As election season comes to a close and we look forward to the annual autopsy of Florida Democrats. I want to address a subject which annoys me but hasn’t been addressed enough, out of state consultants. 

Now, I don’t claim to speak for the Republicans, nor have I been practicing this craft that long (I can’t legally drink yet.) But, it’s nonsensical to have someone from out of state anywhere near a campaign, especially one with tight margins. 

When I interned in the legislature, I sought advice from a member, seeking potential openings in Miami Politics. He detailed his potential campaign, casually bringing up that a guy from Virginia signed on to be campaign manager. 

A 19 year old me, wondered how that was going to work? I can look at an atlas and memorize the demographics, but how does one understand the culture, the people, the neighborhoods? 

You can’t, and a Virginian never needs to be involved in a Floridian campaign. 

In my innocence, I thought this incident was a one off, and I was wrong. In my interactions with two other candidates, one extremely prominent, the other probably not known to even the most seasoned follower of Florida Politics. 

In fact, the latter is still receiving guidance from a man with no political experience or practical knowledge of the area. And while, yes the candidates deserve blame, the party deserves more, for not developing and hiring proven winners. 

As we barrel towards the end of campaign season and stare down yet another autopsy, I challenge us on the left to stand up for common sense and stop taking guidance from those out of state.

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Democratic LG nominee Karla Hernández-Mats will attend on Thursday a GOTV rally hosted by Latino Victory Fund, featuring “Hamilton” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, alongside Annette Taddeo, candidate for U.S. Congress, Maxwell Frost, candidate for U.S. Congress, Janelle Perez, candidate for State Senate, AJ D’Amico, candidate for State Representative, and other elected officials, community leaders, and community members.