Victory Speech - Aug. 20, 2024

Hello Florida!

Well, it is so great to see all of you here with me tonight. Florida, how are we doing?

Thank you so much for joining me tonight. For the last year, we have been fighting every single day, day and night, traveling across the state, talking to you, Florida. Talking to every single one of you, regardless of political affiliation, to create a better future, a united future, a future full of opportunities for all of you. And tonight, you made it clear what comes next.

This victory belongs to so many of you. But I want to start with my family, who’s standing with me tonight. My husband, Robert, my God, he has been with me for years now, every step of the way. And I wouldn’t be able to do this without him. He’s taking care of our children, the grocery store, the pickups, the travel arrangements. I love you so much. I’m so excited to share this with you.

To my son, Jude, and my daughter, Willow, my little one who’s taller than me, Sienna, standing right behind me. I said it before, but I’ll tell you again, the title of being your mom is enough for me. I don’t need anything else. And I’m so proud of all of you and thank you for being with me in this journey. This crazy, crazy but incredible journey.

Mommy, speaks Spanish. I want to thank my mom tonight, because if it weren’t for her and believing what was possible here in this incredible country, I wouldn’t be here making history tonight. Because tonight, we made history. I am the first Latina to be nominated by the Democratic Party to run for U.S. Senate in the state of Florida.

A huge shout out to all of you, my team, the members of the DMP team. Please raise your hand! Oh my god. My wing man, where’s Aidan? A special shout out to my wing man who’s been driving 25,000 miles all across the state.

A special shout out to Aaron, whom I have… Everyone’s been talking about the fact that, listen up everyone, one million text messages sent by volunteers organizing, making sure that people came out to vote. Thank you Aaron.

And of course, to all of the elected officials who have stood with me from the very beginning, to all of you standing here tonight… Many of you are my dear friends, some of you I just met and here you are supporting me in this race. I would not be here without your support. And I think that we’re sending a strong message of what is possible here in Florida.

But more than anything, my gratitude is to every single Floridian across the state. I am so fortunate to stand here before you and have this opportunity. At every round table, every lunch that we had, every meet and greet, I have seen the energy on the ground. Floridians are ready for change. They are rejecting the extremism and they’re saying with me, no más.

They have been tired, tired, tired of the politicians. Politicians like Rick Scott that have been taking away their freedom at every turn. Telling them whom they can love. Telling our teachers what they can teach. Telling seniors what healthcare they can receive, stripping them of their dignity. And telling women what we can or cannot do with their bodies.

And let me just say this right now. It will stop in November when we retire Rick Scott once and for all.

Rick Scott had every opportunity over the past 14 years that he’s been in office to try and do what is right for our communities. But no, under Rick Scott our insurance rates went from very high to a crisis, pricing people out of their homes. He had the opportunity to bring significant investments, billion dollars to the state of Florida to invest in resiliency program. He voted no.

He had the opportunity to invest in the American Rescue plan. Invest in the Inflation Reduction Act that would cap insulin at $35. What did he say? No.

He had the opportunity to expand Medicare coverage, which I did when I was in Congress. What did he do? He was busy writing his 12 point plan for America, which is a preamble for Project 2025, where he proposed eliminating Medicare, social security, raising taxes for middle class families, and, of course, repealing the Affordable Care Act.

It’s going to stop in November when Florida sends him the message, no más.

You know, many of you know what D.M.P. stands for. And let me just say, and I’m looking at the camera right now. Rick, you made a very big mistake when you decided to mess with my people. In November, we are together going to show you door and tell you no más.

I am going—Because I will be the senator that regardless of political affiliation, of politics of partisanship, I will put every single Floridian’s needs and interests above your own. You’ve been using the seat for self gain, self enrichment. It stops in November. No más.

Now, you know, I want everyone right now to create a vision in your mind because I can see it. We are going to build a state where our coastal communities and our fisheries are not just protected but are flourishing. Where families can build good lives and supported by opportunities and the commitment to thrive. We need to build a state and a country where we’re not only talking about women’s rights, but we are guaranteeing women’s rights, where every woman has the freedom to make her own choices about when and how to start a family. Free of politicians like Rick Scott. Free of government interference. This is the future that we can create together. A future that no matter who you are, where you come from, who you love, you have the right and the opportunity to thrive right here in the state of Florida.

I know that we can choose a future where every American can retire in dignity and where every Floridian has access to good quality healthcare. I know that together we can strengthen our democracy and make sure that our children can go to school free of gun violence. I know that this is all possible in Florida because my story is a story where anything is possible when you work enough, when you believe, and when you have your community with you.

But we have to work for it. The journey to November is getting started right now and I am so grateful for the work that you’ve done. But I’m going to ask you to do a whole lot more between now and November because this is when we start building a coalition of Floridians all across the state. Independents, Republicans, Democrats, those who haven’t registered to vote— that I hope you’re thinking about registering right now.

But we need to build a state that we’re proud of. I’ve been traveling for months now and I can tell you that I am more in love with Florida than I ever have, and I am more proud to be a Floridian today than I ever have. Thank you so much, let’s work.