.
And so now it's just incredibly important
to make sure that we have the actual
elected officials in office that are
going to match the voices of we, the
people, and push for the legislation
that we are looking and seeking to have.
I love hearing about that data.
I was not aware of that.
Mm-hmm.
You know, I, I don't live in Florida,
Seth doesn't live in Florida.
Mm. And, you know, we talked to candidates
from all over the country, but Florida-
Mm … obviously isn't a monolith like
everywhere else- Mm-hmm … in America.
So I'm glad to see that there,
you know, data kind of proves
that there is an appetite for-
Yeah
progressivism in Florida.
That, that gives me hope.
No, absolutely.
Um, one of the most notable ones,
just because we have by law that 60%
threshold- Mm-hmm … um, as it related
to, like, uh, reproductive healthcare
and access to abortions within our state-
Right … I believe we reached 57%.
Oh, that's wonderful.
We, we were really, we were really
sh- just only shy of, like, 3%,
and it's not a matter of, you
know, us not having the numbers.
What we're seeing is it's more of the
issue of people coming out and voting
and being- Mm-hmm … inspired to do so,
being encouraged, and also being informed.
What I've noticed, because I do
come from an NPA background, I
volunteered with the League of
Women Voters here in Broward County.
So I've noticed since COVID hit,
there's been, like, a declination in the
efforts of outreach across the board,
especially on the Democratic side.
Okay.
We are known, we are the party for getting
out there, knocking on the doors, meeting
the people where they're at, going to
different community events, tabling, and
having those, like, registration, like,
drives- Mm-hmm … just to make sure
that people are coming out in historic
numbers, and it really has not been the
same, like, how it has been historically.
Yeah.
And we've seen an uptick in Republican,
like, voter registration as opposed
to, like, that consistent increasing
trend within Democratic voters.
Fascinating.
Fascinating data.
Love that.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Love that.
Uh, Dana, probably one of the last,
uh, black eyes on the resume of a
guy like Ron DeSantis is, uh- Mm-hmm
Alligator Alcatraz.
Yeah.
And, uh, and just the colossal failure
that that was, but, um- Mm-hmm … what
a, a lot of people still don't know and
what maybe some Florid- Floridians still
don't know is that the money that was
used to build that place now is a, a wash.
Mm-hmm.
A lot of that w- was hurricane funds.
Mm-hmm.
Um, funds that Trump promised to, to
pay back i- in some sort of measure.
Mm-hmm.
Can you talk about that just a little
bit and, and- Mm-hmm … how much
that has, that has left Florida, you
know, you know, in the lurch heading
into- Mm-hmm … hurricane season?
So I don't think we have a full
kind of unders- standing and scope
of what it will mean fiscally- Mm
in terms of what type of, uh-
-expense is going to be, like,
on our, you know, our list.
And how that all went down was
is, of course, DeSantis is always
trying to get brownie points
with the Trump administration.
Right.
And he's trying to further his
agenda to run for president, but
I don't know how many times the
American people have to let him know-
they don't want him for president, so.
But I mean, hey, maybe one
day it'll finally register.
So he continued to build Alligator
Alcatraz and, you know, have this
facility, and thinking that he was
going to be reimbursed by Trump.
I mean, okay, yeah, Trump
said it, but come on now.
We know we can't believe
anything that that man says.
Mm-hmm.
And he totally reneged on his word,
and he was like, "Oh, I never told
you that. I never said I was gonna
reimburse you." So here we are being
stuck to foot the bill as it relates-
Yeah … to Alligator Alcatraz.
And even then, it's a little up in
the air because I just saw something
in the news about a couple days ago
where it's just saying, okay, Florida's
going to have to foot the bill.
And we don't know, like I said, exactly
how that's going to look, especially
for the new incoming governor.
And then on top of that, you have to add
the legislative or the legal, um, aspects
of things where, well, the lawsuits,
they're gonna be coming, you know?
And rightfully so because this
was a heinous crime on humanity.
incredible that you're left on the hook.
And, and like Seth said, I mean,
it's gonna require sacrifice to
other things that Floridians need.
Um- Mm-hmm And, imagine- In the
worst timing ever.
Yeah.
The worst timing ever.
Yeah.
And imagine believing Donald
Trump is going to reimburse
you just 'cause he said so.
You know?
I mean, did he also order some phones?
I wonder if he's waiting
on that Trump phone.
Um,
so, so incredibly shortsighted to think
that Trump would ever- Yeah … actually
deliver on a statement like that.
Um, so let's go backwards.
Mm-hmm.
So you have, uh, a background
in public service, right?
Mm-hmm.
Um, I know that you did work…
I, I loved your story
about working in a library.
Mm-hmm.
And not only just working in a
library, but connecting with community
members- Mm-hmm … and sort of
teaching them how to use the library
as- Mm-hmm … a resource and a tool.
Yeah.
Um, whether it be applying for jobs
or programs or, you know, we think
we live in this digital age, but-
Yeah
n- not, it's not everybody is on the same
level in terms of- Right … navigating
a digital world, and even kids have to-
Mm-hmm … learn how to use technology for
the- Right … first time at some time.
Mm-hmm.
So talk to me about how those experiences
have, or if they have- Mm-hmm … sort
of informed your desire to run- Mm-hmm
for governor.
So I would say that public libraries is
absolutely a social good, and towards
the end of, like, my grad school
process, in some of my courses we
talked about how public libraries are
more of like a community resource than
just being a vessel of preservation
for information basically, right?
Mm-hmm.
'Cause books are sources of information.
And when you look at where a library's
located and the community in which
it's serving, right, you have to then
look and see, okay, what services
can we offer, what books can we have
on our shelves to make sure that
we're meeting the needs of the users.
And for me, because I worked at the
African American Research Library and
Cultural Center here in Broward, we
were located or are located within
the historic community of Cis Trunk.
Okay.
And so with that being said, it is a
predominantly African American community.
It is, for the most part, low income.
It's a food desert.
So keeping those things in mind, it's
okay, well, what are the types of
resources that we need to have present?
Mm-hmm.
And so of course, those decisions
come from admin, but then who are the
individuals that actually facilitate
these resources or present them- Right
and advertise them?
That's for individuals like myself
or my colleagues or anyone who
had been like a supervisor for me.
That's where, like, we step in.
Okay.
So for example, one resource that
we had were, like, hotspots for our
veterans And which just allows them to
have access to, like, internet, right?
But then you have to look past
that to see, okay, well what does
this mean, though, from a policy
standpoint or public administration?
And so what that highlighted was is we
have these individuals who put their
life on the line and sacrifice so much
for the protection of our country,
and then they come back home, and they
don't always have the plans or the
situations in place and the support
from our government to be able to
basically come back into society, right?
Mm-hmm.
And so we see a lot of our veterans
that are displaced, whether if they're
suffering from homelessness or, you
know, um, they're not able to find a job.
So that's kind of where we stepped
in as libraries to ensure that, okay,
we're providing some type of resource.
If we give access to the internet, then
maybe we're able to help create that
bridge to help finding employment, right?
I love that.
Even with, um, literacy issues.
Mm-hmm.
And ensuring that we're offering
computer classes to make sure that we're
ensuring that constituents are digitally
literate, even whether it's from a basic
sense of using Google or something more
involved of Microsoft Word or PowerPoint
or even Excel, because then those s-
those types of skills are transferable,
they're able to obtain a job.
And again, kind of going back to that,
um, topic of, like, homelessness,
which has been criminalized within
the state of Florida per DeSantis.
Uh-huh.
Um, even for students who would
come for homework help, right?
And so from my personal experience working
in libraries, I was able to see what we
were offering As a supplement or a direct
source of aid, right, and support to
the people that the government was not.
Mm-hmm.
And how poor public policy
translates into our everyday lives.
Brilliant.
And I was able to transfer from
being in public libraries for
almost 10 years into becoming an
educator for the last five years.
Mm-hmm.
And that really exposed me to public
policy in a different font as well,
because now you're getting into the
nitty-gritty details of, for example,
um, when we talk about students
who might have, uh, behavioral
issues, and being able to identify
a crisis before it even happens.
Right.
So making sure, like, those red flag laws
are strengthened so that we are exercising
an abundance of caution and safety so
that we don't see tragedies like MSD
happen again, like within not just Broward
County- Yep … but the entire state.
Um, when we see that students
aren't coming to school, especially
students who are either a, immigrants
or their parents are immigrants.
Mm-hmm.
They're not coming to school because
they're afraid that they're gonna get
picked up by ICE because ICE is patrolling
throughout our communities because we
have an attorney general that has bullied
municipalities into signing 287agreements
which are technically optional.
They did not have to, right?
Mm. So this type of experience has
allowed for me to understand what's
happening, right, from Tallahassee to
us, seeing how it's translating, and now
I'm able to take these experiences back
to Tallahassee and say, "No, that's not
going to work." But then to add an extra
layer of protection and advocacy because
I do that for my students right now.
Mm-hmm.
And I have the opportunity to do that for
23.7 million people in this entire state.
And also just having a backbone because
what most of us have to remember is that-
Florida is the testing site and playground
for Project 2025, and when we look at
some of the laws that have been rolled
out over the last just year, we can see
how they're coming directly from the
pages of this horrible instruction manual.
Yeah.
Um, and so with that being said, our
governor is going to be that first line
of defense to the federal administration.
Historically, we haven't really
looked at them as such, but within-
Mm-hmm … the last, you know, year
with being underneath, yet again, a
Trump administration, this newfound
responsibility has been placed on
governors, especially Democratic
ones across the entire country.
Yeah.
We have to coalesce and be able to
stand up to this administration and
put all of our minds, resources,
everything like that together to make
sure that we get this man out of office-
Mm-hmm
…
because he's not fit to be
president of this country.
100%. And so there's a line that
Ri- Randi Weingarten uses in one of
her books that I, I read, but, um,
it's that fascists fear teachers.
And so since Florida is home to Trump-
Mm … and Trump is a fascist, what
better person to be the next governor
of Florida than the very person that
a fascist would fear, a teacher?
Absolutely.
I really love what you said about…
Well, so much, but I love that the
library was sort of structured around
the needs of the communities- Mm-hmm
instead of, as you said,
serving as this brick and mortar
place just for archival of-
Yeah
…
books and, and information to be able…
It would be wonderful, and I'm sure this
is probably just part of who you are-
Mm-hmm
…
to use that as a template statewide-
Mm-hmm … serving as the governor, right?
Mm-hmm.
Being able to see that not every
community is the same throughout Florida.
Right.
The needs are very
vastly different, right?
Mm-hmm.
Depending on socioeconomic status.
Mm-hmm.
Depending on, you know, um,
higher or lower scores in
terms of education and testing.
Yeah.
So I think, wow, what a great foundation
for you- Thank you … um, to be taking
all of that experience into government.
Thank you
really refreshing.
Thank you.
And, you know, I do like
that you said that, you know,
communities know themselves
best.
Yeah, yeah.
And it's something that our
campaign talks about very candidly.
It's something that I do campaign
on, which is ensuring that we respect
home rule as an administration
should Florida elect me to be her
next governor, because that's what
DeSantis is not doing currently.
Mm-hmm.
He's not respecting the
autonomy of local government.
Mm-hmm.
I mean, if we look at Live Local
Act, you know, it was put forth
to address affordability issues,
but it really doesn't help anyone.
Right.
If anything, it's harming our communities
in the sense of them not being able
to govern themselves effectively.
And so, like for example, I remember
being at a, um, young professionals
network through the Urban League in
Palm Beach County just doing some, uh,
campaign outreach, and during this panel
discussion it was discussed how Palm
Beach can't even implement rent control.
Mm-hmm.
And one of the key reasons why they're
unable to do that is because there's a
statewide ban on rent control- Mm-hmm
per the Live Local Act here in our state.
Sad.
And so, you know, there are aspects
of Live Local that can be used to the
benefit of the people, but collectively
there's a lot of reformation that needs to
happen within that piece of legislation.
100%. Yep.
So, uh, Dana, Florida is a, a
destination state, you know?
Mm-hmm.
Whether it, whether the snowbirds wanna
retire there or people just wanna go
there- Mm-hmm … for a little vacation.
Uh, you know, coming from Alabama, I
love to get down to the panhandle myself.
But I always say that, uh, you know,
the Alabama beaches have whiter sand.
I don't know if that's actually true.
I, I like
to think it's true.
I like to think it's true.
But, uh, but, uh, but, you know, right
now Florida, uh, being a destination state
is, it is incredibly expensive, right?
Mm-hmm.
And Florida's in the
middle of a housing crisis.
Um- Mm-hmm … and so I wanna know just
some, some things that you would take
into, you know, if you were to win- Mm-hmm
uh, some ideas that you have to,
to m- address that housing crisis,
to address- Mm-hmm … housing
affordability and, and the like.
Mm-hmm.
So I think it's really important
to make sure that whenever you
address any kind of issue in life,
you address it, like, at the root.
And so I don't have a one,
like, direction kind of plan.
There are a couple of different
things that kind of are
involved and that they overlap.
So one thing that I want to ensure that
we implement within, like, the first week
is making sure that we're launching a
commission to do an analysis on all state
agencies and their mandates or pieces of
legislation to see what is aiding in the
affordability crisis and what is not.
Because we have to fully identify,
like, what are the root causes
from a legislative standpoint.
Mm-hmm.
Then to kind of combat the affordability
crisis from a federal standpoint, right?
Because inflation is monitored
and controlled federally through
the Fed and so on and so forth.
But as a state, it is our responsibility
for our government to ensure that they
are providing some layer of protection.
So a lot of my policy proposals that
I do have within my platform is funded
on one key principle, which is ensuring
that we raise the corporate tax rate.
Mm-hmm.
So my intention is to raise it by 2%,
but even if we raise it by 1%, let
alone, like, 0.5%, we're gonna be able
to generate anywhere, anywhere between
one to two billion extra dollars
that we can add back into the budget.
And so a part of these funds is making
sure that we're able to allocate or
appropriate certain funds within the
budget so that it can be given to local
government to ensure that we're able
to provide affordable housing, right?
So for example, we have
the Sadowski Trust Fund.
It's always appropriated around,
like, $400 million, like, a year.
I would ensure that that trust fund
is appropriated, but then in addition,
the funds are actually dispersed and
allocated to local government, right?
Right.
Um, what we want to see happen is the
curation of what we call environmentally
conscious communities of affordable
housing as it relates to apartments
that are built up to code, 'cause we
do have hurricanes here in Florida.
Mm-hmm.
And they're built in areas of what we
call transit hubs, and normally these
areas are gonna have the appropriate
zoning so that we're not, like, stepping
on the toes of areas that are deemed
as, like, preserves or for conservation.
The area's already zoned for housing.
And then once they're placed there
and it's an affordable housing
structure, A, you're able to kind
of have the supply- B, the cost is
not going to be astronomically high.
And then C, the way that this
becomes environmentally conscious
is because transit hub areas are
usually walkable neighborhoods,
so a grocery store is nearby.
Public transportation is usually nearby,
whether it's a bus terminal or railroad.
Um, same thing for, um, medical attention,
like a hospital being nearby, um, any kind
of pharmacy, just things of that nature.
And so that's how we're starting
to make sure that we're being
responsible in the efforts of what
we're putting forth for our community.
Um, when we talk about housing itself
from a homeownership standpoint, what we
want to do is explore using public land
and keeping it as public land, right?
We're so quick to sell it off, but
public land is an asset, right?
What we wanna do is have community land
trusts where we're able to build homes on.
They will be significantly more affordable
than a home purchased on the land
where you own the home and the land.
And what we wanna do is just create
the space for families, for example,
to have a home, meaning a house, not an
apartment, especially if you've got, like,
five kids, right, and maybe two dogs.
Yeah.
Yeah.
And so them having that ability to be in
a home, save money simultaneously, and
us creating that pathway to be able to
have permanent homeownership where you're
owning the home and the land, and you're
able to create that generational wealth so
that you can keep the home in the family.
You're able to pass it down
through generations, because that's
what we're missing here, right?
We have so many people that are living
in apartments and townhomes because
homeownership is not available.
And then furthermore, sometimes if you
have homes within a family, they're
being lost, especially because, i.e.,
property taxes are incredibly high.
Mm-hmm.
And that's another can
of worms to talk about.
Mm-hmm.
But, you know, but that is our plan
to make sure that we are providing
policy-based solutions and creating
bridge, bridges and pathways to
generational wealth, because we see
too many families, especially young
families, that are leaving Florida.
And furthermore, our policies here
in Florida are very unattractive,
for a lack of a better word.
Yeah.
And people don't feel comfortable
coming to visit our state.
Mm-hmm.
And tourism is down.
It's not, you know, where
it would usually be.
We have a lot of, uh, I know we call
them snowbirds for short, but we have
a lot of snowbirds that, like, did not
come this past- Yeah … you know, um,
winter because of the poor legislation
that has been in place within our state.
Oh.
Man, well, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm
just very impressed by that plan.
You know- Thank you … it's
something that, uh, that our
current president isn't very big on.
On having a plan.
Yeah.
More con- more concepts, as we know.
Mm-hmm.
Uh, so yeah, that, that's,
that's really good stuff.
Thank you.
Appreciate you letting me know.
Thank you.
So Dana, we talked about- Mm-hmm … we
kind of started this conversation
talking about Ron DeSantis
because- Mm-hmm … have to, right?
He is the governor of Florida.
Mm-hmm.
Has been for the last seven years.
Um, a lot… You know, he's so similar
to Trump in that he really leans into
these sort of culture wars versus-
Mm-hmm
meaningful legislation that-
that's helpful- Mm-hmm … for
the people that he serves.
Do you think there's a pathway forward
for Florida to get away from the
culture war and the identity politics?
Like- Mm … you know, how is… How do…
Do things seem different now maybe than
they did during the first Trump term?
Or- Mm-hmm
do they… Are they different
now than they were be- you know,
versus the first Ron DeSantis term?
Mm-hmm.
Like, are you seeing any
shifts happening just-
Mm-hmm
…
in your community and, and-
Mm … throughout, you know, the state
with people that you're talking to?
Um, Florida has always leaned a little
bit more towards the conservative side.
Sure.
Um, you know, but people do
love to note that when Obama
ran both times, we did go blue.
Mm-hmm.
So it's there.
Um, I truly believe it's a matter of
making sure that we have the candidates
that resonate with the people, that
connect with the people, that authenticity
is there, and that genuine aspect actually
translates into, well, trust, right?
Yeah.
Being able to feel like, yes, I can
trust the future of our home with
this person to lead it ethically
and morally, like, correct.
Mm-hmm.
Um, do I believe that we can shift
away from some of what seems like it's
been the norm for the last 10 years?
Um, I do.
Do I think that it's something
that will happen overnight?
No.
Right.
I think just, like, how it's going
to take a process to flip our state
legislature in the House and the Senate-
Mm-hmm … from being a super minority
to just even being a regular minority,
and then at the next step is to be a
majority, it's gonna take time, you know?
Um, and it really starts with making
sure that we have the correct people
in office that are gonna promote, um,
things or attributes within our society,
like making sure, for example, that
we put humanity on a higher pedestal.
Mm.
When I see that, you know, we have people
across the entire state that are just
so cruel to one another- Yeah … right?
Yeah.
Um, I remember saying at the beginning
of this journey that once ago, back in,
like, the '70s, you know, my mom used to
tell me that you could go knock on your
neighbor's door and ask for a cup of flour
or a cup of sugar, but God forbid you
did that in 2026, you know, you might be
putting your life, like, on the line- Yes.
Exactly … knocking on
your neighbor's door.
Yeah.
That's the truth.
And, and so we have to heal as a state,
and even as a country- Mm-hmm … and as
a world, um, because we are very broken.
And that doesn't happen, though, when you
have leaders in place that are promoting
divisive rhetoric and spewing hatred and
prejudice across all of our communities.
And so I, along this journey, have had
the opportunity obviously to mainly
talk to Democrats, but I've also
talked to Republicans, like, as well.
And I think when we put some of the-
morals and personal values to the side and
we're looking at the kitchen table issues-
Mm-hmm
…
we're all dealing with
this affordability crisis.
Yeah.
Like, the majority of us benefit from
having strong public schools because
they're pillars within our community.
Mm-hmm.
And so once we see that we're kind
of all in a similar space, and one,
uh, statement that provides a lot of
perspective, and I, I learned this from
someone who formerly volunteered on our
team, they said that we are all so much
closer to becoming homeless than we are to
becoming a billionaire, let alone- So true
a millionaire.
Yeah.
So once we realize that we
really are all in the same boat-
Mm-hmm
…
and it's really a different way that we
should be looking at our politics We're
able to then finally come together.
Yeah.
And so like I mentioned, I do think
that it's possible, but it's going to
take time, and we have to make sure
that we just have a leader in place
that is going to promote unity- Mm-hmm
instead of disconnect.
I'm really keeping my eyes on Florida.
I feel like, I feel like Florida's
kind of a litmus test, right?
Because- Yeah … especially when
we look ahead to, like, 2028.
Mm-hmm.
Um, I feel like I'm c- I'm so curious.
I never, you know, I never want time
to speed up, but- Mm-hmm … I c-
I, I am really curious and- Yeah
impatient in terms of seeing how
these elections shake out in Florida.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I would say- It's gonna be- Oh, I'm sorry.
Go ahead.
I was gonna say, like, it's, it's,
it's gonna be fun because it is,
you know, things are… You can
tell that things are shifting.
The, the- Mm-hmm … Miami, uh, mayor's
race, uh- Yeah … Boca Raton, uh- Yeah.
It was five votes.
Yeah … losing the Ma- losing
the Mar-A-Lago district.
I mean, these are-
Yeah
…
these are, you know,
eyebrow-raising things.
Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
And so that does, that
does give me some hope.
Um- Yeah … you know, you, you touched
on, uh, the tourism aspect of Florida.
Mm-hmm.
And obviously that's, that's
a, that's a major money-maker-
Mm-hmm
uh, there as we know.
And it's, it's fallen off.
It's fallen off really across the country.
Mm-hmm.
But, but Florida, you know,
it's, it's the big money-maker,
so it's more of a concern.
Mm-hmm.
And, you know, whether it's the, the
affordability of it, because obviously-
Mm-hmm … taking a vacation is a
luxury these days, whether it's- It is.
Yeah … you know, the, whether it's
the expenses or, you know, if, if,
uh, you know, if you're Latino or
something like that- Mm-hmm … you
may fear coming to a place like
Florida because you might get harassed.
Yeah.
You might… ICE might be waiting-
Yeah … around the corner.
You don't know.
It's scary.
Yeah.
So yeah, ta- talk about, like, just,
like, some of the, the, the damage
that has been done to the- Mm-hmm
tourism industry of Florida, and
just- Mm-hmm … maybe what, what
you look forward to maybe changing-
Mm-hmm
…
about that and, and getting that,
getting the, the energy back to-
Mm-hmm … to the tourism industry.
I always say that this is
not checkers, it's chess.
And what I mean by that is we have laws in
place that are literally discriminatory.
And so it's about making sure that we're
overturning these laws so that we can
have ones that are in place that are more
equitable and they're more inclusive.
For example, Florida has a law where
you cannot- operate in such a way where
you're deemed to be a sanctuary state,
because then you're committing a crime.
And that's how, like, the attorney
general w- general was able to bully local
governments into signing 287agreements.
So you're gonna see across the board
that, no, we're not going to have more
visitors to Florida that are coming from,
you know, other countries because, again,
they're afraid that they're gonna get
picked up by ICE, especially when they're
being racially profiled by ICE agents.
Yeah.
And the other aspect is, um, it's a little
bit of tourism, but it's also having
certain Floridian, like, constituents
moving out of Florida, and that's
in reference to the LGBTQ community.
Because all of these pieces of
legislation that are in place,
especially ones that are coming for
trans individuals, like bathroom
bans or gender affirming care bans-
Hmm
I believe Florida has been deemed,
like, dangerous for members of the
LGBTQIA+ community to live and to visit.
So just across the board, then you
add on that layer of, "Well, if I have
any moral compass, I'm not gonna go
and visit a state where I know that
they're being prejudicial to immigrants
and to the LGBTQIA community, so
I'm just not gonna visit at all."
So now you have another demographic
of individuals that are not coming.
And what we're seeing is a
financial burden being placed on a
lot of our small business owners.
So even something as simple
as, um, everyone talks about my
nails, but I get my nails done.
And where I go to get my nails
done, I even- They're beautiful.
I can't stop staring at them, by the way.
Uh- I love the color.
Like, I noticed.
Obsessed.
I, I… No, what is it?
I don't see those.
Electric blue?
It's
beautiful.
It, it's
like, um- It's like a
teal … it's,
it's a, it's, it, it's, I don't know
how to describe it, but it's cat eye.
Okay.
So it depends on how it reflects.
All right.
I love them.
But it's a little bit of, like, our
campaign blue, but, like, also I would
say, like, our ocean waters as well.
I'm, I'm glad
you brought them up- Yeah … 'cause I've
been
mesmerized the entire interview.
Oh, thank you.
And, but, um, as I was mentioning
with the owner of the nail shop
where I get my nails done, he was
even mentioning how things are so
expensive, but then business is slow.
Mm-hmm.
So you're not able to create the
same revenue that you used to, so
now prices are going up- And it's
this whole vicious cycle, right?
But then here we are as the consumers,
and we're like, "Yeah, but this is now
becoming a little, like, expensive." Yeah.
And now instead of getting my nails
done every two weeks, I've gotta
wait like every three to four- Yeah
just to be able to, like, balance
out my own personal budget, right?
For some people, it's I can't
get my nails done at all.
For me, I don't have an extra mouth
to feed 'cause I don't have kids.
Mm-hmm.
I'm not married.
It's just me.
So- Yeah … you know, my budget
looks different than a family of four.
Mm-hmm.
But then you think about a family of
four, right, and then the impossible
decisions that they have to, like, make.
Yeah.
And then if this family is where
the head of the household is a small
business owner, again, it's another
layer of pressure, of stress, of having
to be able to, like, make ends meet.
And I like to remind people
of our state constitution.
It is outlined where it says that we are
all entitled to the pursuit of happiness.
Yeah.
And so many of us right now are stuck
in a space of being in survival mode.
It's exhausting.
Mm-hmm.
It's very, very tiring.
And so underneath the Foster
administration, it's one step forward
to stepping away from surviving
and stepping into happiness.
Love
it.
Love that.
Yeah, I mean, we're ta- we're
out here talking about, like,
politicizing our vacations.
Like- I
know
…
li- uh, you said it.
It's exhausting.
Like- It is … can it, can, can
this please just go away forever?
Seriously.
Yeah.
I mean, I don't know that we'll ever,
we'll ever get back to a place of,
you know, uh, once a pricing has kind
of been established and accepted-
Mm-hmm
…
it kinda sticks there.
Mm-hmm.
Unfortunately, we saw that with COVID
and- Mm-hmm … on and on and on.
Mm-hmm.
Um, so, you know, that's why
we need more progressives and
more Democratic socialists.
Okay, well, then we need stronger and more
robust- Yeah … um, social safety net
programs to- Mm-hmm … help everyone-
Yeah … survive this current day economy.
Um-
Correct.
So before we get to Ces's final question,
let, uh- Okay … let's just talk about-
what it is that you need right now.
Um, you are grassroots.
We talked about this before we-
Yeah
…
started recording.
The, you know- Mm-hmm … it's
exhausting being a grassroots candidate
because there's not a lot of money.
Um- Mm-hmm … so you have
to put in a lot of time- Yeah
a lot of hours to campaigning.
Yeah.
So tell the audience how they can find
you, where are you- Mm-hmm … your
website, your socials, um, and, and
kind of list the things that you- Yeah
… would like or need for your campaign.
Absolutely.
So I'll first say our website
is foster4florida.com.
Um, you'll see this logo-
Easy, yeah
on the website.
Mm-hmm.
And all of our socials are Foster
for Florida, except for X, it's
just the number four in the middle-
Okay
…
of Foster, 4, and then Florida.
Got it.
Um, and for us, what we directly
need, um, it's three things.
So number one is making sure
that we have individuals signing
up to be volunteers- Mm-hmm
because we need as many people, boots
on the ground, knocking on doors,
joining our virtual phone banks, and
contacting constituents across the entire
state, just so that we can promote, you
know, name recognition and exposure.
Which leads me to number two, the
name recognition and the exposure.
Yeah.
So if you do follow us on our
socials, um, reposting our content,
sharing our content, um, even making
your own edits of our content.
I sometimes get tagged, or the campaign
accounts get tagged in, um, different
videos that are made either using what
we've produced or if someone is making
their own post to help- Mm-hmm … promote
the campaign and spread awareness.
I really do appreciate the people
of this state so much, because when
we say that we are the people's
campaign, it, we literally are.
Yeah.
Our entire leadership team is composed
of volunteers, of people from the entire
state that have stepped up and said that,
"We wanna see this campaign succeed."
We even have people currently, like,
trying to get on leadership saying, like,
"Do you have any vacancies?" Like- Oh,
that's great
… "
We, we wanna join," you know?
Yeah.
And so we're kind of getting to that
place where leadership is full, and
we're not- Yeah … able to, like,
bring people on the leadership team,
but we always have, like, room on field
operations, 'cause again, we have to
make sure that we're touching as many
doors as we possibly can- Mm-hmm … and
meeting the people where they are.
Um, and the third aspect in which
we need help is always fundraising.
Yeah.
And I always feel very conflicted
about this, because I am an everyday
working class, like, citizen.
Mm-hmm.
Being an educator, my salary is
funded by taxpayer dollars, right?
Yeah.
Um, and I know the meaning of- $10,
$5, let alone $1, especially, like
how I mentioned, depending on what
your home life looks like, if you're
a single parent or, you know, if
you're in a two-parent household but
one of them's a small business owner.
Um, and so with that being said,
and, and other scenarios too, but
with that being said We do depend on
the small dollar donations because-
Sure … we will not accept APAC
money, we will not accept corporate PAC
money or special interest group money.
Like, this campaign is truly
founded on the people, you know?
Yeah.
Um, and so we've come up with, uh, a fun
kind of idea, which is if constituents are
willing to, like, throw their own house
party, so throw a fundraising house party.
You can set, like, the minimum with your
friend group- I love that idea … get
'em to invite 10 people, right?
Yeah.
And maybe your minimum is you invite
10 friends and they all have to
donate, uh, 20 bucks and bring- Mm-hmm
a dish for, like, a potluck, right?
Within your, well, community, right- Right
… or your nucleus, you're able to raise,
like, $200 for the campaign, and that's
$200 that we didn't have before, you know?
That's a
fantastic idea.
So thank you.
I love that.
Yeah.
Um, but donations always help, and, um,
that can be done through our website.
It is linked to our ActBlue, and it's
just another way of making sure, like,
we are staying completely grassroots.
That's the only way you can-
Okay … donate to this campaign.
Love it.
And the primary in Florida is
…
Is August 18th, so- I thought it was
August … you must be registered-
Okay … to vote by July 20th.
Um, if one wanted to vote for me in
the primary election, they do have to
be registered as a Democrat also- Okay
by July 20th.
Okay.
Uh, early voting takes place, uh,
between August 8th through the 15th,
with election day actually being
the 18th, and I believe your vote by
mail must be, the request application
must be mailed out by August 6th.
Okay.
Yeah.
Okay.
So first, next deadline is July 20th.
Yes.
Um, register as a Democrat to vote- Yes
for Dana Marie Foster in Florida-
Yes … as your governor, so-
Yes … uh, yeah, spread the word
because that's- Yes … coming up fast.
We are-
Yeah
…
July 2nd as of today, as of recording.
Unreal.
Yeah.
Wow,
that
just happened.
Time's flying, I know.
Yeah.
Well, Dana, we … First of
all, we really appreciate your
time today, and, uh- Thank you
what we do with all of our candidates
that come up here- Mm-hmm … we have
a, we have ourselves a little scale.
Which she already said, but
we're gonna say it again.
Yeah, I mean, she really- Okay
… kinda answered the question, but
-
Okay
…
uh, we always do this.
We have our scale, uh, that has, uh,
Bernie Sanders on one side and Chuck
Schumer on the other, and, uh, and,
and we just, uh, make s- uh, make
sure that everybody that comes on is,
uh, you know, grassroots, progressive
values- No PAC money, no AIPAC money.
Yeah.
And you already said all
of those things- Uh-huh.
… so obviously we know, you know,
what kind of candidate you are.
And so all of our people- Oh, thank
you … in Florida, you know, uh, I mean,
we've, we've interviewed- Mm-hmm … a
couple people already in Florida.
Bernard Taylor was one.
I promise, yeah.
Ronnie Mer- Ronnie Martinez
Rivera was another one.
Yes.
So if you've been watching
our series, this is, this is
ano- this is another good one.
This is- Yep.
Thank you.
And obviously wherever you
are in Florida, you gotta vote
for our governor, so- Right.
I was
gonna say, can I, like, totally, like,
blow up the scale and be like AOC?
Do it.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Absolutely.
You know what?
That's
not a bad idea.
Absolutely.
Why do we only have two
men on that scale, Seth?
Yeah.
So, so what … Oh, hey, w- w- wait.
Hey, uh,
so- Just
for you.
Just for
you … I, I'm, I'm … Why not?
Lance, we're
gonna need that graphic.
Yes.
Why not?
Why not?
So we'll, we'll get, we'll
get Lance right on that.
Mm-hmm.
Okay.
But, uh, but, uh, but that's great
to o- obviously, you know, we're
just gonna slide you on over to AOC.
Okay.
And, um, and, and that's,
and that's fantastic.
And, and again, you know,
it's really, really a treat
to, to speak with you today.
And, uh- Thank you … you
know, you know, Florida, I, I, I
feel really good about Florida.
Yeah.
You know, I've been
seeing some crazy polls.
Like we're ahead in like Iowa and Alaska.
Yeah.
Yeah.
And I feel good about Montana.
We had a great-
Right
…
conversation with, uh, with a
senator candidate up in Montana.
Yeah.
I mean, it's, it's- Even
Ohio … feel, feel good.
Yeah.
Right.
Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
I think the country, we've reached
sort of a tipping point, right?
Mm-hmm.
You know, we've just all reached,
I think, a ceiling, a threshold
of tolerance, and we're just done.
Mm-hmm.
We need to move on.
We need, we need to address things
that really matter, and get out of
all- Yeah … of these bullshit culture
war- Mm-hmm … identity politics
that we've been stuck in for 10 years.
We're all tired.
Um- Yeah … but you are, you
know, like a breath of fresh
air- Yeah … and energizing.
And so I wanna thank you.
I know how busy you are.
Your time is so valuable, and-
Thank you
…
really appreciate you coming on.
You're a friend of the show now.
If you need anything- Hey, thank you
… between now and registration day, primary
day, and beyond, please let us know.
Thank you so much.
I really appreciate it.
Absolutely.
And thank you for having me.
Thank
you.
Well, Ally, that was a great
conversation with Dana Marie Foster.
I mean, I tell you what, uh, we talked
about how the, the, the mood and
the vibes in Florida are changing.
Mm-hmm.
And I think Dana is really a
great representation of that.
Yeah.
And, uh, I mean, she's got great
plans, things ready to go once, uh,
s- once she is hopefully elected.
Yeah.
And I mean, if you're a progressive,
and we got the juice right
now- Mm-hmm … Dana's the one
that you need to be looking at.
I just loved her.
I thought she was fantastic.
Um, great backstory, you know, working
in education, before that working in,
in a library, and really understanding-
Community needs based on that experience,
and that's what we need in our politics.
You know, so many people…
And we're seeing that.
We're seeing that with
progressive candidates.
People that are really in public service
for real, for real now wanting to take
all of that experience and knowledge
and turn it into public service in a
political, you know, in a political role.
And I think, ah, it's such…
It's so refreshing.
Like, it's so nice to see public
servants running for political office
versus the lawyers and the Ivy Leagues.
I know I say it all the time,
but it just makes me so happy.
Yeah.
And I mean, she's right in line with
folks like Ronnie- Yeah … Richardson
Rivera, w- like Bernard Taylor
right there- Bernard Taylor
in Florida.
Yeah.
I mean, they're just, they're
just, they're normal people
trying to serve their community-
Yeah … in different ways.
And, you know, the getting, getting
regular people back to Washington-
Yeah
…
um, is, is the way to get our
progressive ideals around.
Because, you know, especially in
Florida, they're just, they're
just chockfull of AIPAC candidates.
You know?
AIPAC
candidates, for
sure.
You know, fake, fake Democrats,
obviously Republicans.
There's like… I mean, I was
talking about it on the live the
other day, it was like 45 to one-
… Republicans to Democrats from AIPAC.
I mean, it's a, it's a, it's
a, it's a, it's a mind-numbing-
Yeah
…
percentage.
So, you know, it, it's, it's tough
over there, but I mean, she's got,
again, great plans, uh, great policies.
And- Mm … again, folks, if, if you're in
Florida, if you're around Florida, you got
people in Florida, please let them know
about this interview or about Dana- Yeah
… uh, because she deserves your vote.
Absolutely.
And, uh, just a reminder,
she said July 20th.
If you are not registered as a
Democrat and you wanna participate
in the primary and vote for Dana,
July 20th is the cutoff for that.
So Floridians, if you're not registered,
if you're an independent and you
really like Dana, get in there, switch
that ticket or register Democrat for
the first time because that's the
only way you can participate in this
primary and vote for Dana Marie Foster.
Absolutely fabulous.
So- Whoo.
Okay, we wrapped up a few interviews.
We got a little break.
We got a holiday coming.
Today is the 2nd.
Fourth of July in a couple of days.
You got a little trip.
You're taking a trip to Vegas.
Viva Las Vegas.
Mm-hmm.
So we're gonna get- Uh-huh … a little
rest here, um, and then we'll be right
back at it in about a week or so.
That's right.
Another Super Tuesday
awaits in about four weeks.
Yeah.
Absolutely.
Pretty- So happy Fourth to
you, Seth, to you, Lance.
Mm-hmm.
Enjoy your vacation.
And I guess I'll see you guys hopefully in
what, like, I don't know, 10 days maybe?
Yeah.
We'll see you on the other side of 250
years of America, American badassness.
Oh my God, did you see somebody
almost died at rehearsals today?
Yep.
What?
Yep.
Did you see?
These girls are doing their dance routine,
and, uh, I don't even know what fell
from the stage, but if they had been
inches closer, somebody would've died.
Tragedy.
Tragedy avoided narrowly.
It's, it's like, it's like the
stage is rejecting this thing.
Yeah.
Everything, the pool, the reflecting
pool is rejecting the water.
The stage is rejecting the dancers.
Like, there's- It's, it's,
it's a, it's a, it's
like Final Destination 8.
It really is.
And there's like- Come on … eight
people wandering around the National Mall.
Oh my God.
Just terrible.
Uh,
anyway.
No AC in the tents.
Yep.
What, what a disaster.
I saw the one woman was like,
"We were just looking for AC.
It's like 100.
We finally found one place that had
AC and, you know, I went to the medic
tent, it, and the medic tent was great.
They really got me hydrated."
I'm like, why are you there?
Why is anyone there?
You know, to have to go to a
medic tent- Right … to celebrate
America's 250th, no, thank you.
No, thank you.
Hard pass.
Ooh.
All right.
Well, I will see you in eight,
nine, 10 days, something like that.
All right, then.
All right, Seth.
All
right.
Later.