By NAN Staff Writer
News Americas, MIAMI, FL, Fri. Oct. 30, 2020: The countdown is now on to the Nov. 3, 2020 US general elections, now just four days away from today, Oct. 30th, and while the major focus has been on the Presidential race, there are many other seats up for grab and several Caribbean Americans across the country in the running. Here are some of the key races with Caribbean immigrants and Caribbean American candidates running that you should know:
NEW YORK
LONG ISLAND
Jamaican immigrant, Jackie Gordon, an educator, veteran and community activist, is hoping to make history this Nov. 3rd as she makes a bid to become only the first woman and person of color to represent the 2nd congressional district on Long Island, New York, which has long been Republican.
Gordon is running for the seat on the Democratic ticket for the seat being vacated by Rep. Peter King. If she wins, she could also become the first Jamaican to represent the district which is made up of some 725,000 people and covers parts of Southeastern Nassau County and Southwestern Suffolk County. The district is only nine per cent black and 22 per cent Latino.
Gordon was born in St. Catherine Jamaica and attended the White Marl School in St. Catherine. At age seven, she migrated with her parents to the US, settling in Hollis, Queens, New York. She attended school in Queens and later attended Hunter College and Queens College, earning her undergraduate and postgraduate degrees.
Gordon then enlisted in the military, where she served for 29 years. Over her almost three decade career in the Armed Forces, she served overseas as a platoon leader in Germany during Operation Desert Storm, as an operations officer at Guantanamo Bay during the Global War on Terror, as a battle captain in Baghdad during the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, and as Commander of the 310th Military Police Battalion in Afghanistan in 2012. Gordon retired from the Army Reserve with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in 2014 and spent three decades working in New York public schools. From 2007 to 2020, she served on the Babylon Town Council, where she worked to direct resources to veterans and military families as Chair of the Veterans Advisory Council, pushed for the revitalization of Wyandanch Village, which has breathed new life into the community, and helped raise nearly $1 million for the Wounded Warriors Project through the annual Soldier Ride in Babylon.
BROOKLYN
Democratic Caribbean American Congressman, Yvette D. Clarke, the daughter of Jamaican immigrants, who represents the predominantly Caribbean 9th Congressional District in Brooklyn is on the ballot, facing a Republican – also a Caribbean roots candidate – Haitian American Republican, Constantin Jean-Pierre.
On the state side, Democratic Caribbean American Assemblywoman Diana Richardson faces Republican Menachem Rappaport on Nov. 3rd for the 43rd Assembly District in Brooklyn. Her parents hail from Aruba and Sint Maarten and Haitian immigrant, Phara Souffrant Forrest faces long-standing African American Assemblyman Walter T. Mosely, III in the general elections for the 57th Assembly District in Brooklyn. Souffrant Forrest, 31, a registered nurse, whose husband is Jamaican Charles Forrest, beat Mosely by 10 percentage points in the Primary but Mosely will be contesting the general elections on the Working Families Party (WFP) ticket.
Haitian American Kimberly Jean-Pierre, a Democrat, is running to represent District 11 (Suffolk County) in the state assembly. She faces Republican opponent Eugene Murray on Nov. 3. Jean-Pierre is serving in her third term as an assembly member.
Mathylde Frontus, a Democrat, is running to represent District 46 (south Brooklyn) in the state assembly and faces Republican challenger Mark Szuskiewicz on Nov. 3.
FLORIDA
Jamaican Marlon Bolton wants to be returned as vice-mayor of the City of Tamarac in Florida while Jamaicans Melissa Dunn and Richard Campbell are seeking to win seats as commissioners in Lauderhill, Florida.
Jamaican Michael Jones wants to become city commissioner in Tamarac while Jeff Holness, another Jamaican, is running for the school board in Broward County.
Haitian American Dotie Joseph, is running for a second term to represent Florida House District 108 (Miami-Dade County) in the Nov. 3 election and another Haitian American, Michelle Solages, a Democrat, is running to represent District 22 (Nassau County) in the state assembly. She faces Republican opponent Nicholas Zacchea in the November election.
Haitian American Marie Woodson, is running to represent Florida House District 101 (southeast Broward County). She faces Republican challenger Vincent Parlatore.
Haitian American Nancy St. Clair, Florida House is running as an independent candidate to represent Florida House District 92 (northeast Broward County). She faces incumbent Rep. Patricia Hawkins-Williams, a Democrat.
Haitian American Gepsie Metellus is running to represent District 3 on the Miami-Dade County Commission in a non-partisan race. She earned enough votes in the August primary to force a runoff election with current Commissioner Keon Hardemon in November.
Haitian American Linda Julien is running for Miami Gardens City Council, Seat 5, a non-partisan position. After garnering the second-most votes in the August primary, she faces incumbent Councilmember Andre Williams in a Nov. 3 runoff election.
Haitian American Nadia Assad is seeking a position as a commissioner for the City of Lauderhill, Seat 3. She will run in a nonpartisan race against two other candidates, Kelly Davis and Ray Martin.
PENNSLYVANIA
Anton Andrew, whose mother is from Jamaica and his father from Trinidad, is aiming to get the nod for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. Among his priorities are full and fair funding for public schools, fighting gun violence, expanding access to affordable healthcare, as well as protecting a woman’s right to choose.
